Tips for Building Your Professional Network

Networking is the most critical component of the job search process. In today’s market, more than 80 percent of available positions are unadvertised. They are found and filled through networking. By interacting face-to-face with other professionals in your target industry, you will ultimately find out about more opportunities. Employee referrals and internal candidates continue to be a growing source of new hires.
Networking Tips:

• Stay connected to your professional network.
• If you don’t have one, build a network. Informational interviewing is a valuable strategy in the networking process. The purpose of an informational interview is to gain insight directly from professionals in your field of choice, while making new contacts. LinkedIn is a powerful tool in the networking process (research professionals in your industry, geographic region, fellow UK alumni, individuals working for a company of interest, and professional role models).
• Nurture existing relationships and purposefully seek out new contacts.
• Get comfortable telling your contacts what you need, as well as what kinds of problems you can solve, highlighting your strengths.

If you’re in career transition, networking is your job. People with developed networks get more opportunities and land on their feet faster after a job loss.

5 Career Fair Tips

When working with clients, we constantly emphasize the importance of professional networking. Networking is one of the most critical components of a job search. Firing your resume into cyber space through online job sites is commonly described as “cold and impersonal.” Online applications alone very rarely result in employment.  The key is personal contact!

Although you can’t attend a career fair and expect to walk away with a job offer, they are a great resource for networking with employers and learning more about possible opportunities. Here are a few ways to maximize your career fair experience:

1.      1.) Research the list of registered employers prior to attending the career fair. This will allow you to strategically target specific companies and employers that match your target industry.

2    2.) Prepare and practice your “30 second commercial” or “pitch” in advance. A strong and confident introduction gives a positive impression. You will likely have a limited amount of time to spend with each employer, so you want to make your first impression a lasting impression. Ask yourself, “What do I want this employer to know about me? What will help me stand out from the crowd?” Include your name, demonstrate your knowledge of the organization or company, express interest in the company, and highlight how you will be an asset to the company.

3.      3.) Dress to impress. Treat a career fair much like a job interview. Professional business attire is recommended. Carry your resumes in a leather portfolio or folder, and have a nice pen and paper. Greet everyone with a smile and firm handshake. Be confident, enthusiastic, and respectful.

4.      4.) Ask Questions. Prepare intelligent questions to ask the company representatives. Avoid asking questions that could be answered by simply looking at the company’s website. This will demonstrate your knowledge of and interest in the company.

5.      5.) Relax and be yourself. Career fairs provide an opportunity to meet new people and expand your professional network.

The UK Career Center’s Spring 2012 Employer Showcase is just around the corner and alumni are welcome to attend. More than 120 employers have already registered for the February 14 and 15 event. Click here for a list of attending employers.

Career Counseling Homework Assignments

When working with motivated alumni, we find that many actually really enjoy it when we assign homework between sessions. This may seem strange until you think about it. First, it makes clients feel like they are doing something productive towards their goal of becoming gainfully employed. Second, the process of soul searching is one that few people have been given the tools to do in life and can be very enjoyable and satisfying.

One of the homework assignments that we recently put together and are just starting to use is the Randomly Acquired Knowledge (RAK) assignment. We are finding this assignment particularly helpful when clients do not have a clear focus. Here are the basic directions that we have put together in a handout.

“What do you know about? What knowledge have you accumulated? What information do your family and friends come to you for? Even if you don’t think something is relevant, a big deal or useful to know, write it down.”

Our other standby homework assignment is the good old Brainstorming List exercise. Most of our clients get this in their first session or at a workshop. It includes space to start listing careers to explore with a pro and con column.

If you are a UK alumni and would like a copy of these assignments, please email cfrancis@uky.edu.

UK Alumni Career Services Celebrates 10 Years

Happy New Year! It is hard to imagine that Alumni Career Services (ACS) is celebrating its 10 year anniversary in 2012. What a pleasure to have met so many talented and inspiring UK alumni in transition. We have enjoyed journeying with you and watching you progress and prosper in your many professions. During 2011, ACS offered over 13 teleconferences, 11 career events and workshops,and served over 2800 individuals through appointments. ACS has also been pleased to offer regional career counseling in Louisville and the Northern Kentucky area. Watch for additional regional career counseling in 2012. Our LinkedIn group (“Official University of Kentucky Alumni”) has nearly doubled over the past year, and more alumni are using this tool to post job openings with their company and proactively network with fellow Wildcats. Follow us on Twitter as we pass along career related information (@ukcareercat). This semester’s programming continues to expand and offer career resources for alumni in all stages of their job search and career development. Upcoming teleconference highlights include programming on LinkedIn, networking and job search strategies, job enrichment, career change, and finding your calling. Click here to view our schedule of spring 2012 events.  What professional development goals do you have for 2012? Whether it is to update your resume or make a career or job change, an alumni career counselor is here to help you. To schedule a telephone or in-person appointment, call 1-888-9-UKCATS (852287). For a complimentary resume and LinkedIn profile critique, email your resume in Word format and/or your LinkedIn public profile link to kelly.higgins@uky.edu. We wish you a very healthy, happy and prosperous new year. Warm regards,          Caroline Francis and Kelly Allgeier UK Alumni Career Counselors

Applicant Tracking System, What's That?

When you apply for a position online, how does your resume get from you to the hiring manager? The process may be a bit more complex than you think. According to Jean Cummings with Career Hub, “The resume you submit to most large companies and many small-to-mid-sized ones get mined for data that then populates fields on a form that the HR employee or recruiter sees (not your resume). Your resume may in fact only be seen at the time of an interview.” Your resume is most definitely a valuable tool in the hiring process, but your resume will likely be scanned first. A leading employer in the Bluegrass, the University of Kentucky, is just one of the many companies that use ATS in the hiring process. 

For companies that use applicant tracking systems (ATS), that system is the first stop for your resume once you submit the document as part of the application process. Before your resume makes it to the hiring manager, it must successfully pass through the tracking system.  According to University of Kentucky System Administrator, Daniel Hacker, “With the system UK uses, which is the leading provider of ATS in higher education in the US, the applicant may attach a resume when applying for positions. Though the resume may be attached in a variety of formats, it is ultimately converted into a PDF file so that our hiring departments may easily view the document. Although many companies use only keywords to review applicant materials, UK forwards all submitted materials to hiring officials when the applicant is referred to the hiring department. During the conversion, however, errors do occur.” Daniel shared a few pointers to help job seekers increase their chances for success. 

        According to Hacker and Cummings, here are a few tips for getting your resume past the ATS system:   

           1.) It is critical to include keywords! Cummings notes, “Don’t assume that it is enough to include common keywords for your position and industry.” Be sure to incorporate “unique-to-the-job-posting” words or phrases in the job listing. These are terms that get noticed by the ATS. Avoid acronyms and abbreviations; sometimes they don’t get processed correctly by ATS.

     

        2.) Avoid including tables, graphs, and graphics in your resume. The content often gets jumbled before making it to the hiring manager. 

3.       3.) Use tab stops when needed rather than the space bar. After your resume is converted to a PDF, spacing is often misaligned when the space bar is used.

4.       4.) Put your contact information at the top of your resume, but not in your resume header section. Depending on the employer’s software, they may not be able to view the content in your header. Your contact information is critical in the job search, and you want to be sure that it is not invisible to the reader.

The next time you apply for a position, keep in mind the popularity of ATS with employers. You may be the best candidate for a position, but if your resume doesn’t get through to the hiring manager, you will miss your opportunity.

Posted by Kelly Allgeier

You’re Doing What With Your Major?

Spotlight on UK Alumnus Allan Barger

Major: Bachelor’s degree from Berea College, and master’s degrees from Duke University and the University of Kentucky (social work).

Current career: Research analyst at Prevention Research Institute

Brief description of career path: I hold an MSW degree and am using it in a somewhat unusual way. Rather than the typical, clinical, case management or other type of social work jobs, I am a research analyst (using the research skills learned in my degree program). I distill research findings down into evidence-based, manualized programs for people heading into trouble with alcohol and drugs.

I have 25 years of experience in the alcohol/drug field, having worked first as a community volunteer and then as a prevention specialist in a mental health center. Currently I am a research analyst/trainer with Prevention Research Institute reviewing research literature on marijuana, other drugs and their effects in the brain and on behavioral outcomes. I am a member of the Research Society on Alcoholism and the New York Academy of Sciences. I live in California but teach nationally to professionals in many systems interacting with alcohol/drug-using individuals, including campuses, mental health centers, juvenile justice, drug court, judicial colleges, prevention, treatment & DUI programs.

I am also currently involved in developing alcohol and drug prevention and intervention programs for soldiers in the U.S. Army. This work involves training other professionals and working to influence public policy to increase support for alcohol and drug professionals and their programs.

Favorite UK class or memory: My favorite class was a surprise because I thought I would hate it. It was a class on public policy. It opened my eyes to how much policy is impacting all of my work. While I, like many others, tended to denigrate “politicians,” they are in fact setting policy that changes how I get to do my job and they’re often doing it based on who talks to them and explains things most clearly. Most policy-makers are well-meaning individuals who want to help (within the constraints of time, finances and re-election where applicable). Social work swims in a sea of policy and the failure to recognize that made me sit on the sidelines instead of using my voice.

Classes I wish I had taken at UK or in college: I wish I had studied some journalism. I’m a decent writer, but the ability to investigate, report and influence public opinion seems crucial and I’m not as well-versed in it as I would like to be.

What I know now that I didn’t know as a student:
Lesson 1: Don’t be so certain you’re right.
Lesson 2: Things work out.

Advice to others considering a job or career change: Go with your interests and your strengths. Don’t be afraid to tackle something you don’t understand but find fascinating, but get some understanding first. Take the time and energy to teach yourself, look for mentors who are already doing what you want to do and follow your passion. Watch for doors to open and don’t get discouraged. Little doors often open the way to big changes if you walk through enough of them.

Anything else you would like to share that others may find interesting about your life/career path? I was a non-traditional student, meaning I finished my degree in mid-life. I completely re-started my career and my life at age 40.

What Are Employers Seeking?

To help job seekers better understand the competencies employers deem most valuable, the Career Advisory Board, established by DeVry University, created the Job Preparedness Indicator study, a new annual survey designed to identify and track gaps between the attributes candidates say they have and what qualifications employers need to fill available positions. The survey was conducted online during September, 2011, by Harris Interactive on behalf of the Career Advisory Board, and surveyed 540 hiring managers and 734 job seekers. Interestly, the findings break down the skills employers are ideally seeking at different levels of employment - entry level (initiative and dependability), mid-level (problem solving and communication) and managerial level (leadership). The article goes on to list some strategies to improve job search success and bridge the gap.