Career advice from "How to Survive the Real World" and "How to Survive Your First Job"

At Hundreds of Heads Books, we believe in the wisdom of the masses – if two heads are better than one, as the saying goes, then why not hundreds of heads? And we apply that wisdom to our best-selling book series.

We have gathered thousands of interviews on life’s most challenging experiences. That includes two must-have books for college grads: “How to Survive the Real World” and “How to Survive Your First Job.” In these titles, written by people from all across the country, we focused on their experiences in finding their first job out of college. We combined these stories with expert advice on the subject. Here’s a helpful sample of the content we gathered:

STEP #1 – FIGURING OUT WHAT YOU WANT TO DO

“When I graduated from college, all I had was a degree in business and about five years of experience waiting tables. I had no idea what I wanted to do.”
—Bill
Austin, Texas


If you don't know how or where to start, follow this simple process for finding your career direction from “How to Survive Your First Job”:

1. Identify your values. The first step in finding a fulfilling career is to get clear on what is important to you—in other words, identifying your values.
2. Identify your interests. You can identify your interests by paying attention to what you like to do. Spend some time reflecting on what you really enjoy. Notice what you like to talk about, things you like to read, TV shows you like to watch, hobbies you have.
3. Identify your skills and strengths. Everyone has some. Identify yours, through introspection and asking friends.
4. Do your research. Now is the time to research possible career paths. Look at your values, interests, skills, and strengths and start to figure out which careers are compatible.


STEP #2: BUILDING YOUR RESUME

“Please use spell-checker on your résumé. Misspelling a word makes you look like an idiot.”
—Anonymous
Atlanta, Georgia


A résumé is like a marketing document: It tells potential hiring managers a little bit about you so they can decide if they want to interview you. But here’s a secret angle you should know: Your résumé should reflect your next job, not your current job. It should tell the reader that you can do the job you’re after.

Most of all, it’s important to have a clean, clear résumé with no spelling errors and consistent grammar. Don’t fret about the format too much; it doesn’t really matter. If you are having trouble writing your résumé, go to your career center or get one of the many good résumé-writing guides in your local bookstore to get ideas. Other thoughts:

“My resume was direct and concise. I tried to get across what I can do using quick and descriptive explanations. I also tried to find powerful, active verbs to illustrate my experiences.”
—B.G.
Mankato, Minnesota

“Reasons that you shouldn’t lie on your resume:

1. Because lying is wrong and stupid.
2. Because you may get caught.
3. Because you may get fired.
4. Because you may get sued for various reasons.
5. What would your mom think?”
—T.C.


STEP #3: JOB SEARCH AND NETWORKING

The Internet, of course, is a great place to get leads for your job search—just be sure not to rely on it as your only source of job leads. You should also network, network, network. Who is in your network? Everyone you know is the beginning of your network: Your friends, your family, friends of your parents, people from your church or synagogue or volunteer life, your cousin’s wife’s brother-in-law, people you sit next to at a dinner party.

How do you use your network? Ask everyone you speak with to suggest other people for you to contact. Sometimes, people you have never met before will open their entire Rolodexes to you. Other thoughts:

“’Networking, networking, networking’ has always been my motto. When I meet someone, even in a casual environment like a bar, I always ask about his or her work because there’s a chance we could be helpful to each other professionally.”
—Muhammad Shabazz
Chicago, Illinois
 
“Network at keg parties. Meet lots of people and hope one of them can line up a job for you. You never know where those keg party pals might end up working!”
 —Tony Hudoba
Blaine, Minnesota

Finally, make sure you keep in touch with the people in your network along the way. Thank them for making the time to speak with you. Ask them if you can touch base with them as your thinking evolves.


STEP #4: INTERVIEWING FOR THE JOB

“Patience, patience, patience. Potential employers can sense when you’re desperate, and they don’t hire you. It’s when you’re relaxed and rolling along that the best job prospects seem to come.
—Karen Culp
Springfield, Missouri

Here are a few steps to follow when preparing for an interview:

1. Practice. Look at lists of potential questions and write out your answers. Know what case you want to make for yourself; be specific about what strengths, skills, and experience you have; and be prepared with examples of how you used them and how that relates to the position you are interviewing for.
2. Study. Read the job description and know your résumé. Find out about the company and the field you are interested in entering. If you can, read up about the people you are going to interview with.
3. Prepare stories. Go through your résumé and prepare at least three or four stories that you can tell about your experience. These stories should illustrate how your background qualifies you for the job.
4. Prepare to turn the negative into a positive. Everyone has something in their background they don’t want to address. Prepare to counter the negatives you may have to address with a positive outcome or interpretation.
5. Lay out the clothes you want to wear. Dress professionally – one step more formally than the style of clothes people generally wear at the place you are interviewing.

-

If you follow these guidelines and stay true to your goal - discovering a career that is right for you – you will find a company that will take you on the first step in that amazing journey!