HOW PARENTS CAN HELP COLLEGE GRADS FIND A JOB

by Robin Ryan, Author of “60 Seconds & You’re Hired!”

The economy is not the only thing preventing this year’s new grad from landing a job. Parents often offer poor advice and the wrong job search strategies that can derail their son or daughter without meaning too. Suggesting that they just “get a foot in the door” or “go after ANY job because that’s a great company” is way out of touch with what is actually USEFUL advice on launching a new career and beginning the road to promotions and job satisfaction.

It is a very confusing time for the new grad as they face the world of work — a world they often know very little about. Compound this with lacking job hunting skills and you have a formula for a lost son or daughter. Whether their degree is in business or liberal arts, many young grads simply “don’t know” what the they want to do. The exposure to the work world is narrow and limited. Don’t add to your son or daughter’s anxiety. Here are a few concrete strategies to help the grad truly “get ahead” and launch A CAREER successfully.

• Point out Skills and Natural Talents. Building your career on your strengths and natural talents is the fastest and most notable way to succeed. Help identify skills and talents that the grad may over look. For example, does the grad have natural sales or persuasive skills? What about artistic ability or being good with design or color? Is the grad a planner and well organized? Is he/she mechanical and able to fix things? Maybe he/she can write stories well. Really think about what your grad is good at. Identify what talents they have and how they are applied in various jobs.

• Indentify the job title. Help focus your grad on looking for a specific job. Guide them to narrow down options and decide on  2-3 actual job titles they want to pursue. If they say they want “something in business”, realize that is too broad.  Ask questions. Is persuading people something they might excel at? Consider sales. Are they great with numbers?  Maybe an analyst job might be a fit. Liberal arts majors often feel the most challenged. A sociology major is unlikely to realize they might enjoy a human resources job. Help your grad by opening up the world to the different jobs available in all the areas where they have natural talent. If you aren’t able to do that, a career counselor might be just what the doctor ordered to get them moving ahead quickly and not being lost for months or years.

• Supply networking connections. New grads often need coaching BEFORE they go see a networking connection.  They must know the job they want OR recognize they are  just learning details about what a job entails to better help them make decisions. Arranging to have your grad talk to someone at Microsoft won’t help at all if the kid has no career direction and just says “It would be awesome to work here” and can’t  articulate WHAT they’d like to do. Coach them on specific questions to ask and how to network properly. Listen to our Networking Strategies audio class so you can then teach your grad to be effective.

• Make over the kid into a professional. Pay for a new haircut, shoes (no flip flops or sneakers), a nice suit and some proper work clothes.  If you can afford it, assisting with getting them someone to help create a professional Resume and do some Interview Coaching. Discuss the necessary transformation needed when you begin to work 40 hours a week. Hand them some books on job search and then discuss them with the grad. Entry level jobs are the target. You’re direction and guidance can help your new grad to avoid career mistakes and years of wasted time unhappy in a job –if they get one at all.

Copyright 2011 Robin Ryan. All rights reserved.

Oprah’s Job Search expert is Robin Ryan. A career counselor she provides individual career counseling, job search, resume writing and interview coaching services to clients nationwide. The bestselling author seven books including of60 Seconds & You’re Hired!;  Winning Resumes; and Winning Cover Letters. Find more career help at: www.RobinRyan.com.

MEDIA: Reprints release: Permission to reprint this in any part of this article requires crediting author, listing her website, www.RobinRyan.com. Questions: email author at Robin@robinryan.com and state when and where reprint publication will occur.

‘OVER 40 & YOU’RE HIRED with ROBIN RYAN’

AIRS FEB. 12 on KCTS TV 9 featuring Seattle Career Counselor and Author

Want a new job? Out of work? Looking to change careers? Learn the essential tools every job-hunter needs to get the job you want at the salary you deserve when you watch this special TV presentation of  OVER 40 & YOU’RE HIRED WITH ROBIN RYAN, premiering Saturday, February 12, at 6:00 p.m. on Seattle’s KCTS TV 9.  Robin Ryan leads a two hour TV special teaching her proven methods used by thousands of her private career counseling clients LAND high paying jobs.

“80% of all jobs are never advertised, making it a whole new ball game especially since many baby boomers may not have had to job hunt in quite a while” explained Robin Ryan, America’s foremost authority on job search and hiring. “Tapping into the hidden job market is essential for success,” she states.

“Today, you have to sell yourself fast. Results-targeted resumes, concise cover letters offer some tasty meat on how you can perform the job in the opening sentence. You need to walk into an interview and use the 60 Second Sell – an influential self marketing tool that highlights your top selling points – a verbal business card so to speak” Ryan advises.

Robin Ryan has appeared Oprah, Fox News, CNN, ABC News; and on the pages of  Business Week, Money, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal. Robin Ryan has a busy career counseling practice in a Seattle suburb providing job search, resume writing, and interview coaching services. She is the best-selling author “What to Do with the Rest of Your Life”, “Soaring on Your Strengths”, “Winning Resumes”,   “Winning Cover Letters”,  “Over 40 & You’re Hired” and  “60 Seconds & You’re Hired!”

Praise for Robin Ryan and Over 40 & You’re Hired!……..

“Superb!  Robin Ryan’s a brilliant mentor guiding you through the hiring maze to surpass your goals and profoundly impact your life in the most positive of ways.” - Stephen R. Covey, author, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

“Robin Ryan is the leading job search expert in America today.” - CBS Radio

Over 50? Tricks to Land a Better Job

by Robin Ryan, author of Over 40 & You’re Hired!

You read so much bad news about anyone who’s a mature worker that you might think your best years are behind you if you are over 50 – WRONG!

I’ve recently worked with several career counseling clients who are past 49 and each has had a BIG career success. Hope – and self confidence, plus some savvy know-how – seems to be the key.

Wendell is a programmer in his mid 50s – a tough job title to maintain on a permanent basis, since most employers thirst for the under-30 crowd for these jobs. He’s been at Microsoft for several years and is one of the oldest guys in his business unit. His boss sat him down for his annual review and instead of talking to him about leaving the company, his boss gave him the kudos his work deserved: a $25,000 bonus, 20% raise and $40K in stock. And the boss is also encouraging him to seek out a promotion.

Cathy had been a stay-at-home mom for years, but when her husband lost his job the family needed both parents to job hunt. At first she was scared, as she’d been out of the workforce so long. We worked on identifying a good field for her to enter and also looked for part-time opportunities. She used the new job search techniques and networking skills to land an interview and from there she got a new job. No one was more amazed than her husband – he didn’t think she had a chance.

Executives have struggled with finding positions. Fewer opportunities have made the search tough. Yet many have landed new jobs and prospered. Mike left behind a prominent career as his industry fell apart. He recently landed a VP Sales position in a totally new field.

Karen became unemployed when her company faced hard times. Discouraged, after months of no success, she updated her skills, took some classes online and used tutorial programs to beef up her computer skills. A new resume and polishing her interview skills led her to land a great job, making more money than she had ever earned before.

Bottom line – your best years are likely still AHEAD of you if you are a baby boomer. But to succeed in today’s economy I recommend three strategies:

• Enhance your creative talents. Keep learning new things. Creativity is more than art. It’s developing, producing, designing, building, inventing, innovating, improving -making something new or simply better. Employers love employees who focus on making things better. Whether it’s mastering some coaching skills to help you coach your team to shine or figuring out a new process that saves time and money. Enhancements and creative innovations come from your quest to continue to learn and apply yourself on the job. This is something you have total control over and if you care about your own career management you’ll work on this area continuously.

• Show you are results-driven. You need to give recent examples of how you brought value to an employer and WILL make a positive difference to the company’s mission or profit margin if they hire you. This means being clear about your strengths, articulating your past accomplishments, and showing you have innovative ideas and can deliver results. You must also look the part. You need to appear enthusiastic, energetic and vibrant when you meet and talk to any employer.

• Demonstrate you still have it. Your resume needs to be targeted for the job you are seeking. That means you have extracted from your experience the key accomplishment and skills necessary to excel on the job. Your resume is no more than two pages, focused on the last ten years. You don’t look overqualified or underqualified – you look qualified. Your cover letter is the key element. It must be concise and quickly hit on the necessary qualifications to illustrate that you have these traits. Employers are paying MORE attention today to cover letters, so be sure your letter contains specific and enticing evidence that you can do the job.

Copyright 2010 Robin Ryan. All rights reserved.

Career Counselor Robin Ryan provides individual career counseling, job search, resume writing and interview coaching services to clients nationwide. The bestselling author of Over 40 & You’re Hired; Winning Resumes;  Winning Cover Letters;  Soaring On Your Strengths;  What to Do with the Rest of Your Life;and 60 Seconds & You’re Hired!;   Robin Ryan has appeared on more than 1,000 TV and radio shows including: Oprah, Dr. Dr.Phil, Fox News, and CNN. Website: www.RobinRyan.com. Email: Robin@robinryan.com

Reprints release: Permission to reprint this in any part of this article requires crediting author, listing her website, www.RobinRyan.com, and noting her appropriate book titles.  Pleaseemail author at Robin@robinryan.com and state when and where reprint publication will occur.

Job Interview: How to Get Hired

Laid off/Unemployed: Job Hunting Tips

Why Hire Robin as Your Career Coach?

Job Interview: Dos and Don’ts

Resume Writing: How to Write a Resume Employers Notice

Cover Letters: How to Write a Cover Letter Employers Notice

Resume Tips: Fatal Resume Mistakes to Avoid

Job Interview: Your 60 Second Sell

Job Networking: Tips to Land a New Job

Job Search Tips: 5 Big Mistakes to Avoid

The HIRED 10 audio CD set includes:

YOUR UNLIMITED SUCCESS: Get ready to soar and surpass your own goals as Robin Ryan shares with you the proven secrets to success

PERSONAL BRANDING: This self-marketing process allows you to distinguish yourself to get promoted, land better jobs and secure the highest salary possible

DEFINING BRAND YOU: Communicate your key strengths and core competencies to get employer attention, promotions and fast-forward your success

COMPUTER CD IN MS WORD TEMPLATES RESUMES & COVER LETTERS: Use this computer WORD file as your template to quickly layout and format your resume and cover letters

RESUME: Under Robin’s directions, you’ll learn how to create a top-notch resume. You’ll know the mistakes you need to avoid as she shares insider secrets and writing tips that help you standout and get employers to call you

COVER LETTERS: A proven formula for writing attention-getting cover letters is outlined with numerous insights direct from hiring managers.

NETWORKING STRATEGIES: 63% of all jobs were found through networking so mastering this skill is essential to multiply your contacts and online connections

INTERVIEW REHEARSAL: Robin leads you through a real job interview to practice your answers to insure you’ll be a pro in front of the interviewer

SALARY NEGOTIATIONS: The biggest salary increases you will likely ever earn come from learning exactly what to say and do to negotiate a much better compensation package

S.M.A.R.T. GOAL SETTING: Realize your own potential when you enact this action plan to take control to get what you really want

by Robin Ryan, author of 60 Seconds & You’re Hired and Over 40 & You’re Hired

Social networking is all the rage, but can LinkedIn really help you get hired? Yes – with an emphasis on the word “help.” I work closely with my career counseling clients, advising them on how to use this social media more effectively in their job search.

LinkedIn is widely used by internal staffing departments in most high tech companies and in many Fortune 1000 companies. You may hear more about Twitter or Facebook, but if you seek a promotion or new job, LinkedIn is the right network to use. Why? Two reasons. First, there are more than 70 million users on LinkedIn. It’s becoming more social, easier to use, and a recruiting resource employers are using.

Second, 63% of all jobs are found through networking, according to the Department of Labor. Expanding your network of contacts is essential. And LinkedIn is an ideal tool for job hunters to add to their job search arsenals. But just going online and signing up for LinkedIn won’t do it. Utilizing this resource takes time, effort and some savvy direction. The benefits of networking are well-documented. Someone may tell you about a job opening or new company that may need your skills. Another connection may send your resume on through internal channels to reach the decision maker. Expanding your digital rolodex is essential for career success in today’s job market.

LinkedIn can seem overwhelming at first. Here are some tips on how to more effectively use this tool in your job search:

1. Have an objective. Know what your purpose is for creating a LinkedIn account. If you think you can create a simple profile, add your resume and wait for employers to call you, it’s going to be an eternity of a wait. Millions of people have opened accounts, and did not get more than a handful of connections. You must work at it. Ask your friends. Search for their names and invite people you know to join your network. Actively begin to invite friends and colleagues to connect to you. Be sure to write a quick note to personalize your request. If you need a boost, go to http://www.linkedin.com/… and in the search area, type my name – Robin Ryan – and invite me to connect with you. I’ll accept, and you’ll instantly have hundreds of connections – many of whom will be HR professionals and recruiters.

2. Remember who your audience is. You don’t just paste your resume on LinkedIn. This is a social medium, which means you need to encapsulate your background. You wouldn’t hand out your résumé before introducing yourself, so don’t do it here. Instead, describe your experience and abilities, as you would to someone you just met. Also, write for the screen, in short blocks of copy, with visual or textual signposts.

3. Create an Enticing Profile and Personal Brand. This is the key to your success on LinkedIn. Everyone can see the profile you make of yourself. It is your self-advertisement, but it’s not all business. In fact, it needs to be inviting, with a genuine personal touch. Carefully fill out the data fields, college, past employers, etc…these are how other people find you, so be sure to create a complete picture. Take time to enrich what you say, so that you convey your experience and work strengths and also the personality traits that make you the unique individual that you are. Think short fragments, action verbs, and noting a couple of accomplishments. Picture yourself at a business meeting. Think about how you introduce yourself to strangers. That’s what you are doing on LinkedIn, so do try to be genuine in the tone you use to write your profile.

4. Upload a nice, recent picture of yourself— smiling, of course, and looking friendly. People want to see you now. And skip the formal business suit pic, it will make you look standoffish. Instead, a head shot of a smiling you is much more appealing and welcoming.

Copyright 2010 Robin Ryan. All rights reserved.

Career Counselor Robin Ryan providesindividual career counseling, job search, resume writing and interview coaching services to clients nationwide. The bestselling author of 60 Seconds & You’re Hired!; Winning Resumes; Winning Cover Letters; Soaring On Your Strengths; What to Do with the Rest of Your Life; & Over 40 & You’re Hired!,Robin Ryan has appeared on over 1000 TV and radio shows including: Oprah, Dr. Phil, Fox News, and CNN. Website: www.RobinRyan.com.

Reprints release: Permission to reprint this in any part of this article requires crediting author, listing her website, www.RobinRyan.com and noting her appropriate book titles.

MBA graduates often take home some of the best salaries in America. Starting grads can earn more than $100,000 right out of school. But what if you’ve been slaving over papers, reading dozens of books and finally you’re about to earn that degree… and you have no new job in sight?

Based on the career counseling calls I’m getting, that is the case for some of the MBAs seeking to advance their careers. Either their current employers are not promoting them or the new MBA grad just hasn’t found a new job yet.

Last month, I taught a full-day job search seminar for the MBA students at Pacific Lutheran University (PLU).  The MBAs sat through eight hours covering the best job-search techniques, the formula on resume writing, ways to create impressive cover letters and we spent a lot of time on improving their interview techniques and how to answer those tough, tricky questions employers like to ask. MBAs have some work experience, but combining the past experience and applying the new degree and grabbing employers’ attention is not easy in a tough economy.

Here are a few job-hunting tips to help you succeed in landing a new six-figure job.

• Acing the MBA Interview. You may have learned a lot of theory in school but employers wonder how you will you apply that knowledge on the job. Expect to get asked tough questions. Many employers use the “situational” or “behavioral-style” of interview questioning, which asks you to give specific examples of positive and negative work situations. The interviewer uses this probing style to determine how you have performed in the past. These questions often start out with “Give me an example,” or “Tell me about a time,” or “Describe a situation.” They seek details about your past abilities and performance. Then, the interviewer rates each response to determine and predict your future performance with her company. Advance preparation is essential to not get tripped up with these tricky questions. (Take the Interview readiness quiz.) For more assistance, read 60 Seconds & You’re Hired.

• Target MBA recruiters. Many larger companies have special internal HR recruiters who handle MBA applicants. Finding them is not that easy. A good way to try to uncover who these people are is to try a sweep site. I went to www.Indeed.com and under the search function I used the keyword MBA as my only search requirement. Indeed turned up over 50,000 job openings! You can restrict the search by city, state or industry to narrow your results.

Copyright 2010 Robin Ryan. All rights reserved.

Career Counselor Robin Ryan providesindividual career counseling, job search, resume writing and interview coaching services to clients nationwide. The bestselling author of 60 Seconds & You’re Hired!; Winning Resumes; Winning Cover Letters; Soaring On Your Strengths; What to Do with the Rest of Your Life; & Over 40 & You’re Hired!,Robin Ryan has appeared on over 1000 TV and radio shows including: Oprah, Dr. Phil, Fox News, and CNN. Website: www.RobinRyan.com.

Reprints release: Permission to reprint this in any part of this article requires crediting author, listing her website, www.RobinRyan.com and noting her appropriate book titles.

Looking for a new job?  Seeking a Promotion? Want to change careers?  It’s a whole new ballgame in this economy!

Robin’s books and audio programs contain the best techniques and strategies from her twenty year career working with hiring managers and top decision makers.  Her proven strategies will inspire, motivate and enable you.  You can surpass the crowd and land the job you really want.

“Robin Ryan is one of the nation’s foremost authorities on what it takes to get a job in today’s market.” — Tampa Tribune

“Robin Ryan is America’s top career coach.” — Boston Globe

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– Susan Cowden, Anchor, KOMO TV

“The best test was when I tried Robin Ryan’s techniques myself and landed a terrific job. I enthusiastically recommend her products and services.”

–Sandy Dehan, HR Manager, Fortune 500

“It was most definitely was Robin’s guidance that helped me to obtain this terrific new job.” –Kim Chung-Lane, IT Program Manger

“Robin Ryan’s advice will offer you quickest route to getting the job and salary you want.”–WATD Radio

“Robin offers a goldmine of ideas, strategies and crucial information on landing a good job in today’s competitive marketplace.”

– Tracy White, Human Resource Manager, Clark Nuber