“If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams,
and endeavors to live the life which he had imagined,
he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”

— Henry David Thoreau

If finding a good job at graduation is important to you, there are things that you should be doing. What are the job search preparation goals that should matter most to you?

1. Achieving Grades that will Attract Employers – Many employers use your grades as an initial screening device. If you do not achieve their minimum requirement, they will not consider you for employment. Do you know the minimum grade requirements of your target employers? When students know the grade requirements of their target employers, grades will take on a new level of importance.

2. Obtaining and Holding a Part-Time Job – Part-time jobs are held by nearly a third of all students. Many students work because they need the money to help offset some of their college and living expenses. Other students work because they want to obtain some job-related experience. In both cases, on-the-job experience with examples and stories about their successes and accomplishments can impress potential employers. Part-time jobs also present research, creativity, problem-solving and leadership opportunities, exactly the things that employers value.

3. Obtaining some Job-Related Experience – When students know the type of job they will seek at graduation, it makes sense to find a way to gain some experience in that work. Part-time, summer and volunteer work, as well as laboratories, projects and classroom demonstrations in their field of study will usually translate into valuable and useful experiences that students can talk about and present on their resumés.

4. Gaining the Knowledge and Skills that Employers Need, Want and Expect – More than anything else, employers want knowledgeable, high energy communicators and people who can get things done well, even in the face of obstacles. That means that they want students who can talk about and provide examples of their accomplishments, experiences and successes in their campus, work and community activities.

5. Identifying Potential Employers – When students are ready to begin their job search, it is helpful to have a list of employers that have previously been researched and meet their requirements. Without a list of potential employers, students will be left to chase after only those few employers that become known to them in the coming months. Wise students take the time to identify potential employers before they are needed.

6. Preparing to Conduct an Effective Job Search – Most students do not know how to conduct an effective job search. The best candidates understand that what they do during the first three years of college will determine their success or failure in the job market. There are many things that students should be doing early on in order to offer the credentials, accomplishments and presentations that will impress target employers. The best candidates find out what is needed and take the time to get well prepared.

7. Building Relationships with Potential References – When employers check references, they want to speak with people who know the student well, have a good handle on their personality, accomplishments and capabilities and are willing to speak honestly about their performance, abilities and potential. Those relationships cannot be formed casually.

Success can be achieved
one, two, three
when you believe the words
“This matters to me.”

These seven points are possible for most college students. The only question is whether a student has the resolve to learn about them and make them happen. When we believe that something is important to us, we:

- Learn more about it
- Pay close attention to it
- Devote more time and effort to the way it is done
- Overcome the difficulties
- Care about the quality of the outcome

Effective preparation for the senior year job search is hard work. However, it is extremely important. When students believe that their job search outcome is directly related to the quality and quantity of their preparation and consciously strive to address the seven points listed above, they will dramatically increase their chances for job hunting success. Does your job search outcome matter to you?

Bob Roth
The “College & Career Success” Coach

Employers that hire part-time employees also hire full-time employees. Therefore, students with part-time jobs should keep several facts in mind:

1. Part-time jobs offer students the opportunity to demonstrate their capabilities, work ethic and problem-solving skills. Since every employer wants to learn about these things, part-time jobs give students the opportunity to demonstrate their strongest jobs skills.

2. If the part-time job is with an employer in a student’s field of interest, their employer is evaluating their performance and potential for a full-time job. Students who do their best to impress the employer will greatly enhance their chances for a job offer when they graduate.

3. Part-time jobs can offer students the opportunity to to develop and practice the skills required for similar jobs. Most employers would prefer to hire candidates who have previously demonstrated the skills and ability to perform the job.

4. Nearly every job can benefit from a bit of creativity. Part-time jobs provide opportunities to show a student’s creative side. Employers love students who can demonstrate a bit of creativity. As students go to work each day, they can show the boss that they can overcome obstacles on their own and get things done by using their creativity.

5. Part-time jobs give students the opportunity to build and add to their list of accomplishments, successes and positive results. Grades are important. However, employers hire students who clearly present their achievements on their resumés and during interviews. They are particularly impressed by on-the-job achievements.

6. Positive and enthusiastic references from part-time jobs can help someone land a full-time job. When students do a bang up job for the employer and are well-liked, it is highly likely that the employer will happily give them a glowing reference and recommendation. That will make them stand out from most other candidates.

7. Part-time jobs provide students with opportunities to learn about the business. Many executives started at the bottom, learned the business, demonstrated their interest and capabilities and then went on to greater and greater responsibility within the organization. Students today can do the same thing.

Part-time jobs tend to be what you make of them. Therefore, wise students settle into a part-time job that can benefit them in more than one way. They work hard, do whatever is required, build relationships, present a positive attitude, go the extra mile when called upon and show the employer that they appreciate the job and want the employer to be more successful.

Bob Roth
The “College & Career Success” Coach

What is it that students should be prepared to do?

Learn – Students increase their knowledge and improve their skills through class attendance and participation, on-campus and off-campus activities and work experiences. They study, memorize and practice using the information they have seen, heard, experienced and learned. For many, they improve their ability to apply and utilize the information they have absorbed. Their people skills, problem-solving and leadership skills are launched and tested. This enables them to recognize and begin to utilize their strengths, abilities and talents.

Grow – As students age, develop and mature, they usually become more consistent in their thinking and behavior. They are more understanding. Their approach is more realistic and sensible. They take positions that are less extreme. Their expectations are more reasonable and acceptable. They see more shades of gray, show more patience, better appreciate the issues involved and gradually value the “us” and “our way” over the “me” and “my way”.

Change – The ability to adapt and perform effectively in a variety of environments and circumstances is a quality that employers value. Employers know that people who are not able to change and adapt are not learning and growing. Those individuals will fall behind and become “dead wood”. Because change is part of every organization that is thriving, learning, adjusting and changing are critical to the success of their employees. Employers want employees who are willing and able to change their minds and actions, try something different and recognize the value of alternatives. That is because organizations (people too) must reinvent themselves periodically, in order to survive.

These three words can foretell the level of success that students will have in college, in their careers and in life. For some, it will be a constant battle. For others, learning and improving will be their passion. They will embrace and lead the changes that will sustain them in the future.

“The way we live our days, is the way we live our lives.” — Annie Dillard

Since progress requires change, there is little chance that those who strive for the status quo will be successful in their quest. People, things and organizations do not remain the same for very long. We must all make adjustments and find new paths that lead to our survival and success.

When you learn, grow and change you survive and even thrive. However, when you fail to learn, grow and change, your survival will be in doubt and your success will be impossible. Nothing lasts forever. If you do not learn, grow and change, you will be pushed out of the way by the people who are doing the things that you are unable or unwilling to do.

“What we are is revealed in how we behave and what we do.” — Bob Roth

Change is evolution. Evolution is life. The only way we can keep up with or lead the oncoming changes is to continually learn and grow. Learning and growing is a choice that we all make. Therefore, students must demonstrate their mental and physical flexibility in their coursework, their activities, their friendships and in their plans for the future. Learning, growing and changing is their future.

Bob Roth
The “College & Career Success” Coach

For the most part, colleges are still handling student employment assistance the way it has been done for the last fifty years. A small number of people in the Career Services Office struggle to provide students with the information and insights that are needed for employment success. However, most colleges are either not aware of or have ignored the newer and more effective systems that are available.

Therefore, it is extremely important for college parents and students to tell their college leaders what they want and expect for their money. If parents want their children to graduate from college with a good job at a respected employer, they must make their needs and expectations known to the college leaders who ultimately control the process and the resources.

If your child is attending a college that has only one or two people to help 5,000 students with their job search preparation efforts, you know that your student will not receive very much help. Therefore, you should know that:

- Most students have no idea what it takes to prepare for and land a good job
- Students have unrealistic ideas about everything associated with the job search
- For most employment opportunities, good grades are not enough
- The senior year job search actually starts in the freshman year
- Without exceptional preparation, few students can compete for the best jobs

Why are colleges not actively addressing this need?

- College leaders do not hear many complaints from parents and students
- The college’s resources (Money, People, Time) are allocated elsewhere
- Change is difficult and painful within educational institutions
- College leaders see other priorities as being more important
- College leaders are not aware of alternative systems and approaches
- College leaders are happy with the way things are and see no reason to change
- It takes too much work to adequately address this issue

What are some of the things that colleges can do to help students identify, prepare for and land more and better jobs?

- Be willing to use their entire college community as a resource
- Address the employment needs of 100% of their students
- Help students discover their vision (direction) and passion (motivation)
- Teach all students the employment “tools and techniques” they will need
- Describe and explain everything that should be done to compete for good jobs
- Have employment counselors assigned to every student and meet regularly
- Clarify exactly what employers want, need and expect of student candidates
- Encourage students to participate in on-campus and off-campus activities
- Help students find internships, part-time and summer jobs
- Help students obtain the information and experiences that will impress employers
- Make it easier for students to build a list of accomplishments and successes
- Help students identify potential employers in their fields of study
- Explain how students can make themselves stand out
- Show students how to build relationships with enthusiastic references

To change the way your college addresses the issue of student employment success:

- Parents can make their wishes known to the President and Board of Trustees
- Students can communicate their needs and desires for employment assistance
- Alumni can describe the need for a comprehensive job search preparation system

When large numbers of parents, students and alumni make their needs and wishes known, colleges will be more willing to take a serious look at the employment concerns of their students. Those colleges that address this need in a meaningful way will start to see their students attract more attention from employers, perform at a much higher level during interviews and receive more and better job offers.

Progressive college leaders listen to parents, students and alumni, in order to serve the needs of their students. Of course, college leaders are very busy. Therefore, you may need to tap them on the shoulder to get their attention. Visits, letters, e-mail messages and telephone calls on this important issue will get their attention.

Parents: What are you doing to influence your college leaders? No doubt about it, the kind, amount and quality of job search preparation assistance offered by a college will be seen in the employment success rate of its students.

Bob Roth
The “College & Career Success” Coach

Because opportunity comes in many forms, it can be difficult to recognize. Opportunity can take the form of information, mistakes, difficulties, needs, people and ideas.

“What is opportunity, and when does it knock?
It never knocks.
You can wait a whole lifetime,
listening, hoping, and you will hear no knocking. None at all.
You are opportunity, and you must knock on the door leading to your destiny.”

– Maxwell Maltz

Believe it or not, opportunity is everywhere. It is in the things you see, the things you hear and the things you do. Other people show you things and tell you what they see and hear. Opportunity reveals itself as you use your computer, read your assignments, scan newspapers and magazines or talk with friends, professors and business leaders. Because opportunity can be anywhere, wise students keep their eyes, ears and minds open at all times.

Few opportunities are perfectly clear when we first learn of them. Although opportunities present themselves in many forms, you must be receptive to their signals. Otherwise, you won’t even see very many.

Take a close look at the opportunities that present themselves. Some will be better than others. In some cases, the timing may be wrong. Since good opportunities don’t always come from the most common and expected places, students should evaluate them carefully to see if they can stand on their own.

After an opportunity is evaluated, students must decide what action they will take. Keep in mind that opportunities are usually short lived. Therefore, often we must act quickly or lose out. Generally, there are four actions: 1) Act on it, 2) Let it sit for a while, 3) Give it to someone else, or 4) Forget about it.

“Don’t wait for a light to appear at the end of the tunnel,
stride down there and light the bloody thing yourself.”

– Sara Henderson

Since the quality of opportunities that present themselves will vary, you must quickly decide which opportunities may be right for you. That decision should be based on your own intuition, experience and logic. Do not simply go along with others around you. Peer pressure can interfere with a good decision. Not only do our decisions about good opportunities have an impact, our decisions about bad opportunities are also important.

Payoffs are seldom immediate. When you act on an opportunity that is right for you, ride it to the end. Since few opportunities are free from problems and obstacles, expect them and be ready for them. Perseverance and determination are usually required.

People with bad attitudes hear of fewer opportunities because most of us are unwilling to share information and ideas with others we dislike. Additionally, you may be someone who naturally resists or is afraid of new information and opportunities. That resistance will diminish your chances to demonstrate your talents, skills and strengths and benefit from the results. Barriers like these should be addressed and overcome.

“An opportunity can be no larger than the person who does something with it.”

– Bob Roth

Those students who capitalize on the most and best opportunities pay close attention to their attitudes and behaviors. They know that opportunities are their constant companions and exist all around them. They also know that, to a large degree, they are responsible for the number of opportunities that are available to them. That is because they must position themselves in the path of useful information, stay alert to the possibilities, select the best opportunities and then take full advantage of them.

Bob Roth
The “College & Career Success” Coach

Before anyone heads off to college, they should conduct some research to determine where their college major will take them. If they find that there is little or no market for graduates in their proposed field of study, they would be wise to investigate and then pursue another major. Why would anyone spend four or more years in college only to end up as a waiter or waitress. Those jobs, and others, would be available to them without a college degree and without spending all of that money.

Grades are often a factor in the job offers that college seniors receive. Even when a student selects a major that is in demand, the student’s grades can work against him/her. If the student’s grades put him/her in the bottom third of those with that major, few employers may be interested. It is the age old question, “Would you seek out a doctor who graduated in the bottom third of his/her class?”

Job-related accomplishments, successes and experiences can all influence and impress employers. Since hiring managers seek candidates who are the most likely to make positive contributions in their departments, they look closely at the student’s college activities, work experiences and references. Students with below average grades and few other positive contributions or accomplishments will not be at the top of the interviewers list of candidates.

Some students go to college for the wrong reasons. They sometimes simply attend for social reasons. These students do only the minimum work required, in order to remain in college, attend parties, fool around with their friends and meet members of the opposite sex. Whenever a student is attending college for a reason other than graduating with a good job, it is likely that they are attending college for the wrong reason.

Unfortunately, parents frequently contribute to the problem. They often push students into college when they do not belong there. Since some students are not interested in college, have not performed well in high school and want to pursue interests that do not require a college education, they are unlikely to do their best in college. Parents who force a child into college are likely to be disappointed with the results.

Colleges can also play a role. Not all colleges have the same high academic standards and may not be respected by the best employers. That means that students who graduate from those colleges can face an uphill battle for a job with the most well-known and highly respected employers. For new graduates, the college that they have attended does matter to many employers. However, once students have been working for a few years, it will be their performance and accomplishments in a related job that will matter most.

If a recent college graduate is wondering why he/she has ended up as a retail clerk, fast food worker, junior secretary, receptionist, construction laborer, lawn care worker, bartender, janitor, truck driver or tele marketer etc., he/she should make a list of the things he/she accomplished during college, things that would impress a highly desirable employer. If the list is short and the examples are not powerful and compelling, the answer is clear. Few people are impressed with the fact that you went to college and graduated. It is your accomplishments, successes, experiences, as well as your leadership, problem-solving and communication skills that will determine whether employers are interested in you.

We know that some students work hard in college and make the most of their college years. Other students do little in college and waste their time, money and opportunity. With few exceptions, this is the group of students who will pay $100,000+ for their college education and end up waiting tables.

Bob Roth
The “College & Career Success” Coach

Since visibility is achieved through your words, actions and results, wise students identify and utilize the signals, messages, positive indicators, successes and accomplishments that will attract the attention of the employers that are of interest to them. Hiding in the shadows does not lead to employment success.

What is it that students can do to make themselves visible? Participate! Nobody becomes visible to employers by sitting in their dorm room. Only those students who take advantage of opportunities to talk, act and achieve results can be recognized and rewarded with interviews.

Your Words – The written word and the spoken word can be powerful tools. Leaders inspire others to perform. Writers provide information and can touch our emotions. Are you a persuasive speaker or writer?

Your Actions – As it is said, “Actions speak louder than words.” Are your successes and accomplishments impressive enough to influence an employer? Because employers want to know what you can do, they look closely at your past performance in the classroom, on campus and off campus. If you want an employer to find you, somewhere along the line you must demonstrate your knowledge, skills and capabilities.

Your Results – Trying hard is not good enough. Employers are concerned with the results you achieve. Throughout your college years, you must put forth a special effort to achieve outcomes that are wanted, needed and expected by your target employers. If you do not already know the needs and expectations of your target employers, you should begin that investigation quickly. How else will you give them what they want?

Recommendations – Who knows of your talents and achievements? The positive words of others can work in your favor. As you move forward in the employment process, you will need testimonials, references and recommendations. When those references and recommendations come from highly respected people, they will be very helpful. Only when people know you well and think highly of you will they attach their names and reputations to their positive statements about you.

To put yourself in the best position to obtain employment interviews, you cannot be invisible to the employers you want to attract. Therefore, no matter how difficult it is for you to get involved with the activities and experiences that will build your knowledge, skills and abilities and demonstrate your capabilities in your field of interest, you must call upon your inner strengths to push forward and get involved.

It should be obvious that candidates who are well qualified and visible to employers are much more likely to be seriously considered than candidates who remain invisible. Even some of the best qualified students will fail to attract employers when they have remained invisible to them. Knowing that invisible students do not get hired, wise students adopt a strategy to make themselves visible to the employers on their target list.

Bob Roth
The “College & Career Success” Coach

Employers will not waste their time interviewing students who have little to offer. Since many employers want to learn about your past accomplishments, few employers will take a chance on someone who has failed to demonstrate his/her capabilities in the classroom, in campus activities, at work, in the community or someplace else.

Some students spend too much time playing Frisbee, shooting hoops, amusing video games, drinking coffee, watching TV, attending parties, shooting the breeze, taking courses that lead nowhere and a myriad of other fun things. Things like these have no value to future employers and they leave little time for someone to do the things that employers need, want and expect from the best job applicants.

Take a moment to do a self-evaluation. Are you:

- Wasting too much time
- Doing things that have no value to employers
- Pursuing activities that cause you to receive unimpressive grades
- Avoiding the difficult work
- Hanging out in the dorms, student union or cafeteria too much
- Ignoring the advice of counselors, parents and employers
- Always taking the easy way
- Skipping classes and sleeping in
- Playing around too much
- Attending too many parties
- Hanging out with the wrong people
- Doing things you know you shouldn’t be doing.
- Taking too many shortcuts
- Devoting too little time to your studies
- Using only part of your capabilities
- Focusing on things that don’t lead to a good job

Of course, students like this can give us reasons (excuses) for not approaching their futures in a more serious manner. However, the students who are going someplace never major in minor things. They set their goals, lay out a plan to get there, attend to the required steps in a businesslike way and make adjustments to keep them moving in the right direction.

Although it may not yet be clear to you as you go through college, you are building your reputation. What is it that you want your reputation to tell others? Once you decide on how you want others to see you, your words, behavior and achievements must be consistent, so that others can anticipate what you will do and what outcomes will result.

If you are not concerned about your reputation and your future, you a being shortsighted. Employers that offer jobs with good pay and career potential will never be interested in students who major in minor things. They seek students who have proven that they hold themselves to higher standards.

Bob Roth
The “College & Career Success” Coach

1. Take College Seriously – In nearly every case, the students who see college as an opportunity will be the ones who thrive in college. During the college years, students have the opportunity to learn, grow, mature and prepare for the future. When students fail to recognize and take advantage of this opportunity, their survival is far from certain. Few students can find success when they do not use the college years to learn, grow, mature and prepare for the future.

2. Do Your Best – Waiting until the last minute, winging it and begging for forgiveness are not strategies that work well in college. The best results are usually achieved by students who understand the requirements, develop a logical strategy, allow enough time for the work to be done and try to do their absolute best. Uninspired and halfhearted efforts will not impress your Professors.

3. Establish A Schedule – Wise students create and follow a schedule that includes their classes, study time, part-time work, college activities, time for fun, meals and a good nights sleep. There is so much to be done, students who devote too much time to any one area or to the wrong things will decrease their chances for survival. The most successful students understand their capabilities and their limits.

4. Find The Time – Time can either work for you or against you. Therefore, to make time work for you, students should strive to start early and finish early. If you get up early and take early classes, you will also be able to begin researching, reading and studying earlier in the day. Furthermore, when you start your projects and papers as soon as they are assigned, your chances of doing a good job and finishing early are greatly increased. All of this works to help avoid pulling all nighters and suffering from last minute panic attacks. This approach can also enable you to get to bed earlier to get more rest each night.

5. Make Friends – Friends are important. They join in your activities, talk and listen to you and have fun with you. They care about you and are there to pick you up when you are down. Friends want you to succeed. They study with you, help you find answers and offer encouragement. Loners greatly limit the information and support that is available to them.

6. Take Care of Yourself – Your health can affect your performance in college. Since your health affected by many things, students must be mature enough to eat enough of the right things, get enough exercise, get enough rest and avoid the things that can stress them out. Students who ignore their health issues and burn the candle at both ends will burn out.

7. Get Help – At some time during the college years, you will need help. Although there are many areas where help may be beneficial, in most cases, you must ask for that help. Depending on the issue, you can get help from a trusted friend, professor, tutor, parent, advisor, doctor, employer and others. When you need some help, it is wise to ask for it immediately. Problems usually get worse when they are delayed or ignored.

At many colleges, 20 – 30% of each freshman class either drops out or fails out of college before the senior year. Therefore, it makes a lot of sense for students to build these seven points into their college survival strategy. Since the financial costs of college are so high, savvy students do everything possible to ensure that they make the most of their college experience.

Bob Roth
The “College & Career Success” Coach

Although we can all learn five ways, we usually have one or two learning styles that are the most effective for each of us. How do you learn? Learning styles include:

1. Visual Learning – For many, seeing is believing. Many of students prefer this method of learning. Books, pictures, drawings, videos, computer screens, demonstrations and personal observations fall into this category. Books, handouts, articles and research all provide opportunities for students to read about the concept that is being taught. Reading frequently provides the opportunity to go over the material more than one time. That is important.

2. Auditory Learning – Every student attends classes where the Professor lectures about a topic. Presentations, explanations, asking and answering questions and discussions all provide the opportunity to learn with our hearing. Some Professors have the ability to tell stories about the topic being taught. Stories usually make the topic more interesting and easier to remember. Auditory learning is critical to student success.

3. Kinesthetic Learning – Our physical experiences, including our feelings, touch, taste and smell all hep us learn. Many college subjects cannot easily incorporate this type of learning. Therefore, this method is not often purposely used. However, most of us recognize that we can be physically moved (fear, laughter or tears etc.) by powerful emotions, actions, words, images and sounds.

4. Doing – Personally performing a sequence of actions is a great way to learn. We all learn by doing. That is how we learn to ride a bike. Furthermore, practice is a great way to improve a physical skill. Athletes do this all of the time.

5. Teaching – Anyone who teaches, tutors or coaches others will learn more about the subject and the processes being taught. That is because teaching requires knowledge, concentration and clear thinking. When you are having trouble learning a concept, try to teach that concept to someone else. You will either learn the concept or understand where your understanding has broken down.

Visual and auditory learning are the primary learning methods for most of us. In the classroom, students are usually expected to use their listening skills to absorb the information that is being communicated. However, some students learn best when they see how something is done. Demonstrations and examples can help with that.

When College Professors want students to understand a difficult concept, they come at it from more than one direction and use a variety of teaching styles. First they thoroughly discuss the topic in class and respond to questions. Whenever possible, they find a way to demonstrate the concept, so students can see it. Then they have students read about the concept. The best Professors also ask students to explain or demonstrate the concept to others, ask and answer questions about it, provide examples, show pictures, use memorable quotes, bring in experts or visitors who have first hand experience and tell interesting or humorous stories. They know that using multiple approaches will greatly enhance the learning process.

Of course, some topics do dot easily lend themselves to multiple teaching/learning styles. That may cause a Professor to use fewer teaching techniques or even utilize a single style that is comfortable for him/her but not good for most students. That will cause the Professor and his/her students to be frustrated and out of sync. That will also make it difficult for students to learn. Fortunately, that does not happen often.

Importantly, the most determined students do not give up. They reread the difficult concept over and over again, seek out a new information sources, discuss the issue with friends who may understand it or ask for extra help from the Professor or an upper class student. Additionally, they try to find someone who can explain the concept using a teaching style that is compatible with their own learning style.

Bob Roth
The “College & Career Success” Coach