Sixth Letter

This week I learned a valuable job hunting lesson:  Career Fairs Rock!  So many employers in one place, and they're all looking to hire you (well, maybe not "you" exactly but possibly a version of you.  It's really in how you message and frame yourself).

I just got back from a career fair at UW-Madison with over 230 companies.  How do you prepare for such an event?  Here are a few pointers I've picked up:

• Come prepared.  Know which companies you want to talk to.  Most career fairs will post the employers (plus information on them) online prior to the fair.  Understanding the company will give you an idea of which position you might fill with them.
• Bring tons of copies of your resume.  Many conversations will start with "Can I see your resume?"  Don't let that be the end.  I also recommend getting your resume printed on something better than bright white copy paper.  It really does make a difference!
• If you're nervous about approaching a particular company, hang out nearby and wait for someone else to approach them.  Watch what they do and make mental notes of what works and what doesn't.  If you're close enough, you might actually pick up part of their conversation and be ready to answer their questions.  Don't be afraid to let someone else go first, the employers are there to meet A LOT of people.  It's not a race.
• Perhaps the most important part of all:  Follow up.  If you hit it off with a recruiter and they tell you to fill out an application on their website, do that immediately after the fair.  It shows commitment and interest on your end.  Plus, you never know if the company will execute a hiring freeze next week (happened to my dad), so don't delay the hiring process.

My experience was a good one.  I met with about 15 companies and confirmed 2 interviews.  All it takes is meeting that one person who can get you hired.  So get out there and attend a few career fairs.  What's the worst that could happen?  You lose a few hours of your day.  The best case scenario, of course, is getting a job.  I think that possibility makes up for a few hours of networking, don't you?

This site offers a ton of advice on career fairs and how to find one near you!  Career Fair Resources.

Happy hunting, J

Fifth Letter

Three weeks into my job hunt, and it's here.  What is "it?" you ask.  A job?  A new move?  Nope.  "It" is the first bump in the road, that moment where you begin to wonder if what you're doing is working.  Life holds you still for a moment, asking if you're really committed to the possible long haul.  Your drive is checked.  Do I continue on?  Or go somewhere else?

I'm not ready to give up so quickly.  I find encouraging words all over the place, and one blogger put it together in a very interesting way.  The post is called "Success is not sexy," - in which the exciting Spanish win in the 2010 World Cup is used as a metaphor for all forms of success:

"Sure, we can still see the mercurial rise of this or that initiative, but, by and large, it takes everyday, constant, fundamental effort (what Prof. Escalante called “ganas!“) to win in world competition. What this looks like, in everyday terms, is decidedly unattractive: it’s ensuring, in real, tangible terms, that every effort, every day, builds value for your clients, unerringly, constantly, relentlessly…"

My family has always told me that a meaningful (and successful) life comes from doing one thing every day that puts you closer to your goals.  I believe it, and I do my best to live it.  Success is not an item to check off on your to-do list.  It is ongoing - a "constant, relentless" pursuit of something great.

Sincerely, J

Fourth Letter

Happy Labor Day!  128 years ago marked the first ever Labor Day - a day meant to celebrate the esprit de corps of trade and labor organizations.  For an unemployed laborer with tons of "esprit," today becomes an unique holiday.  For those of us still searching for work, we live to hunt another day.  While the country takes a break today, us job hunters are hit with tons of messages about possible employment...

Some of the news is positive.  Fellow blogger Mark J. Perry writes about the employment report for August,

"Private-sector jobs have increased in each month this year, and by 67,000 in August, bringing the total to 763,000 private-sector jobs that have been created this year.  This is the first time since December 2006 to July 2007, three years ago, of eight consecutive monthly gains in private-sector employment."

And I really like this article from NY Times, probably because it's titled "Glimmers of Hope for College Grads."  From the article,

"Liam O’Reilly, who just graduated from the University of Maryland with a bachelor’s degree in history, said he had applied to 50 employers — to be a paralegal, a researcher for a policy organization, an administrative assistant — but he had gotten hardly any interviews. While continuing to search for something he truly wants, he has taken a minimum-wage job selling software that includes an occasional commission.  'Had I realized it would be this bad, I would have applied to grad school,' Mr. O’Reilly said." 

But to keep it all in perspective, not everyone is so optimistic.  Economics professor Casey Mulligan writes in another NY Times article,

"If previous seasonal patterns continue, much of that increase is expected to reverse itself by January. So, at first glance, there is no reason to get excited about the actual two million to three million increase."

So in this time of uncertainty, I think it's important to keep hope alive.  Isn't that one of our country's greatest attributes?  Hope and confidence in the face of all things difficult and scary?  So as I wish you all a very happy Labor Day - I'm also wishing you hope.  Don't stop believing that you'll find a job.  You will!

Sincerely, J

Third Letter

Someone asked me the other day why I called my blog "Seven Letters."  Well, 7 is my favorite number.  I was born on August 7th.  My first and last name both have 7 letters in them.  On a side note:  when I was a pee-wee hockey player, someone on my team already had #7 so my dad helped me choose a new one - "What's better than 7?" he asked me.  "Double 7's!"

Back to the job hunt.  I've spent the past two weeks immersing myself in books, thoughts, conversations, and dream-career exercises.  It's fascinating how much research has been done on the job hunt.  A lot of really smart folks have figured out how effective sending a resume is (8%) versus stopping by your favorite company for an informal interview (80%).  What color ink should you use in letter writing? (blue is universally preferred over black but never red).  How much should I talk during an interview? (studies suggest that the interviewer/interviewee talking ratio should be 50:50 and that your responses should be only about 2 minutes).  No doubt, job hunting is a science!

In my mind, though, it's still an art form.  There's so much of your own personality that goes into (and should go into) your search for a new job.  We're told over and over again to be so formal and "professional" in the job hunt, but who says that being professional means you have to be cold and stuffy.  Be a good, friendly person and people will want to work with you.  Be confident in your past experience and the experience you hope to gain, and companies will want you to work for them.  Your best strategy to get a new job is to lean on the great relationships you've formed in the past.  Close friends and family members are the biggest source for jobs, bar none!

So I'm changing up my ways for round two of my job hunt.  I'm taking all of my new knowledge and putting myself out there more.  As it turns out, I'm a pretty likable guy.  I'm hoping a few companies out there think so too!

Sincerely, J

2nd (Cover) Letter

We've all been there.  We've all done that.  And if you're anything like me, you find a sick enjoyment in breaking down your professional life into its elemental form and rebuilding it in as few words as possible.  Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Cover Letter.

Of course, there are no rules to how one of these bad boys becomes a sophisticated savant, but in general there are a few guidelines:

• Keep it under one-page.  In fact, the shorter the better.
• Expand upon your amazing qualities that you couldn't fit into your resume but don't write it like a resume in narrative form.
• Each paragraph should take up about 4-5 lines on your paper.  This means you have to be concise.
• Read it aloud to yourself, then have someone else read it aloud.  Would you hire yourself with this letter?
• Be cool aka keep yourself wide open to suggestions.  Even if you're convinced that Web site is in proper form, don't freak out on your friend for helping your proofread (and actually, Associated Press recently changed the correct form from Web site to website).

Here's a never-before-seen excerpt from my ever-evolving cover letter (you saw it here first!):

"My internship with the Madison Children’s Museum occurred while the museum was in transition between locations and most of my efforts centered on organizing media coverage for the museum’s grand opening event.  I built relationships with writers at children’s websites and magazines in the Chicago and Minneapolis/St. Paul regions, and I used a creative marketing approach that integrated a variety of web-based media.  This worked to raise our raise our online visibility and actually increased event attendance."


Worried about grammar and other degrees of correctness?  Check out Associated Press' Style Guidebook.  It's pretty much the journalism bible, so you know it's legitimate.


Sincerely, J

First Letter

It's been almost two weeks since I left Mississippi.  Looking back one year, I would never have imagined things happening the way they did:  Accepted into the prestigious Teach For America program, scoring in the top 5th percentile on a math content knowledge test, moving to an area referred to as "The Deep South of the Deep South," and teaching 3 higher level high school math courses.  Perhaps most surprising was my decision to leave.  What will surely go down as one of the most influential decisions in my life, I'm now on a very different life path - thankfully I still carry my same passion, enthusiasm, and generosity of spirit.

Strangely enough, this decision did not surprise my parents all that much.  In fact, my dad told me that the family has pretty much gotten used to me doing "out there" things with my life.  So I guess in his mind, joining a teaching nonprofit, moving to an economically and socially depressed area, and teaching a subject I took little interest in for the past 5 years was not a huge deal - that's just Jeff, I suppose.

And as a past employer remarked, I apparently have a work ethic "like a bulldozer" - a description I kind of enjoy.  I've always had a strong mindset to achieve my goals and a fair amount of patience and perseverance to push me through to the end.

So what have I been up to in the past two weeks?  I feel a bullet-point list will best describe my adventure thus far.  I have:

• Read an excellent job-hunter manual, "What Color is your Parachute?" by Richard Bolles and fine-tuned my professional path into marketing and advertising in Chicago
• Almost finished the highly-recommended networking book, "Endless Referrals" by Bob Burg
• Purchased a contact book, a weekly planner, plenty of sticky-notes, and a stack of thank you cards
• Discovered my personal sphere of influence (turns out I know a few helpful, influential people)
• Interviewed over 10 people for career and networking advice
• Cleaned up my resume and cover letters
• Researched the top agencies in Chicago that I hope to work for soon

**Note:  I've also caught up on a lot of TV shows, namely Gilmore Girls which is pretty much on TV nonstop (and to my heart's delight!).
It's not a bad start to the rest of my life.  And in true Teach For America fashion, I've set a big goal for my job-hunt:  by September 30, I will have at least 2 job offers in Chicago.  Let's get the ball rolling!

Sincerely, J