Bio Career Center

By Amanda Fornecker

 

No one ever said job seeking was easy. In fact, it can be one of the most stressful parts of being in the real world. But it doesn't have to be. There are many people who have been there before and want to help you. Take these five individuals, for instance. You've got college officials, CEOs, and writers giving advice about what to watch out for and how to narrow your choices, while keeping your options open. When looking for a job, make sure to keep these five points in mind:

MARRY TWO PASSIONS
-Nick Folger, CEO of BioCareerCenter
"It is clear that a person has a passion in one field. They may be interested in the sciences, for example. But what other passion do they have? Do they really love to do research? Do they love to write? Do they love to speak publicly and influence people? What's their second passion that marries that passion for science? This will drive students to the right career, and they'll have lots of career options to choose from to achieve career happiness."

BEWARE OF 'MEGA SITES'
-Sharon Elrod, Manager of Career Services at Paul Smith's College (Paul Smiths, N.Y.)
"We tell our students to beware of the mega sites because they are too big and entry-level students get lost in the shuffle. Employers are not as likely to use these sites either, opting for sites that are more focused on the field they are seeking the employee from. For example, our culinary students are much wiser to look on a culinary site, such as 'Escoffier Online', or an actual resort or property website that they are targeting."

USE MULTIPLE JOB BOARDS
-Steven Rothberg, President and Founder of CollegeRecruiter.com
"Students should register at a few general sites, a few industry specific niche sites, one or two geographic specific sites, and a few college job boards. They should post their resumes to advertise for free their availability, search and apply to all of the posted jobs for which they are qualified and which are of interest to them, and set up job match alerts (aka agents) to notify them when new jobs that match their skills and interests are posted."

BE CAUTIOUS
-Lauri Weiner, Director of Career Services at Villa Julie College (Stevenson, Md.)
"Students should always be cautious in using online sites. It is important to research every organization. Students should also be careful in what they say or write online because inaccurate information can come back to haunt them even after they have obtained a job. Be aware of what the policies are of various sites in terms of removing material from a site. Otherwise, employers may be able to find old or inappropriate information that you would not necessarily want them to see."

APPLY ANYWAY
-Anne Brown, Author of Grad to Great
"If you see a job that gets you excited, apply for it. Never assume you are not qualified. Similarly, if you see a company that you want to work for, but not the position you want, contact the company anyway. Spend time researching the companies you're interested in and get the name of the person who has the authority to invite you in for an interview. Write him or her a detailed letter explaining why you want to work for the company. Describe what your unique contributions would be. Be proactive and send along your list of references and resume. One foot in the door is better than a closed door."