Landing that First Job: The Old Rules Still Apply

This morning, I had the pleasure of interviewing Tom Musbach, the managing editor at Yahoo! Hot Jobs.

Tom graciously allowed me to pick his brain a little about strategies teens and young adults might use to land that first job or summer job.

It's been a long time since I was in that position (you know, back in the Dark Ages, before the World Wide Web made it possible to download a job application from the comfort of your own home). Back then, my search consisted of walking door to door at the local mall and requesting an application to fill out. Most of the time, my encounters with store management ended right there... but occasionally, something about my appearance or personality would trigger an actual interview... and eventually, a hire.

Today, most large retailers and restaurant chains offer job applications online. This is convenient, but it's a lot harder to make a good first impression, especially when you are just starting out in the market and haven't a lot of experience.

"The first thing you have to do is make sure you've got a tight resume," Tom says.

He recognizes that lack of experience is a kind of Catch-22 for young people: How can you get the job experience until you've landed that first job?

In that case, Tom advises young people to "think outside the job experience realm" and translate their extracurricular activities, volunteer work and studies into transferable skills the prospective employer wants (i.e., communication, reliability, responsibility, and leadership).

"You need to highlight your accomplishments in a succinct way," he says.

Getting that resume into the right hands can also be a challenge.

"It's important to network," Tom says. "Speak up. Ask your parents, relatives, family friends - who do you know?"

This sounds like the same advice I was given back when I was first job hunting, 35 years ago. In fact, it's the same strategy seasoned professionals use all the time, because the best jobs are not always advertised and are often discovered through word of mouth.

Tom mentioned some of the popular social networking sites, like LinkedIn, Facebook and MySpace (the latter two being the most popular among young people). However, he cautions all job hunters to be wary of the digital footprints they may be leaving behind on social networking sites and blogs.

"Recruiters DO use search engines, and if things come up, if they see an off-color remark, it can reflect poorly on the candidate," he says.

Tom reminds job hunters that "any time you apply in person, you have to think about the impression you make."

He says it's even more important when your resume is thin, because the employer has so much less to go on.

• Don't show too much skin.
• Leave ripped or torn garments at home
• Avoid t-shirts with slogans (especially if they are controversial)

"Think professionally, even if you're just there to get an application," he says. "And be aware of your demeanor and attitude. Think about all the factors that go into making a good first impression."

Finally, Tom reminds job hunters to follow up with employers after applying.

"Don't assume they're not interested if you haven't heard from them," he says. "It is within you right to call and check on the status of your application, and it communicates your interest in this job."

Interviewing High School Style

Last week I was invited to participate on a panel to interview ROP students for a mock company. These junior and senior high school students had been provided with sample interview questions, as well as information about the fake company so that they could prepare properly. We were told we didn’t have to stick to the list of questions provided… we were to ask whatever we thought would be helpful and appropriate based on how the 10-minute interview progressed with each student.

After each interview, the student was asked to step outside while we compared our notes. The student came back in and we gave them our compliments and constructive criticism with the hope that the feedback will give them a step ahead of the crowd entering the summer workforce.

It was fun, encouraging and a little surprising.

I think I saw a range that was to be expected. One student stood out quite a bit, even though he was shy. I would have hired him on the spot. One student needed a lot of guidance with the interview process. The rest did very well in the middle.

Here are some takeaway points that were gathered. This is in addition to the tips we should be providing people on how to answer “why should I hire you” types of questions:

- Boys/Men should wear a belt. Most know that a tie is key to a business look, but not one male realized they should finish the job with the belt. Actually, I didn’t notice this – the men on the panel pointed it out. Once they did, I realized they were right.

- Girls/Women shouldn’t show cleavage. The men either didn’t notice (which I doubt) or didn’t have the nerve to mention it during our note-comparison discussion, but I brought it up. No one was comfortable telling this to the young lady when we debriefed her, so I passed the information on to the teacher and left it up to her discretion.

- Learn how to shake hands! This takes practice. We practiced for a few minutes with one student. The older adults know that the handshake is a critical component of the first impression.

- Learn about the company! Too many students did not have real knowledge about the company, even though they were given the same information the panel was given. That was probably my biggest surprise. All they had to do was read a 2-page document.

- Don’t downplay skills. One student mentioned her typing skills were “only about average… 50 words per minute.” She should have confidently stated that her “typing speed is an accurate 50 words per minute.” Her skills are respectable and not less than people would expect from a 17-year old. Why put it down by calling it average?

In fact, the students tended to downplay their skills. They were nervous and didn’t realize what they really had to offer a company. Some had trouble answering the basic interview questions, which I assume is either because of their nerves or because they didn’t practice. Which leaves me to one last suggestion, which I’m sure they’ve heard before: Practice. Practice with family members, practice in front of a mirror, practice with a video camera, practice with friends, or practice with whoever and whatever will listen.

I have to admit, while sitting there asking questions and listening to the answers of these brave young adults (and they were brave due to the intimidating circumstances – they were getting a grade on how well they performed), I wondered how I was at interviewing at their age. I can’t really know because time skews our memories, but I have a feeling they did a pretty good job in comparison. I really was proud of them.

I don’t know how many high schools offer this kind of training for their entire student population. My next task is going to see how we can expand the training program our high school provides for ROP students to the rest of the student population. I’d like to see all of our local students have the best opportunity to get the job they want.