10 Reasons Some College Graduates Can't Find Jobs

We are fast approaching graduation season.

Although the economy is bouncing back a bit, it will still be challenging to find a job.  New graduates from vocational or career training programs need to remember that job search success requires constant effort.  Use this list as a checklist to ensure you are doing everything you can with every job opportunity that comes your way.  This list of the 10 reasons some vocational and career training graduates can't find jobs can keep yourself on track.  In most cases, you can do something about a job search if things are not working out.

• Using bad resumes and cover letters.  Find sample resumes at TheHBCUCareerCenter 
• Not using their college resources.  Check out the alumni network and VISIT the career center.
• Overlooking internships after graduation. Internships are still possible after college.
• Engaging in negative social networking. Clean up your online persona.
• Resumes show a lack of leadership experience from college.  Not all experience has to be paid.
• Not understanding what employers want. Do your research.
• Poor networking skills.  Networking doesn't just mean asking for help.  It means helping as well.
• No job interview preparation.  Find a way to do a mock interview.
• Little or no follow-up.  Every lead is important.
• Too much career ambiguity.  If employers think you don't know what you want, they might not hire you.

Resumes for STEM Majors Should Include These Items

There is huge demand for students, college or vocational, to focus on education in one of the STEM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math).  The career prospects for students in these majors are very good.  So says the US Department of Labor.  

As STEM students seek internships or jobs after graduation they should be thinking about how to include information on these four things in a STEM resume.   

PROJECTS - Include relevant information from non-trivial projects.  Don't forget to add information about what role you may have played on a team or what lab equipment you used.

RESEARCH - Lots of STEM majors collaborate on research with professors on and off their college campus.  Add information on research methods etc.

INTERNSHIPS AND CO-OPS - Successful STEM majors do their share of internships and co-ops.  STEM students should know that employers want students who have completed internships.

SUMMER FELLOWSHIPS - Many STEM majors spend summers during summer fellowships.  This is a great way to show employers and graduate schools that you have had productive summers.

How to Get a Great Summer Job

Was doing some research today to compile my list of favorite summer job resources for high school and college students. I found a great blog post at Bobcat Career Advice.  Please read the entire blog post, but I wanted to share their sample list of suggested summer job sites:

A sample list of suggested summer job sites:

·         Theme and Amusement Parks

·         National and State Parks

·         City Park and Recreation Departments

·         Camps (Types of camps: single sex, co-ed, day camps or overnight, athletic camps, camps for physically or mentally disabled, church or religious sect camps, and wilderness camps)

·         Hotels, Resorts and Spas

·         Dude Ranches and Country Clubs

·         Local Recreation Centers

·         Companies with service related positions such as Retailers and Call Centers

·         Federal Government summer job program

·         Market Research Firms such as The Gallup Organization

·         Employment and Temporary Agencies

·         Non-Profit Agencies

·         Museums, Libraries and Theatres

·         Health Fields (hospitals, clinics, labs, doctor’s offices, etc.)

·         Restaurants and other Food Industry employers

·         Service Providers (Supermarkets, Courier/Delivery Services, and Daycare Agencies)

·         Construction Companies

4 Engineering Careers with Two Year Degrees

Many people do not know that it is possible to have a successful job in engineering jobs with a two-year degree.  These 4 technician jobs in the engineering field have relatively higher wages and good potential growth for the future. (Source Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Electrical Engineering Technicians
Electronic Engineering Technicians
Nanotechnology Engineering Technicians
Environmental Engineering Technicians

Details of salary and training.

Job Search Advice for Teens Looking for Summer Jobs

I know teens just went back to school after the break, but it is not too early to start thinking about summer plans.  The summer plans for many high school and college teens include finding a summer job.  If you have read my blog for the last six years, you know that this time of year is when I start to speaking to teens about the summer job search.

Teens should know there is a lot of competition for summer jobs in a bad economy.  Although employers are hiring in greater numbers than they have in the last few years, teens still need to think about the old adage - the early bird gets the worm.  The summer job worm that is.  These articles will help you or your teen get an early start on the summer job search.

Teens Looking for Summer Jobs Should Write Cover Letters Too
Why American Teens Need Summer Jobs
How Summer Jobs can Impact a Community
4 Steps for Teens to Get a Summer Job in a Government Agency
Looking for a Summer Job?  Government Agencies Hire Students
5 Ways Teens Can Shine in the Summer Job Interview

What do You get from a Job Besides a Paycheck

Great post by Paul Crowley from Recruiting Blogs.

His article takes you step by step through some of the questions you really need to ask yourself about your work and what you do for a living.  Some of the questions are particularly appropriate when you are trying to make a decision about a new job or new assignment. 

If you are at a career crossroads ask these questions.  Some of the questions Paul Crowley encourages you to ask:

Does this role provide the opportunity to develop my career?
Is the work I am going to be doing marketable?
Are the companies values and corporate philosophy in line with mine?

Read the entire blog post to learn more about what the answers could reveal about the prospect of longer term career satisfaction with the job.   

How to Find Good Career Advice on the Internet

The internet has EVERYTHING!

In fact so much stuff is floating around in cyberspace, it is hard to keep track of what is real and what isn't.  One of the things career management folks talk about all the time is when job seekers preface comments with, "I saw on the internet that I should do this or that..."

The same advice teachers give to students sometimes about being leery of internet sources, is the same advice I will give here.  This advice on how to find good career advice on the internet is not new.  I wrote about it in an article here, but wanted to summarize the tips for the BullsEye blog:

When sifting through career information on the internet:
- Still ask other real people you know or are connected to through networks for recommendations

- Read online endorsements or testimonials or the career professional online such as through a LinkedIn profile

- Check out their tweet timeline on Twitter if they have a twitter account. What kind of advice do they offer?
- Check out their their career blogs for longevity and current information.
- Look at how someone is connected on the internet.
- Use links from a trusted source.  For example check out the list of BullsEye Faves.
- Find information relevant to your career niche or needs.  
- Look closely at what qualifies them to be a career professional. Be careful of the certifications. They are everywhere and sometimes not worth the paper they are printed on!


Read How to Identify Free Good Career Advice on the Internet

Land a Job on the Top 10 List of Hard to Fill Jobs with a Vo-Tech Degree

Have you seen this list of the Top 10 Hardest to Fill Jobs in the U.S.?  It might surprise you that many of the jobs on the list requires vocational training or an Associates Degree that you can complete in eighteen to twenty-four months.  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, for example, becoming a Machinist requires vocational training, on-the-job training or an Associates degree.

The Top 10 Hardest Jobs to Fill in 2011 were identified in the annual Manpower Talent survey as:

• Skilled Trades
• Sales Representatives
• Engineers
• Drivers
• Accounting and Finance staff
• Information technology staff
• Management and executives
• Teachers
• Secretaries and administrative assistants
• Machinist and machine operators

Many of these positions from Skilled Trades to Machinists and Machine Operators require an Associates degree which you can get from a good Vocational training or career training program in twenty four months or less.   

Read How to Land One of the Jobs on the Top 10 Hardest U.S. Jobs to Fill to get six additional tips on how to get one of these jobs.

The Types of Tech Jobs President Obama Wants

Payscale.com says there are three kinds of tech jobs that President Obama wants to fill.  These are tech jobs in Science and BioTech, Software Engineers, Professional, Scientific & Tech Services and Engineers.

In the most recent state of the union address, you probably heard the President speak about these millions of jobs globally that Americans can't fill.  Why?  Our workforce just doesn't have all the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) skills our industries need.  

We can change that.  Check out the article from Payscale.

5 Job Search Skills for New Vo-Tech Grads

Many Vo-Tech programs do a really phenomenal job of preparing students in the classroom for their new jobs after vocational training program.  Although many Vo-Tech schools also provide career and job search assistance, many Vo-Tech grads really don't master the job search skills they need to sell themselves.  A successful job search strategy for new Vo-Tech grads should focus on these 5 job search skills if they want to launch a successful career.  

Job search skill # 1 for new Vo-Tech grads - Be honest with yourself
Without the ability to honestly evaluate your values, interests, skills and abilities the job search for a new Vo-Tech graduate might be very frustrating.  Just as you evaluated your interests to find the right Vo-Tech program or career training program, you also have to evaluate your likes and dislikes to find the right job.

Job search skill # 2 for new Vo-Tech grads - Networking skills
With Twitter, Facebook and YouTube accounts, some Vo-Tech students think they have all the skills they need to network.  However, Vo-Tech grads should know they have to get up from behind the computer as well to network with people who can help them find jobs.

Job search skill # 3 for new Vo-Tech grads - Writing skills
Unfortunately some Vo-Tech programs do not stress writing skills and some Vo-Tech graduates don't have the necessary writing skills to succeed in a job search.  Vo-Tech new grads should get help from career advisers with resume writing, cover letters and thank you letters.  Sample Vocational Resumes

Job search skill # 4 for new Vo-Tech grads - Job interviewing skills
Vo-Tech grads can rely on career advisers to help them get job interviews.  However, during the job interview it is the responsibility of the Vo-Tech grad to land the job.  Ask for help with mock interviews on campus.  Check out the Interview FAQs here for students and grads in Vo-Tech programs.

Job search skill # 5 for new Vo-Tech grads - How to evaluate a job offer
Vo-tech grads should know how to evaluate a job offer.  Many Vo-Tech grads who do well in school can have multiple job offers from different employers.  Evaluating a job offer includes looking at career benefits such as training and professional advancement.  There are non-career benefits to consider as well such as schedule and commute.

More articles for Vocational Training (Vo-Tech) grads:
How to Show Vocational Training on Resume and Cover Letter
Top 10 Resume FAQs for Vocational Students

12 Things Skilled Hourly Jobseekers Need to Know about a Company

I was working with a skilled hourly jobseeker whose  job ends in March.  The supermarket chain where this jobseeker worked for eight years has been sold to a competitor and his location is one of the three to be closed by the new owners.  I encouraged him to get started on a new job search right away, especially with a completely new chain of supermarkets, opening this spring a few miles away.

In conversation with this skilled hourly jobseeker, I asked what he knew about the new chain that was coming to town.  He knew their name and where two other locations had opened up.  That was about it.

Here are a few of the things we discussed that skilled hourly jobseekers really need to research about the company in preparation for a job interview. He seemed surprised at first, but understood how this information could help him in a job interview.  Lack of company research is a challenge for skilled hourly jobseekers.  Many times they don't know the research is important or how to do it.  The company website is a place to start.

1. How big or small is the company?
2. Are there unions in place at the company and how will that affect your employment?
3. How might employees get promoted?
4. Will you get the opportunity to gain new skills?
5. Are there other locations?
6. Try to get a sense of why the company successful?
7. What kind of reputation does the company have in the industry?
8. Are there seasonal influences on the job?
9. What are the career growth paths within the company?
10. Are uniforms required and will they be provided?
11. What kind of safety record does the company have?
12. Any complaints out there on the internet about the company.