Despite a couple minor setbacks, or several... as Khiara mentioned in the last post, I got to my informational interview on time. Note to self- One coffee is good enough for the morning. Call it the caffeine, call it the nerves, I was not feeling like myself.
That changed the minute I walked in the doors of 131 Oliver Street, as a security guard asked for my I.D., snapped a picture of me, and handed me a pass as he directed me to the second floor to New Directions. (Impressive eh?)
I then met with Carol, VP of New Directions and Joan, head of First Directions, ( a program helping recent grads and young professionals in particular- lucky me!)
As I write this post I am excited/anxious- hence, the title - info overload. The informational interview was awesome. They brainstormed with me on how I should go about taking my job search to the next level. They already had my resume printed out with corrections from the header to footer - even my Linkedin profile. For the sake of the length of the blog post I will bullet 10 general pointers they gave me. (Hopefully un-clutter my mind a bit)
1. Who are your resources? Something we all know but they really stressed on how much bigger my network can be. My Mother is part of NAWIC - where plenty of business leaders are gathered for networking conferences. They even suggested bringing business cards to the Golf Course with me.
2. MAKE A LIST- list companies. Find out Companies from PBN, The Boston Journal. Fortune 500's. Companies to research and ask for informational interviews. What I thought was super important about this point, is they said you need to research directly and indirectly. Researching companies in different publications and not only looking at them, but clients they have worked with, and considered them as potential employers. They also said to make lists of what I like, and as i meet more and more people from these companies and find out their corporate culture, I will learn more about myself and where to look. You need a "vision."
3. Be in the Know! Read on-going trends and, check out the "investors" part of these companies websites - the majority have press releases there.
4. Be innovative/Stand out- Carol really broke the mold by establishing a Women's National Chapter for Golf, a place for women to Network and also for her, hence now she is working in Boston (She is a RI Native also.) Both Carol and Joan seemed impressed with "Graduate Swagg" as a way of being innovative, but they both suggested it needs to be somewhere where people can see it. Hence my LinkedIn. They also agreed I should put work from classes and internships as a mini portfolio on too.
5. Which brings me to my next point - Get in front of the person that Hires you. I continued to tell them my involvement with Twitter, and trying to create a real digital presence - they agreed that is a good idea, but those people aren't always the ones that are hiring. Not to toot my own horn or anything - okay I am- but they both said, once they meet me- they will hire me. Therefore I need to become a member of something, go to a workshop or networking event and meet people face -to-face.
6. Which also leads me to my next point - write down what people say about you. When you get to that next interview and they ask "describe to us who you are yada yada" you can sound more modest and genuine. So far I have, well- spoken, high -energy, and a great smile... They said it not me!
7. Be Organized from the start when it comes to networking- And I mean whoever you meet. Whether it was just a run in, an informational interview, a phone conversation, backyard BBQ. Write their name down, when it happened, something particular about the conversation, and follow up. And keep it somewhere where you can get back to. More often then not, in the business world your connections overlap in different ways at different times. Consider it your "database."
8. Add an "Objective" part to the top of your resume. I've had several professors and mentors tell me different - but they stood firm that I need to differentiate myself as much as I can. Meaning, even more than having an Objective at the top of my resume, make it really stand out and be true.
9. Try to reach out to people you can connect with about a mutual interest. An Alumni of URI. If the company has a diversity program or Women leadership program you want to know more about. Angle your reasoning on wanting to connect with them so you're not just another kid desperate to meet.
10. When writing your cover letter, make the connection for them between your traits and what they can do for them. They mentioned that many will write they are hard working, detail oriented etc etc. and any reasonable person would think that It would be a great trait for their workplace. Wrong. You need to draw it out for them. ".. will benefit measuring countless impressions..." I would tackle this problem by..."
Overload? I'm still sweating over the fact If I should send hand written thank yous in the mail. (According the the book I am reading, Women, Work & The Art of Savoir Faire - Hand - written is a must. ) Or Just an Email? or Both? I am deciding on both for the mere fact the 4th of July weekend activities ( My Graduation Party, Blocked Island, and Kayaking-...all future posts!!) have postponed some of my professional goals and I would hate for my thank you note to seem like an after thought rather than a sincere thank you.
So I am tired- I worked a double at the golf course today and my mind is running laps now with so much that needs to be done. Not to mention following up with Bank of America, Cone, Race Point Group and RISD. I am unplugging myself in 3..2...1..Good Night.
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