Can Technical Schools Graduates Compete In Job Seeking?
Our whole lives seem so planned out for much of our youth. We know that we are signed up for school until 12th grade and then we will fill out college scholarship applications and forms for college loans. We’ll study our hardest all four years and apply for internship opportunities our junior and senior years. Then we graduate and it suddenly seems as though the rug has been pulled out from beneath us. The real world looms ahead of us and there seem to be a million different paths to take. Do we have all the necessary skills and tools? What does a job seeker need to survive in this brave new world?
First, do you have the education? The conventional wisdom was always that this meant a four-year degree at minimum. While college assistance is invaluable at providing networking contacts and possible internship opportunities, today’s job seeker doesn’t necessarily need to spend all their pennies on the college experience. “Most of the jobs for tomorrow don’t require a baccalaureate degree,” states Michael D. Moye, president of Lanier Technical College, “but they do require training beyond high school. You’d be amazed at the skill sets needed in today’s industries.” Technical schools range from two-month certificates to two-year associate’s degrees and provide more hands-on training than traditional universities. Air traffic controller, glazier, auto installer, refinery operator, customer service representative, sales rep, longshoreman, lineman, pipe fitter and truck driver are just a few jobs that require just a high school education or GED.
Next, you need to ask yourself if you have experience. What matters most to an employer examining a job seeker’s record is that the individual knows what it’s like to work on a team, as well as individually. They want you to have a track record of interacting with clients, accomplishing tasks and working under pressure. It seems like a catch-22, doesn’t it? “How do I get experience if I have no experience,” you may ask? Internship opportunities are an ideal place to start. Many are unpaid and offer only college credit, but if you’re looking in the accounting, consulting, insurance, consumer goods, hospitality, engineering or science fields, then you’ll likely find a paid internship to help you acquire the skills you need. Typically, when you finish your interning, the company will ask you to stay and all your problems will be solved! For a list of the best internships, check out Business Week’s list of “Top 50 Internships.”
If you haven’t heard back from your latest job seeker resume/cover letter blitz, do not despair. Instead, take this time to ramp up your portfolio, refine the wording of your resume and tailor your cover letters. Sometimes there are obvious mistakes you’re missing. It helps to have a second opinion on your work. Ask yourself the following questions. Am I writing my resume with active verbs and specific, quantitative results? Am I using keywords that might be searchable by a computer database for my industry? Did I include all titles, dates and phone numbers? Is my resume a single page? The best way to help job providers know you better is with a detailed, polite cover letter that lets them know who you are and why you’re a good fit for their company. If you’re struggling, most communities have centers where you can get help developing your portfolio to make yourself more marketable.
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