Tips for Securing Your First Job

The initial steps on the road toward landing your first (or any) job involve ensuring that every word of your résumé and cover letter capitalizes on every opportunity to sell yourself. They should function like well-oiled machines-no mistakes and no unnecessary words.

Cover letters should briefly introduce you to the reader and should state why you deserve a chance in the interviewer's hot seat. State the position for which you are applying, how you learned of it and that you meet the minimum requirements for the job. Tell the reader something that is not on your résumé that really "wows" him/her. Make the reader want to meet the most confident, capable and interesting individual who has ever sat in front of him-you. A Challenging Interview Great work. You received a call from a human resources department to arrange an interview with the recruiter and the hiring manager. Your primary objective is to get past the recruiter and in front of the hiring manager. If you are fortunate enough to interview with a recruiter who knows the company, knows the position and knows what it will take to be successful in that position, you will be faced with a challenging, yet energizing interview. During the interview, the recruiter will verify your application and résumé or curriculum vitae. If you have a fairly straightforward background, without many gaps in time between school and work, or between jobs, this part of the interview should be a breeze. Fresh from the ivory tower of academia, success on this first interview ultimately depends on how articulately you summarize your academic experience, and how well you link any jobs you held in school with the position for which you are interviewing. Even if you worked the sales floor at a local clothing boutique, some skills (in this case, think "people skills") can relate to this new opportunity. Most importantly, think about your accomplishments and practice discussing them. These can be work or school related, but you will want to feel comfortable talking about the scope of the project, resources used to complete it, your team (if applicable), how you set and met milestones, and the end result. Think about the situations, projects and accomplishments that make you "light up." If you share those instances, then the interviewer will see your passion behind the successes and will get to know the part of you that is dedicated to your work, and that gets results. In a position wherein I interviewed candidates for complex social service and education positions on a daily basis, sometimes I could barely distinguish one fresh grad from another on paper. The successful candidates, though, were those who could amaze me with their accomplishments and captivate me with their zest for retelling the story. After the interview, when considering behavioral competencies, education and experience, it was always the answer to the questions "Did his face light-up," or "Did her eyes twinkle when she spoke of her accomplishments?" that could change my mind about an otherwise mediocre interview. Make it to the hot seat in front of the hiring manager and you are are cruising down the road to success! Hiring managers will want to know that you are a good fit with the organization and with their department. Although they should be concerned with your technical skills, the truth is, they will be more concerned with how you perceive and respond to authority, how you work in teams and how well you will fit in with their management style and their most successful teams. You also will be assessing them, so be lighter and friendly, and discuss your abilities with confidence. Here again, you will want to focus on your past successes-relate to their laboratory equipment and/or knowledge, and you are all but guaranteed a second interview. Really blow them away, and you may be surprised to leave a progressive human resources department or organization with an offer that same day! Happy hunting!