What SU Students Are Doing to Combat Today’s Economy?

What SU Students Are Doing to Combat Today’s Economy? • Steps They Take to Help Themselves With Their Job Search Success

Today’s Objectives • Facts about the economic state in the U.S. • How this affects SU students and others seeking employment • Steps to help SU students and others with a job search • Once you get the job- how do you keep it • Keep dreaming!

The Economic State • The unemployment rate in July 2009 was @ 5.7% which indicates that fewer jobs were being created • Employment figures remain weak: job growth has increased • The unemployment rate was at 7.6% as of January 2009-Now it is 9.6% as of June 2010 • Bachelor’s degree or higher: 4.5% unemployed-High school graduate, no college: 10.1%2010 BLS • The U.S. economy created 290,000 jobs in April, 2010, the most in any month in the past four years • Eight of the top ten entry-level employers have either maintained or increased their projected number of entry-level hires compared to 2009. CollegeGrad.com • Companies hiring

More of The Economic State-2010 • Results from NACE’s 2010 Student Survey suggest that the Class of 2010 was less engaged in the job search than were their predecessors, with a smaller percentage of students using various activities to help them secure a job. In fact, it appears that one way many 2010 grads responded to the depressed job market was to avoid it. • Approximately 46 percent of seniors taking part in the survey who reported they were looking for a full-time job said they had actually applied for a position at the time of the survey • What are they doing? Part-time job, living at home, graduate school, traveling, taking recreational jobs • NACE’s Job Outlook 2011 Fall Preview survey shows that the hiring outlook for the college Class of 2011 is positive in all region s of the country

The Economic Effects of Employment • Many employers instill a hiring freeze • Companies implement employee lay offs or the allow employees to retire without hiring replacements • Some employers may hire younger, lower paid employees instead of those who are more experienced & higher paid • Nonetheless, experts say job seekers should pay attention to current economic conditions and expect that the job-search process may be more difficult and even take longer

Employment Snapshot • Health and education continue to add jobs at a healthy clip. Construction is still falling, which makes sense because the housing market is still in free fall. Retail and business services are having the swiftest rebound, which also makes sense since retail is cheap to hire and businesses are having a nice 2010 -- despite or because of thin hiring. • Graph-red-2010/blue 2009

My Thoughts On What SU Students ARE Doing to Find a Job • Internships-60% of students who do one are asked if they want a job-NACE • Volunteering-get to know people • Network-think of anyone who can help • Use eRecruiting in Career Services • Use the Mentor Network in Career Services • Use the Career Services website • Dress professionally a talk professionally • Talk to professors • Look at all options-don’t put all your eggs in one basket • Have a PERFECT resume and cover letter • Going to job fairs • Doing on-campus interviews • Use social media-LinkedIn • What is you Network? Write down all the people that could help you!

Steps SU Student Use to Increase Job Search Success How to Present Yourself: • They present their skills concisely on their resume and discuss them persuasively with potential employers during introductions and interviews • They create and utilize a personal sales pitch as often as possible; this is the “30- second Commercial” of your professional assets quickly to anyone who can hire them • They develop their resume and other promotional material to highlight their current skills and talents

30-Second Commercial A brief monologue describing the benefits of buying a product-YOU! Why Develop a 30-Second Commercial? • You come across more poised and confident simply by opening with your commercial • Your commercial makes the listener aware (in a brief moment in time) of your specific, unique and impressive attributes that you can bring to the position

30-Second Commercial When Should I Use My 30-Second Commercial: • Use your commercial to introduce yourself at CAREER FAIRS and to initiate networking with others • During your INTERVIEW. Your commercial can help you answer questions such as “Tell me about yourself”, “What are your greatest strengths?”, and “What can you bring to this position?” • In a COVER LETTER. Your commercial can highlight your background and key abilities

30-Second Commercial Your Commercial Should: • Use concise and clear language that is not over-detailed • Sell your professional abilities and experience • Emphasize your strengths and link them to the needs of the employer • Use descriptive statements or specific examples of your acquired skills and abilities • State the kind of position that you are seeking

30-Second Commercial General Script (Example): GREETING: Hello, my name is ____________. EXPERIENCE: I am a ____ studying ____at ____ . INTEREST/PASSION: I am mainly interested in ______. STRENGTHS: My Strengths include _____and _____. BRIEF EXAMPLE: Last Summer, I worked at _____ and was able to ______. GOAL: I am looking to gain further experience in ________. **You do one! We will practice in class.

SU Steps to Increase Job Search Success How to Conduct the Job Search: • Distribute their resume to as many people and/or places as possible • Utilize the traditional methods, such as attending job fairs and posting your resume on job boards. • Create a target list of companies where they would like to work & review their web sites/submit resume • Find Human Resources contact information in job ads: the ads may not be for the position you want to obtain, but you can send your resume for the position that you are seeking for them to have on file • Resend resumes every 3 to 6 months

SU Steps to Increase Job Search Success Where to Search: • Pay attention to the industries you are applying to • Heavy job losses in construction, manufacturing and financial services, along with cutbacks in retailing, education and leisure/ hospitality have been the recent trend. Government hiring. Click here for top 10 hiring co. • When interviewing with a company who is making an offer of employment, be sure to research their hiring/lay-off trends.

SU Steps to Increase Job Search Success Take Advantage of Networking Opportunities: • Networking is the process of talking to people in order to get additional contacts or information about possible hiring opportunities • Studies show that as much as 60% of the jobs available are filled through this process • Always keep a professional demeanor • The more people you speak with, the more opportunities that may arise • Discuss what your degree is in, what your career goals are, and the opportunities that you are seeking • **Write down your major and two reasons you chose it

SU Steps to Increase Job Search Success Keep a Positive Attitude: • Keep your spirits high. Don’t let the process overwhelm you or weigh you down • Make an effort daily and do one thing each day like emailing a new contact or attending a networking event that moves your job search forward • Set weekly and monthly goals for the # of resumes to send & the number of interviews you want to attend- make sure you keep on track!

How SU Student Retain Their Jobs • Show the employer that you are worth your weight in gold! • Prove that you are eager to learn more than what's expected • Ask to be involved in special projects • Be sure to follow rules and do what’s expected • Ask for guidance when you are unsure about what’s expected • Keep in mind that there are others who are just as qualified who would love to have your job!

QUESTIONS?

What SU Students Are Doing to Combat Today’s Economy?