Getting Your First Job for Dummies

Find--and land--your first job!

Finding a job can seem daunting, especially when it's a brand new experience. There's a lot to know, and often a lot of pressure. Written by the founder of AfterCollege. com, Getting Your First Job For Dummies is designed to take the stress out of the job search process and help you get an offer.

In this book, you'll discover how to identify your talents and strengths, use your network to your advantage, interview with confidence, and evaluate an offer. Written in plain English and packed with step-by-step instructions, it'll have you writing customized resumes, conducting company research, and utilizing online job search sites, faster than you can say 'I got the job!'
* Determine what kind of job suits your interests and skills
* Write a compelling cover letter
* Know what to expect in an interview
* Effectively negotiate an offer

Whether you're still in school or navigating the world as a recent graduate, Getting Your First Job For Dummies arms you with the skills and confidence to make getting your first job an exciting and enjoyable process.

Introduction 1
About This Book 1
Foolish Assumptions 2
Icons Used in This Book 3
Beyond the Book 3
Where to Go from Here 3
Part 1: Preparing Yourself Before the Job Search 5
Chapter 1: Mapping Out Your Job Search Strategy 7
Getting Your First Part-Time Job 8
Securing Internships 9
Finding Your First Job after College 10
Knowing the Importance of Your First Job 11
Getting exposed to an industry 11
Doing the job itself 12
Building your professional network 12
Setting a Goal for Yourself 12
Having expectations 13
Creating a timeline 13
Organizing Your Search with Online Tools and Apps 14
Using Google Calendar 15
Taking notes with Evernote 15
Using Google Sheets 16
Expanding your vocabulary with Thesaurus. com 16
Chapter 2: Highlighting What You Bring to an Employer 17
Identifying Your Skills 18
Translating your major into specific skills 18
Listing your soft skills 20
Uncovering your hidden skills 21
Getting feedback from your friends 21
Identifying areas for improvement 22
Detailing Your Experience 23
Taking note of volunteer work 23
Listing school projects 24
Showcasing notable sports and hobbies 25
Sharing your background 25
Chapter 3: Figuring Out What You Want to Do 27
Taking Self-Assessments 28
Playing Mercer Match 28
Using Paddle 29
Getting Insights through Career Discovery Tools 32
Utilizing AfterCollege's Explore 32
Leveraging LinkedIn Career Insights 35
Identifying Jobs of Interest 36
Talking to friends about their work 36
Job shadowing 37
Writing someone about shadowing 38
Using the Occupational Outlook Handbook 38
Part 2: Starting Your Job Search 41
Chapter 4: Researching Employers 43
Comparing Large and Small Employers 44
Evaluating the advantages of a large company 45
Considering the advantages of a small company 47
Knowing if a startup is right for you 48
Learning about startups on Crunchbase 50
Working for a nonprofit 51
Finding Employers with New-Grad Programs 51
Rotation programs 52
Nursing programs 52
Sales programs 52
Identifying Employers of Interest 53
Gauging employee morale on Glassdoor 53
Gleaning employee insights on LinkedIn 54
Chapter 5: Getting Ready to Search for a Job 55
Enlisting Assistance from Your Network 56
Networking with LinkedIn 56
Leveraging Facebook 58
Going to alumni events 59
Talking to your teachers and professors 59
Getting help from family and friends 61
Obtaining Recommendations 62
Securing past employer recommendations 62
Writing someone for a recommendation 62
Approaching teachers for recommendations 63
Crafting your own recommendation letter 64
Requesting endorsements via LinkedIn 65
Asking for recommendations via AfterCollege 66
Using Your University Career Center 68
Attending career fairs 69
Signing up for on-campus interviews 70
Practicing with mock interviews 70
Utilizing other resources on campus 71
Deciding to Use Headhunters and Staffing Firms 71
Chapter 6: Searching for Jobs Online 73
Familiarizing Yourself with Search Techniques 74
Conducting a basic job search 74
Using keywords 75
Performing Boolean searches 76
Doing an advanced job search 78
Searching on Job Sites 80
Finding Jobs on Google 81
Setting Up Automatic Job Alerts 82
Setting up AfterCollege job alerts 82
Creating a LinkedIn job notification 83
Subscribing to school email lists 84
Using IFTTT notifications and Craigslist 85
Chapter 7: Building a Great Online Presence 89
Creating a LinkedIn Profile 90
Setting Up an AfterCollege Student Profile 92
Showcasing Your Expertise 96
Sharing on LinkedIn Publishing 96
Writing on Medium 96
Creating content on YouTube 97
Showing off your code on GitHub 97
Competing on Kaggle 98
Cleaning Up Your Online Presence 99
Searching for yourself on Google 99
Checking your credit report 100
Dealing with a DUI or arrest record 100
Tidying up your social media profile 101
Making Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram more private 101
Removing questionable pictures 103
Getting rid of controversial tweets 104
Choosing an appropriate email address 105
Part 3: Navigating the Application Process 107
Chapter 8: Preparing Your Ré sumé and Cover Letter 109
Writing a Cover Letter 110
Creating a Great Ré sumé 112
Formatting your ré sumé 112
Avoiding common mistakes 114
Identifying key ré sumé elements 114
Using action words 116
Looking at a sample ré sumé 119
Getting Ré sumé Help 120
Taking your ré sumé to your college career center 121
Using TopResume to improve your ré sumé 121
Chapter 9: Applying for Jobs 123
Starting the Application Process 123
Using Applicant Tracking Systems 125
Finding Someone to Refer You 126
Tapping alumni from your school 126
Checking the Status of Your Application 128
Part 4: Acing the Interview and Getting the Offer You Want 131
Chapter 10: Before the Interview 133
Preparing for Your Interview 133
Starting with the employer's website 134
Using Wikipedia to research the employer 135
Finding competing companies on Owler 136
Seeing employer numbers on Yahoo! Finance 138
Digging into a nonprofit's finances via GuideStar 140
Researching who will interview you 140
Learning about the job you're applying for 141
Practicing for the Interview 142
Introducing yourself 142
What to ask 143
Answering questions 143
Familiarizing Yourself with the Interview Process 144
Initial screening interview 145
On-campus interviews 145
Interviewing with the hiring manager 145
Interviewing with team members 146
Becoming Familiar with Interview Platforms 147
Interviewing via Skype 148
Interviewing via Google Hangouts 148
Using video conferencing 149
Interviewing via phone 150
Chapter 11: The Interview 151
Nailing Interview Etiquette 151
Dressing the part 152
Arriving early 154
Getting rid of your chewing gum, food, and drinks 155
Handling lunch interviews 155
Eliminating distractions 156
Making a Great Impression 156
Starting a conversation 156
Minding your body language 157
Making eye contact 157
Asking the right questions 158
Avoiding the wrong questions 159
Answering Difficult Interview Questions 160
Talking about yourself 160
Addressing your lack of experience 161
Talking about why you're interested in the job 163
Focusing on your accomplishments 163
Delving into setbacks and how you overcame them 164
Listing your top qualities 164
Acknowledging areas of improvement 166
Problem-solving during the interview 167
After the Interview 168
Following up 169
Writing a thank-you note 169
Checking on your status 170
Chapter 12: The Offer 171
Determining What's Important to You 171
Salary 172
Taxes and withholding 172
A brief guide to benefits 173
Bonuses, commissions, and stock 175
Experience 177
Flexibility and work-life balance 177
Company culture 177
Employer brand 178
Negotiating an Offer 178
Dealing with an on-the-spot verbal offer 179
Gaining leverage with multiple offers 179
Researching salary information 180
Negotiating other perks besides money 181
Accepting an Offer 181
Sample offer letter 182
Declining an Offer 183
Dealing with Rejection 184
Replying by email 185
Getting feedback on why you didn't get the job 186
Chapter 13: Relocating for the Right Job 187
Evaluating the Cost of Living 188
Calculating cost of living on PayScale 188
Researching cost of living on NerdWallet 188
Deciding Where to Live 189
Finding out how walkable your city is with Walk Score 189
Finding an apartment on Craigslist 190
Finding housing on Apartments. com 190
Letting your Facebook friends know you're looking for a place to live 191
Tapping into alumni networks 191
Making Sure You Have Things to Do 192
Meeting like-minded people through Meetup 192
Turning to TripAdvisor 192
Discovering entertainment on Thrillist 192
Finding food on Yelp 193
Getting Around a New City 193
Public transportation 193
Car sharing 193
Carpooling 194
Part 5: Starting Your First Job 195
Chapter 14: Learning as Much as Possible from Your Job 197
Setting Up Check-Ins with Your Boss 198
Being Proactive and Taking on Projects 199
Knowing What Others Do on Your Team 200
Taking Advantage of Learning Opportunities 200
Going to lunch-and-learns 201
Subscribing to email lists 201
Joining online collaboration groups 202
Taking advantage of tuition reimbursement 202
Learning through online courses 203
Participating in training 203
Chapter 15: Building Your Professional Network 205
Having Lunch with Your Colleagues 206
Participating in Group Activities 206
Collaborating with People on Other Teams 207
Viewing Your Customers and Clients as Colleagues 209
Maintaining Your Network Online 209
Part 6: The Part of Tens 211
Chapter 16: Ten Sites for Finding Your First Job 213
Indeed 213
AfterCollege 214
LinkUp 215
LinkedIn 215
University or College Career Centers 216
AngelList 216
Glassdoor 216
Craigslist 217
Internships. com 217
Association Websites 217
Chapter 17: Ten Places to Gain Skills and Become More Employable 219
Coursera 220
Udemy 220
Lynda. com 221
Khan Academy 221
Codecademy 221
Udacity 222
General Assembly 222
Galvanize 223
Skillshare 223
Community College 223
Chapter 18: Ten (Or So) Potential Benefits Besides Salary 225
401(k), 403(b), and 457 225
Health Insurance 227
Flexible Spending Accounts, Health Savings Accounts, and Commuter Spending Accounts 227
Bonus Plans 228
Profit-Sharing Plans and Profit-Sharing Retirement Plans 229
Restricted Stock Units 229
Stock Option Plans 230
Tuition Reimbursement 231
Index 233