Getting Hired

To create more opportunities and open horizons, people aim to expand their education and build vocational skills. Going to school is not the only requirement, though, but a step in increasing one's chances of obtaining a fulfilling career or job. For some students, graduating and looking for work may prove to be a challenge. The Getting Hired series will, hopefully, help introduce ASU's resources such as Career Development to students to enable a smoother transition into the next chapter of their life.

Dana Choi: What is the most commonly asked job search-related question?

Julie Ruthenbeck: There is a wide variety of questions, but one common question students ask is when they should start their job search. Most students haven't started their job search until they graduate. Students who start their job search before they graduate are in the best position. December graduates who haven't started their job search run into the hiccup of holidays when employers aren't thinking about hiring. May graduates who haven't started searching have already missed the recruiting cycle. Either way, their timing is off.

DC: What resources does ASU provide to help students to find work?

JR: We offer various resources, including job search engines such as Monsters and Indeed, on our website. On the website, students can watch videos, which are only three to four minutes long and tailored specifically to help with job searches. We also have a system we purchased, called Jobs4Rams. Students register, create a profile, and upload their resume, which the Career Development staff views to make sure it meets criteria of employers. If the uploaded resume needs work, the staff can work with the student and offer tips on how to improve it. Once students have access, they can sign up for on-campus interviews and search postings for full-time, degree-required positions.  ASU belongs to a consortium of a few colleges so, for example, if an ACU employer posts a job on the system, he can make it viewable and open to ASU students. We have more jobs coming in than some people think.

DC: What kind of references do employers look for?

JR: To some extent, it depends on the job. The vast majority of employers want to speak with somebody who can vouch for the potential employee's work ethics and skills. If you're going to be a teacher, I'd want to talk to somebody who has seen you teach and who can speak on your professionalism and your management of the classroom. As a potential employer, I'd want to speak to someone who can vouch for you in relevant work. Those are the references you want to primarily use. As a general rule of thumb, I tell students to have three to five references. It doesn't hurt to give employers a couple of alternates just in case. Now, not everyone has directly relevant references. Some students can't come up with three references because they don't have a lot of work experience—they may have worked in the same place for many years. So it doesn't hurt to have one of the references be a character reference. Regardless, when you're using references, you need to ask for their permission first. I usually tell students to make sure references are comfortable giving a positive recommendation. You don't want any surprises later.

DC:  Should we list every single job or experience on a resume, or should we only list whatever is relevant to the job?

JR: The thing with resumes is everybody's story is different. Ideally, people graduate with a lot of relevant experience, but most students aren't going to be in that situation. They might have some relevant experience, but it's not going to fill the page. Plus, you want to account for the years some students had to work to pay for college. They need to be given kudos for that. It's tough to juggle all of their responsibilities, so we encourage students to include all experience, but separate them into relevant experience and additional work experience. The additional work experience would go into a lot less detail.

DC: How important is GPA to employers? Do student organizations and involvement on campus matter to them?

JR: It really depends on your area. Of course, if you're going into teaching you need a minimum GPA of 2.5 become a student teacher and you need to maintain a 2.5 to get certification. If you want to work for a Big-Five company, then a 2.5 is not going to cut it. The higher the GPA the better, obviously, but then there are also other things to factor in. Employers like to hire people who have a range of experience, whether it's on or off campus. There's an assumption, right or wrong, that if you've been involved on and/or off campus, you've probably improved your communication skills, your leadership skills, your organizational skills and so forth. These are transferrable skills every single employer's looking for. If all you have is a fantastic GPA and you have zero work experience, employers are going to be a little cautious. There has to be a balance; employers want to hire the whole person.

DC: How difficult is it for people with just bachelor's degrees to find jobs? Is it worth it to pursue an even higher education?