Three Tips for Transitioning from College to the Workplace

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By Randy Wooden

If you’re a college student or know one who is, today’s blog is for you.  Here are three tips for landing that first job after graduation.

#1.  For those about to graduate, you’ve missed this one already.  Internships give you exposure to corporate life and a leg up on your competition since the company with which you’re interning gets to see you in action. If you were an employer, wouldn’t you feel better hiring someone you’d already seen work? Their hard skills and their people skills? You bet. Internships often lead to a first job after graduation.

How do you land an internship? Check with your school’s career center for assistance. They’ve likely established corporate relationships. Talk with other students to learn how they secured theirs.

#2.  Network, network, network. You’ve heard this before. It’s more than asking others who they know might be hiring.  Let’s explore in more detail.

If you haven’t done so, create a LinkedIn account. Think of LinkedIn as a large professional network where you’re able to connect (or “link”) with others for any number of reasons including leveraging those connections to help get a leg up during the hiring process.

Conduct searches for alums already in the workplace. The fact you share a common college experience means they’re more likely to accept your connection invitation and share their college-to-corporate transition experiences.

Go to your school’s career center or virtual site to see companies that have taken part in past campus hiring fairs. If the school can’t or won’t provide recruiter contact information, check for those people via LinkedIn.

Your goal is to build rapport so that a hiring official will either know you directly or know someone who knows you and can put in a good word for you.

#3.  Don’t stress.  The job you land out of school will be the first step on a long journey of learning as you go. You may find your first job or industry isn’t what you’d hoped it would be. Take that knowledge as you move forward.

Unlike decades ago, people entering the workforce are much more likely to change careers than ever before.  If you’re the parent of a college student, are you  doing the sort of work you did right out of school? How relevant is your degree in your present job?

Bonus Tip:  Consider volunteerism to build your network, references and experience if you aren’t able to land a career-oriented job right out of school.  It look good on your resume, and you’ll likely meet people who have a similar passion.  They might be able to assist you with your job search.  Good luck!

I Have a Side Hustle. Should I Tell My Boss? Why Should They Care?

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By Randy Wooden

Moonlighting has given way to a new term – side hustle.  Throw in gig economy, and it’s a new world out there. But does your boss need to know what you do in your spare time to earn extra income?  Some companies require you to tell them if you’re earning money outside of your employment with them. They have three primary reasons for wanting to know.

  1. They want to be sure you’re not creating a conflict of interest. In my role with Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina (Winson Salem), I lead our Professional Center, assisting professionals with their job search.  It would be a conflict of interest for me to have a side hustle where I provide similar individualized services for an hourly fee. It would also be inappropriate for me to go to work for a direct competitor.
  2. They don’t want other work to negatively impact your ability to perform your current job. For example, if my job requires me to be on call or perhaps work an irregular schedule, but my side gig requires me to be on site, my full-time employer would have issues with that. You can’t be in two places at once. If your side hustle work means you show up tired or late, your full-time employer won’t be happy.
  3. Your side hustle could reflect negatively on your primary employer. Companies guard their brand to avoid controversy and awkward publicity.

Even if your employer doesn’t require you to disclose your side hustle, I’d encourage you to level with them. Any potential fallout is likely much less than if they happen to discover it later, especially if they find  one or more of their concerns above apply.

Whether it’s out of necessity to make ends meet or simply as a way to earn a little spending money, many people have multiple income sources.

Let’s consider some potential side hustles. There’s always the part-time hourly job in the service industry; retail, restaurants, and others come to mind. Scheduling work hours could be a challenge and mayconflict with your full-time job.

The internet has given rise to a multitude of jobs you can perform whenever you wish. Whether it’s being a driver, renting out a room, doing tasks, providing care or perhaps selling items online, you choose how much time you wish to devote to it. You could also choose to work an hourly job part-time from home. This could alleviate trying to be in two places at once – the issue you might encounter if trying to work in customer service, for instance.

Lots of people work a side hustle, and many employers realize this.  Regardless of your reason for taking on a second job, keep in mind why employers would want to be informed. Good luck!

Top 3 Challenges for Veterans Transitioning to the Corporate World

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By Randy Wooden

Most job hunters face challenges, particularly when looking to change industries or job functions. Even though the unemployment rate for veterans is below that of the general population, veterans may face different challenges; let’s explore three and some tips for dealing with them.

1. The written word, particularly resumes. All industries have unique jargon, and the military is no different with its job titles, acronyms, and phrasing. Your task is to de-militarize your resume’s wording by using the corporate world’s equivalent terminology. For example, personnel could translate into associates or human resources. Mission could translate to project. Company/squadron/platoon could translate into department, division, or perhaps organization. The website www.military.com is one of many resources that help translat military-speak into corporate-speak. Try having your resume reviewed by a career coach or civilian hiring official for their feedback.

2.  Networking. Most of us, veterans included, tend to spend time with our co-workers and family rather than establishing and maintaining a broad professional network. Try attending veterans  and professional events beyond hiring fairs.  Check LinkedIn or a Google search for veterans groups that focus on advancing careers.  You’ll find you have company wrestling with a career transition. You’ll pick up pointers on how to engage in the civilian labor market while establishing relationships with others who’ve already made the leap and are eager to help others do the same. Get out, and get involved.

3. The interview. Just as you’ve tried to replace military-speak with corporate language on your resume, you’ll need to do the same during your interview. Getting the words right is only part of the challenge

Boot camp works to remove a person’s individuality: “I” becomes “we.”  In interviews, you’ll need to cite accomplishments, ideally your accomplishments and not necessarily those of your team. Now is the time to toot your own horn.

Ask people to do practice interviews so you can practice using  civilian rather than military-speak. Your service is great; now it is time to convey how you did it in terminology your potential employer can understand.

Remember to smile and talk with your hands and arms open. You’re bringing lots of technical skills as well as training in a myriad of interpersonal scenarios. You have transferable hard and soft skills that include things like problem solving, negotiating, dependability, critical thinking and effective team work.

Many employers are wisely eager to hire vets. Do your part: show them how your past experiences mesh well in their corporate world.

My Boss Just Asked Me If I’m Looking for Another Job. What Should I Say?

Your boss calls you into their office.  “Are you looking for another job?”  Gulp!  Now, what?

Why are they asking?  How should you respond?

In all likelihood, your manager suspects you’re looking and is seeking to confirm that hunch.  Asking that question for no reason seems unlikely; assume they’ve heard or sensed something that prompted their question.

Let’s assume you are looking or interviewing.  Admitting you’re looking for another position could make you appear disloyal or uncommitted to your current job.  Instead of lying or being forthcoming, you could dodge the question. Ask why they’re asking.  “Why do you ask?”  Or, “Should I be looking?” With either dodge, you could gain insight as to what prompted their question.

Your boss may say, “Well, I’d heard you weren’t happy and were out looking.”  Do you use this opportunity to voice your concerns that have you looking for a job?  It depends on your boss.  If they say something such as, “Let’s talk.  I value your work,” then perhaps you discuss why you are looking for other opportunities.

If you choose to discuss it, don’t dwell on negatives.  Talk about seeking continued challenge and professional growth.  It’s not uncommon for workers to change jobs and/or companies many times in their careers.  Don’t be surprised if you’re asked whether you’re looking; be ready with a response.  Good luck!

Why Did You Leave Your Last Job?

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Among the toughest interview questions is why you are no longer employed.  Let’s dive into ways of addressing that question.

First of all, notice the wording.  There’s a major difference between being unemployed and looking while being employed.  The latter – looking while being employed – is pretty easy.  You’re seeking professional growth, challenge, perhaps a career change, etcetra.  Focus on the positives of the new position for which you’re interviewing.

But what if you’re unemployed?  Most people don’t walk away from a job without another job lined up unless they’re relocating for family reasons.  Otherwise, if they do walk away,  it may be because the job was not a fit for their skills or workplace culture preferences.

If you did walk away, you may not want to divulge that information.  Instead, acknowledge it’s somewhat rare to step aside from a job without something waiting for you.

Once you’ve done that, let them know it was a difficult decision, but you felt it wasn’t fair to your previous employer or to yourself to remain there.  You decided to step aside to evaluate where you want to be next.  Job searching is a full time job, and you didn’t want to do it while being employed full time.

If you didn’t quit and your employer pulled the plug, how do you spin that?

I’m no employment attorney, so this isn’t legal advice.  If you were terminated for cause, I believe you need to briefly mention it when asked.  Admit your mistake, indicate you’ve learned from it, and let them know you’ve taken steps to ensure it doesn’t happen again.

But what about those awkward times when you didn’t  get along with your boss?  You don’t want to admit you can’t seem to play well with others.  So how do you explain that sort of termination?

Two answers may work.  If you weren’t the only person terminated, then let them know that the company had a reorganization that included your job ending.

If relatively new management has come aboard, share that information. New managers often surround themselves with their own team; this can mean releasing or reassigning employees working under the previous manager.

No matter what happened, never bad mouth your past employer.  Indicate you’ve learned a lot and welcomed the chance to contribute.  Then turn your focus toward what you like about the position for which you’re interviewing.

These days, very few people stay with one company their entire career.  Sooner or later, most of us will face that “why did you leave” or “why are you looking to leave” question.  I hope this post has given you some tips on how to answer.  Good luck!