3 Factors Employers Actually Review About Recent Graduates

3 Factors Employers Actually Review About Recent Graduates There are a lot of misconceptions surrounding the hiring process straight out of college. Much of the misinformation is rooted in the fact that every employer and recruiting firm operates differently. But with that being said, there are some common threads when it comes to an attractive resume. For employers, hiring is big business. It doesn’t matter if they’re hiring someone to fill an opening in the C-suite or bringing in a recent college graduate for an entry-level position, the cost of employee onboarding is always high. According to Deloitte research, recruiting expenses alone average $4,000 per position. Then there are training costs, equipment and supplies, and usually a temporary loss in productivity. By the time the process is completed, hiring a new employee can cost more than $10,000 (not counting actual pay). Having said that, most employers are spending more time evaluating talent in order to ensure they’re making the right decisions. In terms of recent graduates, here’s what they’re looking at:   1. College pedigree There’s always some debate among students, universities, recruiters, and businesses about whether or not college pedigree â€" or the reputation of the school â€" matters. In most cases, the answer is no. The difference between getting a business degree from your local community college and a large public university in the state probably isn’t that significant. (Though the difference between a degree from your local community college and Harvard Business School would matter.) College pedigree matters most in industries like healthcare, where employers meticulously review school program rankings. Higher program rankings are touted by institutions and used as recruiting tools. Therefore, graduation from a program like Rush University â€" which has seven nursing programs listed in the most recent U.S. News World Report rankings â€" carries some clout. 2. GPA and relevant coursework  A second factor employers and recruiters look at is GPA. The exact number doesn’t matter as much as what the number indicates. For example, having a 3.7 versus 3.8 isn’t going to keep you from getting a job offer. But if you finish with a 4.0 in a program where most graduates average a 3.25, then you have a differentiating factor. On a related note, many companies will also look at relevant coursework and whether or not your classroom training has prepared you for the challenges you’ll face on the job. 3. Internships and work experience Outside of the classroom, what have you done to prove that you’re a good candidate? Internships and work experience are a must in competitive job markets. Employers expect you to have some relevant experience and don’t like to take chances on candidates who coasted through their college careers. Volunteering and extracurricular activities matter, too. Things like fraternity or sorority membership, intramural sports involvement, and participation in various on-campus groups and clubs can boost your appeal as a candidate with varying skills and interests. Develop yourself into a well-rounded graduate If you’re a college student, the most important thing you can do is work on becoming a better-rounded individual. Having a 4.0 GPA won’t do you any good if you don’t have any work experience. Accumulating 1,000 volunteer hours won’t matter if your GPA is a 2.5. Attending an Ivy League school will have little bearing if you have multiple arrests on your record. When it comes to hiring recent graduates, employers are looking for individuals who are well-rounded. From their perspective, these are the candidates who generally provide a healthy return on investment. Are you spending your college career prioritizing the factors that employers are evaluating? About the author:  Larry Alton is an independent business consultant specializing in social media trends, business, and entrepreneurship. Follow him on Twitter  and LinkedIn.

5 Personal Brands with Great Facebook Pages - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

5 Personal Brands with Great Facebook Pages - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Today, Facebook has more than 500 million active users globally, with half of its users logging into the site every day. Are you leveraging Facebook as a personal branding tool? Making the most of face time There are two ways you can use Facebook for personal use: create an account or create a page. While an account is a great tool for personal networking, a page is an amazing personal branding tool to connect with fans and clients on a professional level. Samir Balwani wrote in his Mashable article, “5 Elements of a Successful Facebook Fan Page,” that successful fan pages include the following elements: Networking with other platforms: Successful pages include links back to their other websites and social networking profiles. Creating a resource: Offering your fans great information and resources makes them more interested in following your brand. Creating contests that include participation: Giving people a reason to “like” your page often increases the following tremendously. Empowering pre-existing pages: Encouraging and rewarding fans who have dedicated time to your Facebook presence adds more value than shutting down their “unofficial” page. Targeting the proper demographic: Although more and more people join Facebook every day, there are still a few demographics that aren’t as engaged as others. Deciding if Facebook is the right platform for your brand is an important step in creating a successful presence. Each of the following people, whether they are a celebrity, author, athlete, or social media guru, use their Facebook fan page to further their personal brand and interact directly with their fans. 1. Mark Zuckerberg: As the founder of Facebook, Zuckerberg understands how to leverage his fan page in numerous ways. He updates his page with interesting Facebook goings-on, photos, and recent articles he’s written. He also shares extras with his fans that you would not be able to see otherwise (such as a video with bloopers on the end). 2. LeBron James: Although it’s apparent that James does not update his own fan page, his page obviously shares things that the fans want to see, with each photo uploaded or status update receiving hundreds â€" or even thousands â€" of comments and “likes.” Interestingly, his fan page also has a lot of interaction on the “Discussion Board” tab, which often goes unused. He does a good job at linking back to his Twitter account and personal webpage through an amazing-looking landing page. 3. Lady Gaga: When heading to Lady Gaga’s fan page, the first tab you land on is a list of her music videos. This shows that she clearly understands what her fans want to see and is creating a resource for them to come back to. She also has tabs for her store and newsletterâ€"a great way to expose her Facebook fans to things they might only find through her site. Her status updates appear as if she’s talking directly to her fans, which helps give her page a personal touch that many seem to lack. 4. Keith Ferrazzi: I like that one of the first things you see on Keith’s page is his small biography box under his picture, talking directly to the fan: “Hey everyone, I have a blog! Come visit us! And make sure to comment often. My Facebook community has the most insightful comments. BE GENEROUS and share them with the world. Look forward to the conversation!” He also includes a tab for his blog, numerous photo uploads (directly from his phone) and links to his other websites and profiles. 5. Mari Smith: Mari’s fan page is often shown as an example on Social Media Examinerâ€"and it’s clear why. She has a great landing tab which includes her latest tweet, latest blog posts, a video, Flickr photostream, a personal message and a call to action to “like” the page. Her Wall is packed full of fans asking questions and receiving answers about social media â€" either from Mari herself or from other fans who have some knowledge of the tools. Her profile picture explains her brand perfectly and concisely. She’s created a resource for people with social media questions and has a tab with resources that fans can visit. What other people with great brands on Facebook would you add? Author: Heather R. Huhman is a career expert and founder president of Come Recommended, a career and workplace education and consulting firm specializing in young professionals. She is also the author of #ENTRYLEVELtweet: Taking Your Career from Classroom to Cubicle (2010), national entry-level careers columnist for Examiner.com and blogs about career advice at HeatherHuhman.com.

Old Photos, Messy Houses and Juggling Three Jobs... - Classy Career Girl

Old Photos, Messy Houses and Juggling Three Jobs... A few weeks ago, I was preparing for a webinar and going through all of my old photos of the times when I was starting a business and juggling three jobs at once. I realized that there are so many untold stories about my life as an entrepreneur. The challenges. The tears. The dance parties.   Heres a picture of me working my day job and my dream business.kind of at the same time. Work laptop on the right side and MY laptop on the left side planning a live event in 2013. The thing was my work laptop was SO slow so in between waiting for technology to happen, I would do work on my live event page. ?? Every second counts, right! And this photo where I am carrying my daughter in her solly wrap while trying to get her down for a nap and finishing up a presentation for my first international speaking event. I am actually not sure how I was even functioning at that point of exhaustion but I just kept on going. Heres the thing. Entrepreneurship is HARD, right? And its so easy to get distracted by the pretty photos on Facebook where it looks like entrepreneurs fly to Paris last minute, drink champagne in Italy and live a luxurious laptop lifestyle from the beach. They make it look so easy so why is it so hard for us! I am hustling in my bedroom in a messy house with my daughter running around and dishes piled in the sink. So, I decided to create a movement around the REAL experiences of starting a business. Introducing #MyStartupStory Movement. In an effort to push past the distractions of the luxurious start-up photos on Facebook, we want to share our real story of starting up because..reallyits anything but luxurious. The 7-Day #MyStartupStory Challenge Starts November 10th. Click here to join. This free challenge will include 7 days of business growth writing prompts to help you: -Create your brand -Write your website -Grow your confidence -Attract more clients -Build a business that makes a difference in the world. No matter what phase of business you are in, #MyStartupStory will help you get clear on your business mission, attract more clients and stand out in your industry. Also, if you are scared of your current employer finding out, we highly recommend creating an anonymous profile on Instagram or create a blog as your business name so you can start getting the word out about your new business coming soon! I cant wait to share #MyStartupStory with you and read your story too! Anna Runyan P.S. Post your story for all 7 days on social media with #MyStartupStory to be entered to win a ONE YEAR membership to Corporate Rescue Plan (value: $500!). Corporate Rescue Plan is an internationally recognized Employee to Entrepreneur membership community and a step-by-step training program for women. Join us for free now.

Stop Writing Your LinkedIn Profile in the 3rd Person!

Stop Writing Your LinkedIn Profile in the 3rd Person! If your LinkedIn profile is written in the 3rd person, stop reading this blog and go change that description of yourself right now. I am dead serious. Nothing annoys me more than inflated egos (most employers think this way), and one simple technique for identifying inflated egos is the reference to the self in the 3rd person. I know you may think you’ve accomplished so much that someone should be talking about your professional conquests, and maybe they are, but not on your own LinkedIn page. When I see the 3rd person on a LinkedIn page I think, has this person been hacked? Or are you just that out of touch when it comes to presenting yourself on the social web? The social web’s value lies in direct connection to anyone’s personal page. Whether it’s Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+, or wherever, nearly everyone stores some from of their identity on a page online. That’s why my company’s job advertisements encourage candidates to apply with whatever profiles already stores their information. Candidates (and companies for that matter) should be forthcoming. Your information is out there for reference. When you write about yourself on your LinkedIn profile, the use of the first person is appropriate.* What I am writing about is nothing new; it’s just arrogance manifesting within another medium. When Esquire tackled, “Why the F%$# Do People Refer to Themselves in the Third Person?” Harvard Medical School Professor and Author of Identifying and Understanding the Narcissistic Personality explained: Referring to yourself in the third person creates distance between I and he. So if you have an exaggerated view of how great you are, you could be using this distance to make yourself even bigger. Or, if youve achieved major success suddenly, using the third person could be a way to adjust to the bigger role thats been assigned to you. Its a way to enlarge yourself to fit that role. Why would people refer to themselves in the 3rd person on LinkedIn more often than they do on Facebook? LinkedIn’s emphasis on role. The 3rd person is a way to enlarge yourself to fit that exaggerated role of how great you (seemingly) are. At some point exaggerations become lies, and that will red flag your resume. Sometimes, the resume is better off simple. Often times your titles and company names are plenty to give 80% of your professional profile. For the final 20% of your professional profile, be humble, be honest, and above all else, be yourself. (*If you are one of the few people who had their LinkedIn profile written by someone else there is nothing wrong with ghostwriting  acknowledge that no matter who wrote the page, your LinkedIn page is you telling me what you do.)

#97 - A Day In The Life Of A Voice Actor - Evan Schitt - CareerMetis.com

#97 - A Day In The Life Of A Voice Actor - Evan Schitt The Career Insider Podcast Apple Podcasts | Android | Email | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | TuneIn | RSSForEpisode 97of The CareerMetis Podcast, we will learn about:A Day in the Life of a VOICE ACTORfrom our guest Evan Schmitt.evalGuest Introduction â€" Evan SchmittevalEvan Schmitt is a voice actor by profession. Evan got his first start in voice overs when he was young and making films. He narrated his own films at first, and then in College started showing an interest in audio and vocal performance.Episode Summary1.Evan begins by telling the story of how he became a voice actor, which developed over time into his side business.2.Evan also goes into detail about what a voice actor is, what the job entails, and the surprising places that voice acting is used in our day to day lives.3.Evan describes his day to day, which is pretty full considering he works a full time job on top of the voice acting work he fulfills.4.Evan shares that audio books are a very enjoyable part of his job, be cause of their length and the nature of how they need to be approached. He loves working on fiction audio books because the actor has to become the characters within the book.5.Evan also breaks down the challenges of the career. He talks about the rejection that comes along with his career, and how selling himself at the beginning was difficult until he shifted his thinking and made it a consistent habit.eval6.He also explains the risk involved with perfectionism, and how it can be a real snag for some.7.Evan talks about how to get into voice acting and whether or not a formal education is required. He also shares some insights on how to continuously improve in order to create a fulfilling and successful career our of voice acting.Quotes“Create something”“Do something for 5 minutes a day and do it every day”.“You’re essentially a full service audio production service”eval“there’s a lot of ways that a voice can tell a story”“Voice Acting is the highest paid per- hour Freelance job in the world”“If you really want to do it, then you are the only one who can make it happen”.Links ResourcesTo learn more about Evan Schmitt, you can connect with him on LinkedInor through this website.Intro Music provided courtesy ofAccelerated Ideas(www.accelerated-ideas.com). Soundtrack â€"Siren KickbackEnding Music provided courtesy ofAccelerated Ideas(www.accelerated-ideas.com). Soundtrack â€"No Need to Rush

4 Ways To Age-Proof Your Resume

4 Ways To Age-Proof Your Resume 4 Ways To Age-Proof Your Resume A breadth of experience, combined with a solid career progression are prized by many employers. Unfortunately, the biggest concern for many job seekers who possess those assets is age discrimination. Particularly those of a certain age. There’s no doubt that some employers do discriminate. However, often the reason they are reluctant to hire candidates over 50 is because they are afraid they won’t be current with their skills or familiar with not-so-newfangled things like social media. While to-date there is no anti-aging cream for your resume, there are ways to ensure that your resume doesn’t make you look old and, maybe worse out of date. Here are four. Out-Dated Email While it may sound silly, nothing screams old louder than a @aol or even a @yahoo, email address. Yes, 20 years ago is it demonstrated that you were ahead of the curve, but those days are over. While you can keep your old email address for friends or family, opt for a more current email address, like @gmail for your job search. Be sure to choose an address that’s business appropriate. For example, your name or a variation of your name. Advertising College Graduation Education is important. It’s one of the first things that recruiters and employers look at. But there’s no need to advertise your age by including dates of attendance and/or the year you graduated on your resume. If you graduated 15+ years ago there’s no need to include your GPA either. Remember this doesn’t apply if you’ve just finished completing your MBA. Listing Every, Single, Thing Out-dated resumes often have long lists of duties and responsibilities. They sound like reverse-engineered job descriptions. This is because resumes began as job histories. Today, resumes need to be marketing tools. Make sure that you have your best stuffâ€"skills and top achievementsâ€"on the top third of the first page of your resume. You need to entice your reader to read more. Not Including LinkedIn No, this post isn’t about LinkedIn, you already know that you need to have a LinkedIn profile. Be sure that employers know you are on LinkedIn by including a link to your profile on is on your resume. First, you are telling recruiters and potential employers that you are using current job-search techniques. Second, it helps an interested reader find your profile, which can be difficult if you have a common name like me. Yes, it’s true that some employers discriminate based on age. But, many more appreciate the experience and knowledge possessed by a more seasoned employee. It’s essential to let recruiters and potential employers that you’re not old-fashioned. Let them know that you are up-to-date with your skills and current with technology. That combined with a positive attitude and a smile will take you a long way.

Writing a Good Resume Objective

Writing a Good Resume ObjectiveWriting a good resume objective is something that can greatly affect your chances of being hired for the job you're applying for. A lot of people make the mistake of not including a statement about themselves on their resume. However, it's important to emphasize the skills and abilities you have to show to your prospective employer that you're the best candidate for the job. By doing this, you'll be showing that you are the right person for the job and therefore you will be considered by the employer to get the job.The first thing you need to do when writing a good resume objective is to define exactly what it is you want to get out of it. You should also include a statement about why the employer should hire you. That way, the employer can understand your reasoning for the objective. If you write a long and boring section, it may turn off your potential employer and they won't even consider hiring you. That's because you've exhausted all of your persua ding skills on that one paragraph.It's also important to remember that a good resume objective is short and to the point. It must be able to capture the attention of the employer with only a few words. It should not stretch on forever, and neither should it seem to have been written hastily.You may think that this means that you shouldn't mention anything about the job or about yourself that you don't feel comfortable saying in the job application. In actuality, though, it's a much better idea to focus on your skills, abilities, and accomplishments so that your employer can get a feeling for who you are as a person and how well you'll fit into the organization. A good resume objective should highlight everything that your potential employer is looking for from you.Writing a good resume objective is not as easy as it might seem. You'll need to devote some time to think about what you want to say. Try to focus on those aspects of your personality that the company is looking for. This will allow you to be concise and powerful in your resume objective.Writing a good resume objective isn't something that happens overnight. However, the effort you put into the composition will ultimately determine how well you will do with your job search. There's nothing worse than coming into an interview with an awkward sentence structure or unclear thoughts.If you're in the process of writing a good resume objective, make sure you plan out your message. You can use bullet points and a timeline to guide you through your goal. You can also add a section where you mention the company you're applying for. This gives the company and the employer something to look at, which can help to get you noticed.Writing a good resume objective is a crucial part of your resume. If you aren't careful, you might wind up embarrassing yourself. It's a good idea to be brief, clear, and concise in your thinking. When you put some thought into your writing, you'll be more successful at the job search an d this can give you a higher chance of getting hired.