If you have recently completed an academic program at college or university, it can be difficult to translate your academic work into the skills and experience needed to land your dream job. Many academic programs, especially those in the arts and humanities, do not traditionally include experience based training and employment skills development. This leads to the classic post-graduation dilemma. You can’t get the job you want without experience. You can’t get the experience you need without the job.
In order to get the experience and skills required to land your dream job, you need to become employment ready. The first step is to learn what experience and skills are needed to succeed in your dream job. Next, determine whether an internship or volunteer position will help you land that job. If you need additional certification or qualifications, or can’t find the right internship or volunteer position, look for an experience based educational program that will give you the experience and skills you need. It is common for college and university graduates to obtain practical, skill based education. Invest in yourself and what you offer to potential employers.
Evaluating Your Options
The best experiential learning opportunities are found outside of traditional academia. Private colleges and technical institutions offer many attractive experience based programs that promise employment readiness. The best programs often include strong practicum and industry support for students and new graduates.
Try to find a program that minimizes overlap with your previous education. Look for programs that give you concrete skills and experience. Take the time to review the potential curriculum. Make sure that you will be investing in building new employable skills, rather than rehashing old academic experiences. This is especially important if you are considering a program at a technical institute, as many students enter technical programs out of high school and require some amount of academic polish to accompany their experiential training. Research your options and ask tough questions. This will save time and money in the long run.
A final consideration is opportunity cost. Unfortunately, the old adage is true. Time is money. If you can finish a program in one year instead of two, you will be able to start building your career and collecting a pay check sooner. Look for programs that allow you to study year round. Look at the number of in-class and direct instruction hours. Ask how the program you are considering gives you the skills you need to succeed. Keep employability in mind. Try to look at potential programs from the view point of potential employers.
What Should You Look For?
What is experience and skill based education? Rhodes Wellness College, an industry leading coaching, counseling and wellness college, is a great example. It is a pioneer in experiential education. Students build critical coaching, counseling and wellness skills by applying the tools and theories they learn to themselves and others. Students become great coaches and counselors by engaging in hands-on training. Students with diverse backgrounds coach and counsel each other, helping other students while other students help them. This unique process builds skills, experience and confidence. It also leads to tremendous personal growth. Students learn how to succeed personally and professionally.
Rhodes Wellness College also maintains relationships with employers and continually updates curriculum and teaching methods so that graduates are employment ready from day one. All of their diploma programs include an applied practicum, utilizing a strong network of employers within the coaching, counseling and wellness fields. All of this translates into post-graduation employment rates consistently higher than 80%, and at times greater than 95%.
Best of Both Worlds
The great news is that students and new graduates that have a traditional academic education, as well as industry specific skills and experience, are highly valued by employers. They offer the best of both worlds. By consciously investing and building your own skill set and experience, you will land the job of your dreams and succeed!
By: Neil Mangan
Posts Tagged ‘University Graduates’
Done School? Get the Experience You Need to Land Your Dream Job
January 14th, 2010Jobs & Career Employment After You Have Graduated From University
December 30th, 2009University graduates are still sought after, which makes a degree in this difficult financial climate worth its weight in gold. Graduate positions have actually increased over the last year, during the recession, and this is leading companies promoting their HR policies of capturing the best minds straight from university.
Jobs in IT, accounting, mechanical engineering, bio sciences are particularly impressive for the graduate as firms in these sectors offer high salaries and many graduate services that announce jobs, like MilkRound will advertise all of these particular jobs. Some jobs are obviously with companies that could feel the pain of the credit crunch but with any gain of experience, you will become immediately more employable even if the worst does happen to you.
Obviously qualifications and skills will get you so far, but with many graduates applying for the same jobs, how can you set yourself apart and differently then the rest? Well the answer is in your character traits, and making them visible to the recruiter. An attitude of enthusiasm, self- motivation and determination will go a long way in any job interview, some companies who offer jobs at entry level, will make a decision based on this alone! » Read more: Jobs & Career Employment After You Have Graduated From University
Using College Student Jobs to Open Doors in the Professional World
September 29th, 2009College students throughout the United Kingdom turn to part-time employment to help pay for university fees and living expenses. These jobs are often seen as an expedient way to earn a pay check without consideration of potential work experience that would be useful down the road. University students who take the time to research part-time and temporary jobs during their period of matriculation will be able to point to these experiences in the future.
Students interested in marketing, advertising and design need to think of retail positions as a way to learn the basics of their future profession. A shoe clerk can work at a small boutique and create hand-written signs to draw in customers while they make a steady wage. Cashiers at a local grocery can inquire about the daily business dealings of the company through their managers. These positions may seem like opportunities to pay off monthly debts but a few months of hard work can open doors down the road.
The references built through college student jobs can reveal professional opportunities after graduation. University graduates who have spent their summers working hard on construction sites, delivery routes and factory lines will develop good relationships with their employers. These employers can be placed on a CV for contact by dozens of employers in the future. In the same way that flat mates and university colleagues are important at the beginning of a professional career, references from college student jobs are vital to landing the best jobs.
College student jobs allow employees to save a little of their money while they pay off some of their larger debts. A combination of college student loans, savings from summer work and a steady check from a student job gives a student greater financial flexibility through graduation. The cost of living grows as students move into a new apartment and need to purchase household items after graduation. A small chunk of each check can be set aside for a post-graduation fund instead of going into disposable goods like MP3s and drinks.
Students who plan ahead with their university employment will build the skills needed to deal with long term issues in their profession. A young student who takes on a temporary job in a legal office and wants to work in international affairs can ask the right questions of her employer about the right educational course. A well-planned employment experience during the university years can lead to prosperity down the road.
By: Mike Sandiford
