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Assistant: Angie
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Career Survival Skills
Ask Questions ! By Ken Preiser
As a student or a potential student, remember that you have the right to ask questions. Asking questions is a good thing. For example, let us presume that you know what your future four year college major is going to be. Too often, transferring students will pick a university simply because it is close to them geographically. I have always felt that when a student is trying to decide where to transfer, let us say in this case, it may be MTSU, UT-Chattanooga or UAH., they too often think about convenience of drive time. Perhaps MTSU is closest to home by about fifteen minutes of drive time. I always suggest to students that they call all the universities and ask how many graduates there were last year in their chosen major, say accounting. Then, I suggest that they ask that department of the university or the Placement Office, how many of that number of graduates obtained employment in their field, where those jobs were, what the names of the companies were and what the starting salaries were. I think with that information, you the potential transfer student are in a much better position to make an informed decision about which university to attend. Would it not be smart to go to the school that has the largest number of its graduates getting the best paying jobs? I have seen a lot of students go to the closest school to home but often times graduate with a four year degree and not many job offers. Always ask questions. You ask what the guarantee on a new car is, don't you?
Questions should not stop after you pick a school to attend
One of the best things that I believe you can do besides studying is to get to know your professors very well. You would be amazed at the number of your college professors who know where jobs are. Often times businesses call professors to get recommendations on good students. In addition, a good letter of reference from a professor as well as from your past employers is an excellent thing to have. When you are in class, ask questions. That will help your professors to know that you are interested in your class materials, that you have enthusiasm and that you are confident enough to ask a question. Visit with your professors during their office hours and discuss class subject matter. Make a good impression and get a good letter of reference.
Special points of interest:
* There are no dumb questions.
* In order to know the answers you have to ask the questions.
* You have the right to become informed.
* Schools do not always give you the answers unless you ask the questions.
Job Hunting is Getting Harder
I have been working in college placement now for a lot of years. The one thing that is very apparent to me is that all of my college job seekers are saying that it is getting harder to get hired. I think that is because there are fewer jobs these days and many more job seekers. This is true whether the jobs are part or full time. Just a few years ago, employers would call applicants back if they did not get the position. No longer is that true, either. You job seekers have to be aware that when an employer is looking at thirty to forty applicants for one position, they are going to be frustrated by the number of choices and they are going to believe that they can find a very qualified applicant. The employers are getting more and more selective and working harder to find the perfect employee even for part time positions.
You the job seeker must think about this as if you were going to a car lot to buy a car. Your whole shopping process for the car would be different if you were on a huge car lot with a lot of choices or a small lot with only a couple. The more choices you have the more selective you are. What that means to the job seeker is that you
have to work harder to get the job of your choice. You must know something about the employer and their products. You must present yourself well and be dressed nicely for the job. You have to think about what you can contribute to this employer even before the interview starts. You must give good answers to questions about your last job.
Employer questions
Employers today are going to school to learn how to interview applicants. Employers, today, are asking tougher questions. That is all because there are too many applicants and the applicants are getting more competitive. Be prepared for questions like, "Tell me about yourself", "Why should I hire You?", "Why did you leave your last job?", "Describe a difficulty you had on your last job and how you solved the problem", "What do you know about our business?", etc. Often times you can be asked to solve problems in the interview. Not mathematical ones but people ones. I know employers who actually give number grades to your applications and resumes.
Special points of interest:
Say thank you for the interview
Follow up in a couple days to see if you are hired
Be polite and friendly
Show them how you can help them in their business
Expect things to be tough
Please email me with any questions you have: kpreiser@mscc.edu
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