The Job Hunt Begins Before Graduation

 The Job Hunt Begins Before Graduation

Rather than wait until after graduation at the end of 2014, hoping luck is on my side, I decided now was the time to begin my search for a company who would be interested in my particular skills and talents.

A good friend of mine--who happens to be part of the human resources management team for a multimillion dollar company--recommended I read a book titled "What Color is Your Parachute: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers" by Richard N. Bolles (2013 edition).

How in the world do we stand out in a crowd?

So far I have to admit, after having read the entire book cover-to-cover, it was nothing like I expected. This isn't a predictable text on how to find a job. Rather, it's a cornucopia of invaluable resources and information designed around helping you discover your potential and ultimately find and secure the perfect job or career.

Mr. Bolles takes the reader through an in-depth series of self-actualization exercises, offers a variety of job search tools and research methods, lays out the steps leading up to and including the interview process, and provides great advice for aleviating anxieties associated with salary negotiation.

I plan on starting at the beginning again and slowly working through the steps and exercises. Then, I will periodically post updates, detailing my progress; the successes and failures alike.

My work begins in chapter five: You need to understand more fully who you are. For this, I will be taking into account everything that my life experience has provided through work, play, hobbies, school, etc. and figuring out what types of things I can do. The idea is to break down everything into much simpler forms. In this case, a list of mediums that I enjoy working in (words, people, graphics, wood, etc.) and determine what skills I have already acquired that pertain to those individual mediums.