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Job Hunting

ORGANIZING YOUR SEARCH

Job hunting can be a very long and, at times, a very frustrating process. Successful searches are the result of well-thought-out strategies. They take preparation, planning, multiple approaches and good follow-through. When possible, it is recommended that you start your job search at least six months in advance of your desired start date. Finding the right job can be a full-time job in itself.

Here are some basic steps you'll want to think about including in your job search:

Think about yourself - your skills, interests, needs and the kinds of jobs in which you might be interested. This is the most important precursor to any job search, and, unfortunately, the one most often skipped by graduating students. Things to think about: What are your interests, needs, skills, and personal values that would influence your decision to accept a position? What are your short term goals? long term goals? The Career Services homepage has information and tests to help you assess your skills, values, and interests. Spend some time thinking about the industry(ies) in which you'd prefer to work, the types of positions that you think would be best suited to you, and the skills which you could bring to a job. If you need more information on career fields use the Career Exploration Links.

Throughout the entire job search process it is important to determine the right job for YOU. Here are some things to consider:

• The size of the company: Should you apply to a large or small company? This depends on your goals and interests. There are many differences between large and small companies. For example, large companies may offer special training programs or formal on-the-job training for an entry-level engineer and the ability to learn from many senior level engineers - this may not be the case in a smaller company. In smaller organizations, entry-level staff often are able to function more as generalists, taking on a wider range of responsibilities and getting involved in a wider variety of projects - this may not be the case in larger organizations. Try to determine your preferred work environment and pick the setting that will best suit you! One word of caution: in any organization there can be different environments within individual departments. Try not to make assumptions which can rule out a job without obtaining accurate information first.
• Geographic location: Are you willing and able to relocate? Do you have family obligations that will limit your geographic flexibility? Are there specific regions that will offer the best opportunities in your field? Do you prefer a large city or a small town? What locations can provide you with activities that you enjoy doing during your free time?
• Challenge: Are you looking for a position that will require long hours? that will involve meeting deadlines? that will require you to become a technical expert quickly? that provides you with personal growth opportunities?
• Salary and benefits: How much money will you need to live on in the location(s) that you are targeting? Do you have school loans to pay back? Will you be trying to save a substantial amount of money while in this job? Do you have a special need for any particular medical coverage (ie. frequent need to purchase prescription drugs)?
• Gather Information from other people (also known as informational interviewing). The informational interview is a very useful tool in a successful job search. It is an appointment which is initiated by the job seeker to meet with people who can answer questions about a particular employer, career path or graduate program. For the most part, people enjoy talking with students about their career. In making your initial contact, state clearly the reason you wish to meet with him/her. You could say, "I'd like to meet with you:-
• to discuss your profession and how you could plan for such a career."
• to obtain advice about the field of transportation systems."
• to learn some of the differences between how environmental engineering is presented in the classroom and what the realities are in the field."

Emphasize that you are not seeking a job interview with him/her or the person's employer. You might want to give a brief summary of your background. Finish by requesting a brief meeting (approximately 20 minutes).

Use the Penn Alumni Career Network: The Penn Alumni Career Network (PACNet) comprised of engineering and non-engineering alumni/ae who volunteer their time to share information concerning their career paths, what they think it's like to work for a particular company, and what a particular job or graduate program is like. This program offers an easy way to start informational interviewing.

Begin to network with others. To network means to talk to lots of people about your career goals and interests. By networking, you can find out lots of information about careers/industries that may interest you. People in your network may provide you with the names of additional people with whom you should be speaking. Your network should include friends, relatives, faculty, employers, and people you have met through volunteer positions, professional associations, independent studies and extracurricular activities. It is possible that you will find out about interesting job opportunities through the people in your network.

Prepare written materials. This includes a resume and cover letter. Preparing a resume will not only bring you one step closer to being ready to contact potential employers, it will also help you to analyze the things that you have done and determine their relevance to the types of employers that you will be contacting. A resume which targets a specific industry or job type tends to receive more employer-interest than a broad, unfocused resume. Until you have clarified your career goals, you may choose to prepare several versions of your resume with different employment objectives, highlighting different aspects of your experiences.

Develop a contact list of potential employers. There are many good internet sites for researching employers. "The Riley Guide" offeres a tutorial comprehensive list of business research sites. You should use the CAREER SERVICES library and the other Penn Libraries (Van Pelt, Lippincott, and Biomedical) to get names and addresses of employers.

Select references. Open a credentials file at CAREER SERVICES. Secure reference letters from professors and previous employers. Discuss your plans with them. Provide them with your resume; it will assist them in discussing your qualifications.

Keep a record/log. It is really helpful to be organized in keeping track of the contacts that you make (dates, follow-up actions and the status of your applications.) When employers start calling you to set up interviews you can sound very impressive if, at a glance, you know exactly what material you have sent to that particular employer, to whom your resume was sent, and what you already know about the organization.

Spending money. There are several things for which you may need to set aside funds. Some examples are: transportation, clothes, phone calls and mailings. You may want to purchase an answering machine to be sure that you don't miss any calls.

Additional steps that you can take. Become a member of professional associations. Some people choose to attend job fairs, read magazines, newspaper ads, and trade journals. When reading newspapers, it is important to read articles in addition to reviewing job advertisements. If an article that is of interest to you discusses new projects being undertaken by an organization, you can take that to mean that the employer might need to hire new staff. By calling or sending a resume and cover letter to express your knowledge of the project and to outline what you can offer to the new endeavor, you might be able to tap into a hidden job market!

Some students explore the option of using employment agencies. If you are thinking about this seriously, be sure to use a reputable company. If you know of a student, with a similar level of experience, that has used the particular employment agency successfully, that is a good indicator. You should not be asked to pay for the service of an employment agency. If you use an agency, it would be preferable to use one that specializes in your area. You should spend some time speaking with a representative of the agency before making any commitments so that you can get a feel for the types of companies that they represent and to see if the jobs for which they recruit are the kind of jobs that you are interested in. Agencies should never be your exclusive mode of job hunting.

Any one of these job search methods by itself is usually insufficient. A successful job search will include several different techniques. You can speak to your career counselor to determine which ones would be best for you!

RESOURCES AT CAREER SERVICES

It is important to realize that you are not alone when conducting a job search. There are many people going through the process at the same time as you -- there are also people at Penn that are specifically here to help you. Career Services and the On-Campus Recruiting Service are two offices which are specifically structured to help you in this process.

Counseling: Counselors are available to discuss undergraduate and graduate students' concerns regarding career planning, job hunting and placement, applying to graduate schools, etc. Students can schedule 1/2 hour appointments by calling 898-3012 or 898-7590, or, for quick questions, students can attend the regularly scheduled walk-in hours.

Workshops/Seminars: Throughout the academic year, workshops are conducted to provide guidelines and assistance for your job search.

Credentials: Career Services can hold letters of recommendation which your professors and former employers have written for you. This is a permanent file that only you can forward materials from. To open a file, see the Career Services receptionist. You can download forms online and check on letters online.

Penn Alumni Career Network: For information about this program select this link to Penn Alumni Career Network.

Current Job Listings: Summer and full-time jobs are sent to Career Services from organizations throughout the world. Full time jobs are kept in the Engineering/Technical binder which is located at the Career Services reception desk and also are posted on PennLink, our online job listing service. Summer position listings are posted in the Internship Database.

Career Library: The library in Career Services contains career literature to help you learn about potential employers, occupational fields, graduate and professional schools. Sections which may be most relevant include: Engineering/Technical, Computer/Information Science, Scientific Research, Summer Jobs/Internships, Management/Consulting, General Directories, Geographic Directories.

On-Campus Recruiting: During the fall and spring semesters, organizations come to campus to interview students for full-time positions. On-Campus Recruiting Orientation Sessions are held in September for students graduating in December, May and August of that academic year. Orientation Sessions are held in early December and the first week after Winter Break for students looking for summer employment. At these sessions registration materials will be distributed and procedures for obtaining interviews will be reviewed. See the engineering administrative assistant to sign up for an orientation session.

Career Days: Engineering Career Awareness Day is held in October. Over 100 employers attend this event to discuss the opportunities (primarily full-time and some summer positions) available within their organizations.

KEEPING IT IN PERSPECTIVE

A positive mental attitude can make a world of difference. Sometimes you will be disappointed by your performance in an interview, or feel like a phone call didn't provide you with the information that you were seeking. This is commonly experienced by job seekers at all levels. Just as it's important to get back on a horse once you've fallen, it's also important not to let one negative experience prevent you from giving your job search your best shot. Occasionally it helps to take time out to reevaluate your strategies, your timetable and your options. Career Servicescounselors are available to help you through this reevaluation process. If you want a chance to practice, you might want to consider scheduling a mock interview to help you feel more confident about your interviews.

In doing your job search, remember that it is a complex process that does not work the same way for everyone. Try different approaches; if one does not work, try another. Be optimistic, be persistent and be organized. Remember, you are your own best marketing manager. To sell yourself well you should make the best use of your past experiences, your communication skills, and your self confidence.