Today’s a rainy day in Chicago. As I put on my heels to head outside, my partner said…your nice shoes are going to get soaked! As I jumped the puddles in an effort to stay dry and save my soles, I started to think about today’s column and asked myself:
How can Dear Job Hunter help readers remember the obvious when job hunting to save their souls?
I didn’t have to go far to seek out an answer or two…my trail started with a newspaper article from the WSJ, which in turned sent me searching….you guessed it…online.
It seems paying jobs aren’t the only things being affected…internships are too. Jay Walker of the Wall Street Journal, citing the National Association of Colleges and Employers, writes “the number of interns that employers planned to hire declined 20.7% between 2008 and 2009.”
Walker also says, some students delay graduation to be able to take advantage of internships in order to receive school credit. Others that strike-out on landing an internship may have just decided to graduate without one.
This phenomena is a bit surprising to me as I would think companies would take advantage of this somewhat “free labor” during these tough economic times. One problem could be that many schools have gotten rid of their recruiters, whose job it was to assist students seeking internships. Those same recruiters would also interact with companies offering those type of positions.
So without that conventional way of finding an internship, many students are being forced to get creative about finding a company that is offering internships.
One option…social media.
Every-time you turn around, you hear how social media is the place to find a new job; a place to research a company you want to work for; or a place to actually read what insiders have to say about a company. Apply those same social media principles when you hunt for an internship. AND, remember to check the company’s actual websites.
Take time to search for companies with a Facebook page and LinkedIn profiles.
Now is also a good time for me to mention the other side of the coin when it comes to things like posting your info on Facebook. It never ceases to amaze me at what personal info people post on their pages. Remember, perspective employers can access that fairly easily, so watch what you write….what may be funny today, may not be funny tomorrow in the job world!
In a separate article written by Joe Walker in the WSJ entitled Firms Invest Big in Career Sites, he writes that many companies are spending big bucks on their websites to not just find good candidates, but to stay ahead of their competition.
So Dear Job Hunter suggests you stay ahead of the game and look at the big picture by making a wish list of where you would like to work…then go to the specific company’s website and search all social media outlets for that company.
If your field seems too full to land an internship or a paid position, consider branching out. For instance, if you have studied finance at school and a financial institution isn’t hiring or offering internships, then consider branching out and apply for a job in a completely different sector that still involves a form of finance…like a retailer, a developer, or something on the business side of Hollywood.
Dear Job Hunter wants to know what your biggest challenge regarding your job hunt.
Post your comments here on Dear Job Hunter or email me privately at trishhoffman@gmail.com
Trish Hoffman
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