Fresh Out of College?

Fresher and no job from campus? It is not a very comfortable situation to be in. You spent a fortune trying to acquire the professional degree, and worked very hard to earn that degree. The reward for all your efforts will follow, but one needs to be a little patient and work towards it. Getting depressed about the fact is not going to help.

First and foremost requirement is to probe oneself. What skills did you lack to get that dream job from the campus itself? Go, work to acquire those skills. Improve your command over the language, your confidence and brush up your presentation skills.

If not sufficient companies or no companies came to hire from your college, don't get disappointed, its time to approach them directly. Identify and make a list of companies of your choice. Find out the skills they would be looking for and do you have those skills? Find out the business of the company and identify how both you and the company can benefit from each other. Every job aspirant must be approaching them, so how to make yourself stand apart from the rest?

First impression is always from your résumé and the covering letter attached. Always send a neatly typed biodata. Don't know what to write in your résumé? Emphasize your objective for your career choice, your expertise area, your achievements and leave all the personal details towards the end. As a fresher you may attach details of the specialized courses you attended, any specialized training attended and achievements. In the covering letter, you may mention briefly your skills and the position you are applying for.

Try to speak to the HR personnel of the companies and give your résumé directly to them, explaining why you want to work with the company. Follow up with the company. Not all freshers recruited from campus join them and some vacancies may still exist. Following up may help get a job.

The best practice is not to wait to graduate, to start looking for a job, but eight to twelve months before graduating. Most companies come for campus recruitment in the final year and that's the time one should start gearing up for a job and approaching prospective employers.

Your efforts will definitely pay up. Don't get disheartened and work towards your goal.

Source : http://www.careerage.com/career/tips/fresher/

Your Career Growth Plan

It is important that you construct your own career growth plan, since only you can decide what career or job environment interests you. Although developing this plan is your responsibility, we encourage you to enlist the guidance and assistance of other resource people. Most important are your supervisor or staff in the Board's EEO Office or Personnel Management Division.

Setting Your Career Goal
Your goal should represent what you ultimately hope to accomplish. This goal may be to obtain a specific position or to work in a specific career field. When you set your career goal, set a reasonable time frame indicating when you would like to reach your career goal. Your career goal may include a job that you're now qualified for as well as a job you want to qualify for in the future. However, keep in mind that your career goal should be realistic and attainable-one that is reachable through your ongoing developmental efforts.

Developing a Plan of Action
Develop a plan of activities to reach your goal. Think of this plan as a step-by-step statement of the specific activities needed to reach your goal-in the order in which they should be completed. These activities or objectives should focus on enhancing your education, skills, knowledge, or experience and should be measurable and tailored to achieve your specific career goal. You must be able to recognize when you are working toward your goal and when your goal has been accomplished. Be specific and set dates. You may also consider scheduling a meeting with someone that you believe can provide you constructive feedback on your plan.

Obtaining Approvals
Your plan may require the approval of your supervisor and the coordination and assistance of other units and supervisors because of the possible need for release time, funding, or other considerations. Based on the provisions of the applicable bargaining unit contract, you may be eligible to receive reimbursement from the state for an upward mobility program or for job-related or career-related training costs, including tuition and course-required books. With prior authorization from your supervisor, you may also be given release time for career-related or upward mobility training.

Pursuing Your Plan
The personal development aspects of a career development plan can be successful only if you are committed to the plan. You should be prepared to commit a portion of your own time and effort to accomplish this plan. Completing your planned work experience and/or training activities is your responsibility. You'll need to seek help when necessary, be flexible, and periodically reassess your career development plan.

How to develop your Interpersonal skills-Group Discussion

In the group discussion participants discuss a problem or an issue. it is a forum for presenting your views to a group of people. You may or may not arrive at a perfect solution .remember the following tips that you and your Classmates should follow before you begin the given activity.

• Each member of the group should introduction yourself to the guide at first.
• Understand the subject of group discussion.
• Pay attention to the views of others.
• Contribute to the ideas clearly and effectively.
• Avoid interrupting the group discussion.
• Avoid monopolizing and let others to speak.
• Deliver of ideas should be quick and brief.
• Wait for a natural pause in the conversation before you present your view.
• Always have a smiling face throughout the group discussion.
• Try to genuinely seek a solution to the issue instead of heated argument.
• Views should be positive. If there any disagreement, criticize the idea and not the person.

Career considerations

Once you have a good idea of the career you want, the next step is to consider how you’re going to make it happen. As well as practical issues like location, salary and the job market, you may need to look into updating your skills and qualifications.


Things to consider when researching careers

After you’ve drawn up a shortlist of potential careers, there are a number of issues you’ll want to consider before putting your plan into action.

Location

If you’re not prepared to move, you’ll need to consider location. While you can probably find work as a travel agent in most large towns, if you’re looking to get into TV production there are likely to be more opportunities in London and other major cities.

Salary

You’ll have opportunities for promotion in most careers – but this doesn’t always translate to lots more pay. Is doing something you love more important than a large salary?

The job market

There’s competition in most careers, but some are more competitive than others. Careers that are seen as ‘glamorous’ can be difficult to get into without plenty of unpaid work experience, enthusiasm and a certain amount of luck. If you’re attracted to a career like this, are you prepared to put in the extra effort?

Career progression

What opportunities are there to progress within the careers you’re looking at? Once you’re in, how would you get to the next stage - either within the same line of work, or in a related field? What training is likely to be on offer?