Career Planning

Career Planning for College Students and Recent Graduates

How would you like to achieve more success at work in a faster amount of time than anyone with whom you graduate?

It's really quite simple. Have a plan. Have a career plan.

So many people approach the job search as a "somebody take me please" endeavor as opposed to charting out the steps to take, focus on the employers where you want to work and setting goals and deadlines for career achievements.

Most people just happen along with no focus, goals or deadlines at all. Life just happens. Jobs just happen.

The reason for making decisions today about where you want to be tomorrow is so that you have the ability to actually get there.

If you don't know exactly where you want to be, you will be wandering aimlessly from position to position hoping that somehow it will all work out. Unfortunately, that isn’t how it works.

When you left for college, you probably spent a lot of time figuring out where you wanted to go, applied to the school(s), then when you were accepted, you formulated a plan to enroll in classes, find a place to live and budget your finances so that you could afford to eat and buy necessities.

If you applied that same amount of time and effort into setting out a career plan and the goals involved in achieving professional success, you would be much more successful and you’d blow past the competition easily. No one in your graduating class at college would even come close to achieving what you would achieve.

The great news is that Career Planning isn't some magical experience. It's not hard at all. Just give yourself a little time and ask yourself a few questions and you'll be on the right track. As you have more time in the months and years to come, revisit your Career Plan and determine if it still makes sense for you or if you need to tweak it.

You are the only one who can create your destiny. You choose.
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Take the time NOW to set the course for your future.

If you take the time to set your career goals, you will be ahead of 90% of the rest of the people out there who don’t bother to plan ahead. You will be more successful than your peers in the same field because you know where you are going and how you intend to get there. You will make more money and you will be much happier. Why? Because you didn't wait for destiny to step in. You took control of your life and made things happen.

Preparing for Job Interviews

Job interviews can be so frightening. They may even be worse on the nerves than public speaking, which is also a huge fear for most people. How can a person overcome some of the fears of interviewing?

The most important thing you can do to feel more comfortable in a job interview setting is to prepare for the situation. Being prepared for an interview is essential – not only for your success in finding a great job, but also in keeping your nervous system from going crazy.

When you are able to answer many of the expected questions asked in a job interview, you will be far more confident and successful.

Here are some questions to help you prepare for your next job interview. Either recite your answers, write them down – or both. Go over them until you feel you can answer them without hesitation.

Why did you leave your last job?
Why should I hire you?
What are your strongest abilities?
How do your skills relate to our needs?
How would a good friend describe you?
Describe the best job you've ever had.
What would your last boss say about your work performance?
Name two things that you would like to accomplish while working here.
What makes you qualified for this position?
What are you looking for?
Would you accept part time or temporary work?
Are you willing to work overtime?
What would you like to know about our firm?
Tell me something about yourself?
What are your greatest strengths/weaknesses?
Where do you want to be in 5 years?
Why do you want to work for us?
What motivates you to go the extra mile on a project or job?
What kinds of people do you enjoy working with?
What kinds of people frustrate you?
Do you consider yourself a leader?
What do you see yourself doing five years from now? Ten years from now?
What are your long range career objectives?
How do you plan to achieve your career goals?
Why did you choose this career?
Have you ever had difficulty with a supervisor? How did you resolve the conflict?
What have you learned from your activities?
Were your extracurricular activities worth the time you put into them?
What interests you about our company?
How long would it take for you to make a meaningful contribution?
How does this assignment fit into your overall career plan?
Are you willing to submit to a background check?
What concerns you about our company?
Describe the most rewarding experience of your career thus far.
If you were hiring a job-seeker for this position, what qualities would you look for?
Do you have plans for continued study? An advanced degree?
Are you willing to do whatever it takes to be successful in this job?
In what kind of work environment are you most comfortable?
How do you work under pressure?
What's one of the hardest decisions you've ever had to make?
How well do you adapt to new situations?
How many hours per week do you expect to work?
What can you do for us that someone else can't?
What do you look for in a job?
What are the most important rewards you expect in your career?
Why did you decide to apply for this position?
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
What is more important to you: integrity or success?
What kind of work environment do you prefer?
How would you characterize your work ethic?
What else besides your school and job experience qualifies you for this job?
How do you determine or evaluate success?
What do you think it takes to be successful in a company like ours?
In what ways do you think you can make a contribution to our company?
Have you ever been fired or forced to resign?
How do you work in groups, and what experience have you had working in groups?
Are you easy to get along with?
What does "failure" mean to you?
What questions didn't I ask that you expected?
What do you know about our competitors?
How will you fit in with the corporate culture here?
What two or three things are most important to you in your job?
Are you seeking employment in a company of a certain size? Why?
What are your expectations regarding promotions and salary increases?
What criteria are you using to evaluate the company for which you hope to work?
Are you willing to relocate?
How do you deal with competition?
If a background check were performed on you, what would it show?
What are some things you would like to avoid in a job? Why?
What are some of the things about your last job that you found difficult to do?
Do you have your reference list with you?
How has your present job developed you to take on even greater responsibilities?
What do you have going for you that might make you successful in such a job?
Would you like my job?
What do you do when people disagree with your ideas?
What plan of action do you take when facing a problem?
What is the most boring job you have ever done?
Yes, that is a long list of questions. Of course, you do not need to have an answer for every single one, but the more prepared you are, the better you will do. Also, as you answer some questions, it becomes easier to answer others, so you will gain a lot from going through the list and tackling as many questions as possible.

Interviewing is never going to be easy, but it can be EASIER if you are well prepared. Show your confidence the next time you are in a job interview setting and the employer will definitely take notice.

Good luck.

Here are some links to additional Job Interviewing information:

Developing Anecdotes for the Interview

Suitable Attire

Interview Mistakes

Leaving the Military

If you are in the process of leaving the military for civilian life, expect some big changes. If you have already left the military and are embarking on a new career, you already have a bit of a grasp of how difficult it is to make the transition.

One of the most frustrating aspects of changing careers from military to civilian is transforming your resume from jargon and acronyms to terms that ordinary folks can understand. My husband went through this when he left the Air Force and started looking for work in the corporate world. It's not easy to translate Combat Communications Officer into something that corporate employers are going to understand.

Something that will be of immense help to you is the option of viewing a real resume prepared by a service member which was actually used to find a position with a major international manufacturing corporation.

Take a look at this link to see how one person's resume was updated from a military perspective toward a more civilian perspective. Understand that some things just do not translate well, so it's a challenge no matter what you've done in the past. Just keep revising your resume and ask others to review it for you.

Here's the link: Military to Civilian