Find Yourself, Find a Paycheck - The Panic Button, The Self-assessment Journey, Your Corporate Persona, Scoping The Field
job
Whether you're just coming out of school or are mid-career, searching for employment in the corporate world is more challenging than any assignment you'll be given on the job. Not only do you have to decide exactly what to look for, but you also have to find a way in the door and make that doorstop hold until you have an offer in hand. Fortunately, like any game with rules, job hunting has its loopholes. In this chapter, I'll discuss how to take advantage of them as you're surveying the field, meeting contacts, preparing your promotional materials, and interviewing. I'll also touch on the sticky question of money and how you can ask for more when they want to pay you less.
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For me, preparing to enter the corporate world was a lot like being reborn. At the end of my senior year of college, I felt the same sense of discomfort that a baby must feel when leaving the safety of his mother's womb. I freaked out about being unemployed and having to move back home, so I stormed my university's career center and wreaked havoc on every job catalog and database I c…
Start with a blank slate. This is easier said than done when everyone you know, especially your parents, has an opinion on what you should do now that you're all grown up. You also have to get past the issue of your major. You might think that because you studied economics, you have to pursue a career as a financial consultant. The truth is that even a business-related major will not adequa…
The semester before I graduated, I flew home to look for a job. I had been kind of lazy in college, and my parents didn't feel I was ready for the corporate world. They even told me to hold off on interviewing. I didn't listen, though. I bought a new suit, got a haircut, and practiced by talking to myself in the mirror for a week. When I went in to meet with employers, I pretended li…
Getting a good job in today's economy requires more than just graduating from a good college and hanging out at recruiting fairs. You have to set yourself apart, get their attention, and make them want you. You probably don't have a lot of time to make this happen. If you're unemployed, you might be cashing in the last of your savings bonds to make your rent, and you need a jo…
From the time I was just out of college, employers have told me that I have a terrific resume. If you think this means that my experience has been equally terrific, think again. Hey, when I was applying for my first job, I didn't have any real experience. I imagined the employer scanning the page for something that mattered to him, and realized I had to make my few skills stand out in a way…
Burning the midnight oil to write a spectacular cover letter to send with your resume is not the best use of your time. Why? It's critical that the right people read your materials, and that probably won't happen with a traditional cover letter and resume addressed to a human resources manager. Your resume could be better than Oprah Winfrey's, but if it sits in Mr. HR's…
I left my last job under pretty dismal circumstances. HR had failed to settle an ongoing dispute between my boss and me, so I quit. I was so depressed and unmotivated, I thought of leaving the corporate world for good. But then I got an interview opportunity at a really prestigious company in the city, so I dusted off my resumes and went. My interviewer and I bonded immediately. We had been talkin…
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