How studying abroad can help you in the working world

CareerRookie — Thu, 21 Nov 2013 16:56:34 GMT

"I learned to be resourceful, adaptive, flexible and independently responsible," says Sarah Biggers. "I learned to respect and appreciate unfamiliar cultures and came back with a revitalized sense of pride for America."

Biggers is reflecting on the ten weeks she spent abroad -- seven countries in four weeks followed by six weeks at Oxford in England -- in the summer of 2012. In addition to the benefits described above, she says this experience helped her land an "amazing internship at a growing [Atlanta] startup." Today, Biggers is the director of human resources for CodeGuard.

There are many attractions to studying abroad, like seeing historic places and works of art with your bare eyes, or enjoying ethnic food you've only had replicated at home. When it comes to the working world, though, there are additional benefits to this experience that might not come to mind so quickly. We spoke to several people in different professions about how studying abroad in school has helped them in their professional life.

From the graphic designer

"My experience abroad challenged my confidence, social skills, and problem-solving skills -- all of which are abilities employers look for in a potential employee," explains Hannah Buckmaster, a newly hired graphic designer at Milwaukee firm Hare Stirgenz, Inc. Buckmaster studied abroad at the Santa Reperata International School of the Arts in Florence, Italy.

"My summer abroad also taught me to be comfortable talking about accomplishments, my interests and my adventures -- a necessary skill during an interview. ... As a whole, my time in Italy not only prepared me for the hard work and perseverance it takes to be an employee in the real world, but it also helped me differentiate myself from other job candidates," she says, noting it wasn't all just about finding the best local gelato.

From the events manager

Networking might not be the initial reason students set their eyes overseas, but Samantha Moonsammy says it's one of the best long-term benefits to her time at the University of the West Indies in Barbados.

"Studying abroad is a unique opportunity to broaden your network of contacts," says Moonsammy. She took advantage of her stay in the Caribbean to attend events in her academic community and with the local government. At these events she met business professionals in her field. "We continue to stay in touch via Facebook and LinkedIn and it has been an incredible resource for information sharing, networking and work opportunities."

Today, Moonsammy is an owner of Ottawa-based Starfish Creative Events and Inspiration. Her company does "many events in collaboration with the Barbados Tourism Authority and [the] High Commission for Barbados."

From the CEO

"I studied in Augsburg, Germany for [two] years and it provided me with an amazing experience to truly understand different cultures and their unique communication patterns," says Keith Scott, CEO of the Baltimore County Chamber of Commerce. He credits this understanding with his ability to do his job successfully today, because he regularly has to interact and communicate with people from various backgrounds.

Further, Scott has used this knowledge to help him teach public speaking to people via his own company, TALLspeaking. He feels his time in another culture gave him an "ability to relate and understand the human dynamic."

How do I know if they're low-balling me?

CareerRookie — Thu, 14 Nov 2013 11:02:58 GMT

Congratulations! You've made it past the months of applying to companies, waiting for interviews and crossing your fingers for a follow-up, and have actually landed a job offer. Whew! One major life hurdle you secretly wondered would ever come your way has finally presented itself. Before you say, "Yes, gladly," though, you need to consider the tenability of the salary they're offering. This means you may have to (or just want to) negotiate.

Do your homework

"The ultimate answer to your question of how to know if you're getting low-balled? Research," says Joseph Terach, CEO of Resume Deli, a professional career services firm that helps professionals write resumes, land job offers and negotiate salary. Indeed, forewarned is forearmed, and Terach stresses the importance of doing your homework before the offer comes your way to know what the pay level should be.

He advises all jobseekers to know the answer to this question: "How much can I expect this
company -- based on similar companies in the same geography -- to pay me given
my level and area(s) of education and professional experience?"

Online salary calculators such as CBSalary.com can help aid in this research. Terach also recommends using your network to find people who work for the company to which you are applying or in the same area and learning from them what a decent offer should be, as well as reading related job postings and descriptions because many often include a salary range.

Should you negotiate?

Some experts think negotiating is always wise. Speaker and author Barry Maher, who has appeared on TV shows such as "NBC Nightly News," "The Today Show" and "CNBC," is one such expert.

"It's always appropriate to negotiate," says Maher, "and if you do it right, you'll be respected for it. Even the most reticent new grad can make the simple statement, 'I was hoping for more than that.' And then just shut up and let the recruiter respond."

Sam Parker, a senior marketing coordinator for Commuter Advertising, agrees and speaks of other benefits to negotiating. "If you're comfortable with it," he begins, "it's appropriate to negotiate before accepting your first offer. Even if the employer only slightly increases your offer, at least you know they're comfortable with negotiation and there's room for your salary/benefits to grow over time."

He recommends the following post-acceptance tips for increasing your salary, too. "Accept the slight increase, work your butt off for your first 90 days, and go back to ask for more after you've proven yourself. Hiring involves risk management on both ends; an employer's risk is hiring you without knowing your true potential, and your risk is not knowing your (and your salary's) potential to grow in the company. By proving yourself first, you meet in the middle and diminish risk on both ends," says Parker.

However, not everyone thinks it's appropriate for first-time jobseekers to negotiate. Jamar Cobb-Dennard, a sales recruiter at Hire Sales, offers the counter-argument that many recent grads are disillusioned when it comes to salary expectations.

"Any recent grad making over $40k their first year should consider themselves extremely lucky," says Cobb-Dennard. "Even candidates who have done extensive internships rarely have enough of a Rolodex and business acumen to command a high salary or 'negotiate' for more than what is offered."

Don't let senioritis ruin your job search

CareerRookie — Wed, 06 Nov 2013 14:29:54 GMT

"Senioritis happens to the best of them and then it spreads to the class," says Barbara Efird, director of career services for William Peace University. She speaks of the mythical disease many college seniors get: senioritis. Symptoms include an inability to focus on work, heavy procrastination and a severe desire to party.

Efird has seen many a student succumb to this malediction. "Then the midnight oil burns and burns, and they manage to get their work in and crash! This leaves little time to create and implement a targeted job search," she explains.

There are some serious ramifications to this, namely, a big delay in finding your first job. Even experienced jobseekers need to carve aside full-time hours to find employment. "If [students] have not planned to spend time on their search including networking, polishing their résumés for targeted companies, updating their LinkedIn profile and following up with all the leads and opportunities that their college/university's career center and others have sent them, they probably will not be employed by graduation or soon after," Efird cautions.

However, all is not lost.

There are many ways to combat senioritis. It can be tough, because of the knowledge that your undergraduate days are winding down and the impending "real world" with its "actual responsibilities" is ominously closing in. But contrary to popular belief, it is possible to maximize your final school year socially and prep yourself to land the best job you can after commencement.

Efird has four solid pieces of advice for how you can avoid senioritis:

1. "Enjoy your senior year, knowing that the last of the papers, exams and projects are coming to an end and the future is promising!

2. "Avoid denial. Senioritis can be [caused] by students simply not wanting to face the realities of what is next. It is an exciting time, but it takes effort to finish your assignments.

3. "Senioritis and job searching are strange bedfellows -- if one is not focused to complete senior papers, projects, etc., adding the stress of a job search does not help dealing with it. Tackle it with allowing for fun and work in appropriate time and ways.

4."Avoid comparing yourself to your friends who are not graduating, already have jobs or can live without a job for a while. This is the time to take stock in your goals and accomplishments."

Desha Peacock has counseled over 600 people as the director of career development at Marlboro College. Her advice to seniors reinforces Efird's.

"Unless you want to live at home with mom and dad," begins Peacock, "it's imperative that you multitask and start the job search no later than your spring semester of your senior year.

"Hopefully by the time you are a senior you already have some internship experience, a well-written résumé, and cover letter template that you can tweak for each job. If not, don't delay, see your career counselor ASAP and make sure you at least have them review your résumé/ cover letter."

Her advice has an important financial benefit, to boot. Tweaking résumés and getting help writing cover letters is a service many people charge for in the real world. Most colleges offer this to their students at no cost through their career centers. Some even do so for alumni.

"If you wait, you could pay up to $250 from a résumé expert after school, so don't leave school without utilizing this service," she advises.

"Don't delay the job search [because] you are scared and don't know what kind of work you want. Now is a good time to explore, take a personality or strengths test to gain more insight and start doing research in the fields that might interest [you]. The best way to discover if you like something is to do to it," Peacock finishes.

How to handle the 'cold' networking call or email

Matt Tarpey — Thu, 31 Oct 2013 14:18:19 GMT

Growing your professional network is an essential part of finding a job and advancing your career, and the Internet makes this easier by allowing you to expand your reach beyond your typical contacts. Contacting people you aren't directly acquainted with, whether they are hiring managers or simply contemporaries working in your industry, can be a tricky and sometimes awkward situation. However, the reality is that "cold calling" or "cold emailing," when handled correctly, can be a useful part of building your network.

Here are some tips for mastering networking with strangers:

Find the missing link

You've probably heard the popular theory of "six degrees of separation," which suggests that every individual is six or fewer steps, by way of introduction, from any other individual. Your best bet to get a hiring manager's attention is to be introduced or recommended by a mutual acquaintance. Plenty of hiring managers completely ignore cold calls or emails if there's no mention of a specific connection that led the job seeker to them. Familiarize your contacts with your elevator pitch to help them introduce you around at networking events, and don't forget to return the favor when the opportunity arises.

Give context

If you can't find a direct link, it is essential that you have a good reason for asking for the contact's time and that you are upfront about this reason from the start. Be specific about why you're reaching out to this individual in particular. Are you familiar with his work? Were you both at a networking event but missed the opportunity to connect? Or are you simply looking for job opportunities or career advice? Know what you're looking for before you dial or hit "send."

What else can they offer?

Typically, when building your network, it's not a good idea to bluntly ask strangers for a job. If they say no, which they likely will, the relationship ends there, and you may as well remove them from your network entirely. Rather than asking for a job outright, try fostering a connection by asking for advice or an informational interview. Not only are hiring managers more likely to respond positively to this request, but you build a stronger relationship and gain valuable information in the process.

Keep it short

Make it easy for the hiring manager you contact to help you. Your email should be short and concise, clearly spelling out your situation and the relevant information. A lengthy, wordy email with big blocks of text is unlikely to be read, much less thoughtfully considered and responded to. Respect your contact's time and keep the initial introduction brief.

Emailing or calling a person out of the blue can be scary, but if done right, it can also help your job search and career. Follow these tips, remain respectful, and soon you'll start to see your professional network and employment prospects grow.

Matt Tarpey is a writer and blogger for CareerRookie.com, as well as CareerBuilder.com and its job blog, The Work Buzz.

How to get an entry-level job without internship experience

Mark Slack, résumé specialist and technical writer, Resume Companion — Wed, 23 Oct 2013 11:24:39 GMT

Don't have any internship experience? Here's a setting you may be familiar with.

A recent graduate from an esteemed university wants to apply to several jobs related to his degree. He writes a fantastic résumé, filled with relevant information regarding his coursework, fieldwork, GPA and extracurricular activities. After years of rigorous and laborious study and a massive investment of money the graduate has finally proved his worth, and it's all right there on his glowing résumé. Then the graduate gets called in for an interview, and something strange happens. The hiring manager looks over the résumé skeptically, raises a single eyebrow and says, "OK. But what can you do?"

That is the classic "Student's Dilemma," which continues to cause anguish for graduates of all types.

The "Student's Dilemma" is infuriating to recent graduates who rightfully expect to see better returns on their expensive academic investment, but the hiring manager's apprehension is also fair. There is a gap between your academic knowledge and your actual capabilities. It's up to you to help the hiring manager feel confident that hiring you will be a safe and profitable investment.

Without internship experience, here are a few tips on how to bridge that gap:

Save your college work

Your degree is not the end-all, be-all proof of your competence. You should imagine your university career and experience as a pyramid that you've constructed over time. You've built, block-by-block, paper-by-paper, exam-by-exam, a mighty pyramid and the degree is merely the capstone piece. Although it's impressive that you've attained it, it makes no sense without context.

Hiring managers want to know what you've done and what you're capable of doing. They might want to know how well you can write, how you've demonstrated leadership or how you've overcome challenges. That is why you should save your university work, regardless of its relevance to your preferred field. It contains hard evidence of your writing and critical-thinking abilities and works as an excellent example of how you manage problems and attain success.

Get excellent recommendation letters

Without internship experience, personal recommendations from your professors and other qualified individuals are the most powerful tools that you have at your disposal. A well-written and persuasive recommendation letter can quickly convey your oral and written skills, intellect, problem-solving abilities, critical-thinking skills, ability to work under pressure, ability to get along with peers, adaptability and motivation. To get a recommendation, it's usually just as easy as asking.

It's true, recommendation letters are usually the last documents that hiring managers will look through to make their decision if they look through them at all. However, as someone without internship experience, it's a critical part of your job search to create other avenues for a hiring manager to better understand you. Indeed, the power of personal recommendations is well known in the business realm. Companies, well aware that recommendations are the No. 1 drivers of business, go the extra mile to get their customers to willingly advertise their business. By having that extra bit of push accompanying your résumé, you can overcome your work experience gap.

You should also take advantage of LinkedIn's services. Although you may not have any work experience to put on the website, it's still important to create a profile. Then, ask your professors to write you recommendations on LinkedIn. In some cases, hiring managers won't request physical recommendation letters but if they happen to search your LinkedIn page, then they'll be inclined to read them anyway.

School life counts, too

If you were more interested in school life than you were in becoming an ultra-young professional, it's fine. Although a hiring manager may find it more preferable to hire a candidate who needs less training than average, almost all entry-level candidates are going to need rigorous training and time to settle into a new career anyway. Hiring managers are aware of this.

What they need to know is that you are active, have decent interpersonal skills, are adaptable and are willing to take on challenges. Your involvement in college clubs, Greek life, political life, volunteer work and/or sports are all fair game and contain all kinds of responsibilities and experiences that you can mine to strengthen your résumé.

Even without internship experience, it's possible to overcome the "Student's Dilemma" and land an entry-level job. It will take some work and creativity, but with some effort, you'll be able to compete with your peers.

Mark Slack is a résumé specialist and technical writer at Resume Companion. He assists job seekers in writing and revising their résumés in accordance with best practices, and also helps develop their professional profiles and personal brands. You can read his tips at the Resume Companion Blog.

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How studying abroad can help you in the working world

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How to handle the 'cold' networking call or email

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