2015-2016 HBCU Careers Magazine

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HBCU Careers Magazine
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relations, etc. So do not get caught up in thinking that
you cannot apply at a hospital because your major is not
in the healthcare field.
There are so many career websites that you can apply.
Here are a few: , www.collegegrad.
com, , , www.
, www.
www.headhunter.
net,
etc. I cannot possibly list all of the career websites, but
you get the idea of how important it is for you to research.
Relocate and Think Outside the Box
Sometimes the better positions are in another city. Know
your city’s trademark. In Memphis, we are known as a
distribution city, so if you want to work in a fast paced
financial district with a lot of opportunities, you might
want to move to New York and work on Wall Street.
Some opportunities are resume builders. Sometimes
when a company sees that you worked at a well known
company in another city, they will pursue you. You can
always come back to your hometown, once you have
built your experience.
I have a former student who worked an internship
abroad in China. She always wanted to live in China.
So she researched internships, funding, fellowships and
graduate school opportunities in China. After she found
a program in China, she went back on several occasions
for other opportunities. While she was enrolled at our
college, she took Chinese on the side at another local
university that offered it so that she could become fluent.
She prepared herself for what she wanted and now
works full-time in China. So she had a dream – sought
it – prepared for it – received it!
Apply Your Networking Skills in Every Situation
Getting a job is not what you know, it is who you know.
Talk to everyone and try to see if there is a connection.
Just because someone is not in your field of interest does
not mean that they do not know someone who is. They
could be related or married to someone in your field. It
is okay to tell people you are looking for a job. If they
do not know, they cannot help you. You can network
at the health club, grocery store, bank, mall, airports,
recreational outlets, churches, clubs, organizations,
volunteer work and through social networking websites.
Make sure you have your resume with you at all times.
Iwasvisitingawell knownHBCUwhereagroupof students
created their own internships. It was a requirement in
order to graduate. They would invite companies where
they wanted to work to a networking reception. They
would ask one of the companies to sponsor the food.
They invited students who were interested in working for
those companies and sold themselves. At the end of the
reception, several of them received internships at top
companies. They did this once a month.
Turn Potential Jobs into Contract Work
Every once in a while, a company might not hire a person
traditionally, but will hire him as a contract worker. The
contractor will provide the same service as the employee.
The company will pay the contractor what he or she has
proposed because they save money by not having to pay
benefits. Contractors/Consultants can usually charge
$100.00 an hour or up. So turn your talent into a need
for that company. For example, if you are an art major
and can do graphic design, you can present your work as
a contractor to create their artwork or logo. So if they do
not have a traditional position available, they can create
one for you.
Do Not Take Rejection Personally
When the company turns you down when you have
applied for a job, it is not about you. They are looking
at the overall picture of the company. They have so
many applicants applying for the same position that they
have to weed out most of the resumes. Remember, an
interview has an underlying message of why should I not
hire you. So they are looking for ways to eliminate you. If
you did not get the job, contact the company to see why
you did not so you can work on that area of development
and be better the next time. It might not be for you at
that moment, but if you apply again with more skills you
just might get that opportunity at the appointed time. If
you do not first succeed, do not give up, just try it again!
These are just a few ways how you can acquire what
you want in life. So while you are waiting on your big
break, go through the process with skill development,
soul searching, purpose, preparation, a renewed mind,
creating opportunities, applying and letting everyone
you know that you are looking for a job. The waiting
period might be soon or it may take a while, but surely it
will come!