Rodney and Bernadette, juniors at Small College, were walking to class having just returned from Spring Break. Rodney: I’m so glad we both got into Physiology of Mythical Creatures this quarter! Bernadette: Me too. I can’t wait to hear about how the Loch Ness theoretically uses its tail. Rodney: Agreed! Man but when I was home over break… Read More »
A Bad Day at the Job Market: Remember the References
It was a great day for Henrietta. After months of churning out job applications, she finally had good news – she’d advanced to the final round of interviews for an engineering position with Another Tech Co. She was thrilled. She didn’t want to get ahead of herself, but it was nice to see her hard… Read More »
LaunchMode: Our First Field Trip
The staff of YouLaunchU took its first field trip to the mean streets of Job Searching yesterday to get a glimpse of what’s really going on. We visited the SacJobs Fair just outside Sacramento for a “meet and greet” where local employers introduced themselves to job seekers. Presenters included health care providers, financial institutions, auto… Read More »
A Bad Day at the Job Market: The Resume Slaughter
It was internship application season and Roger and Shirley, veteran employees at worldwide company TechyTech, were tasked with narrowing the applicant pool from 500 to 25. This was an annual ritual for them, meaning they were experts at slashing and trashing resumes. Of course they wanted to find the best candidates, but there wasn’t enough… Read More »
A Bad Day at the Job Market: The Ghost of Paddys’ Past
Before you enjoy your annual Guinness, consider our fictional friend Dirk. Dirk is a young gun in the working world – he’s got a college degree from a reputable school and a few years of steady work experience under his belt. Dirk is on the hunt for potential new job opportunities, and was lucky enough… Read More »
A Bad Day at the Job Market: The Dreaded Dress Code
When you’re interviewing for a job, it can be hard to gauge company culture from afar. And if you earn the chance to interview in person, deducing the unofficial dress code can be a challenge. That’s why we think it’s best to always err on the side of formality. Think of our fictional friend Myrtle…… Read More »
A Bad Day at the Job Market: Schmoozing and Losing
Freddie had been a charmer since day one. He loved schmoozing parents and teachers and could usually find a way to weasel out of chores or retake a bombed test. So when he learned networking was a key to finding a job, he figured he was set. He’d always been a natural salesman, and figured… Read More »
A Bad Day at the Job Market – Staying Current
Mervin was jazzed. He finally had a job interview. A real-life sit-down face-to-face interview. Now interviews like this didn’t come around too often for Mervin. He was a capable fellow with a college degree and superior tech skills, but he wasn’t always great at putting himself out there. He did some odd jobs here and… Read More »
A Bad Day at the Job Market – Follow Through on Follow Up
Networking can be intimidating, but more often than not, it’s a sure-fire way to get your foot in the door somewhere. To really make it work, you have to be as diligent with your network as you are with employers. Take our fictional friend Roybert. Roybert is a part-time barista who spends his non-working hours… Read More »
A Bad Day at the Job Market
When you’re on the job hunt, it’s crucial to remember that the interview portion does not begin and end with the formal interview. Instead, think of every step along the way as part of one long extended interview. Your email exchanges, your phone conversations, your thank-you notes – these all factor into your success. Take… Read More »