Tips and Techniques for Students Seeking Employment

In this job climate, people are finding it more difficult than ever to find a job. For students, this is complicated further by high unemployment, which has increased competition for even the lower wage positions that students can most easily land.

This can have a profound negative effect because students often cannot rely on a depth of job experience to attract prospective employers. Thus, they must excel in the job hunting fundamentals and sell their capabilities through presentation rather than accolades. Here are some suggestions that will aid in students' job searches.

First, students need to recognize and work within their limitations. Few things trend an interview down faster than when an interviewee starts talking about what they cannot do. When looking for jobs in the first place, the student should make sure that they can fulfill the job duty/hour requirements. It is difficult for students to know ahead of time how much extra effort will be required outside of the classroom. As such, they should allow for this and strive not to put themselves in a position where job and study hours cannot co-exist.

Secondly, honesty is the best policy. If there are limitations you know are unavoidable, be upfront with your prospective employer. Some people will say, "Deal with those after you've been hired so you don't put getting the job at risk", but this is not a good practice to make a habit of. Entering a job under false pretense creates a bad rapport between the student and his or her employer, making them less prone to compromise when a need for some employer flexibility is required.

As a student, there will be instances where projects, finals, etc. may make it difficult to get to work on a particular day. If the student has been honest about everything else, his or her employer is more apt to take them at their word & excuse the absence (provided they called ahead). Using dishonesty to get the job can cause his or her employer to view their plights with skepticism (even if they are legitimate), and can put employment at risk.

It is important to remember that in such a competitive job climate, building strong foundations at the workplace is of paramount importance. To a degree, employers are empowered with a "pick of the litter" mentality during tight employment cycles. As such, it is easier to remove individuals for whatever reason when there are a multitude of suitable replacements available.

In conclusion, students seeking employment should keep a professional demeanor. They should abstain from large-scale use of slang and "text" language. Resumes and required writing samples should be proofread thoroughly. After being hired, all communications, even informal ones, should make good use of proper grammar and punctuation. IT should not be assumed that informal communications will only be read by the desired recipient. In the event it is forwarded without their knowledge, student employees want to make certain that whoever ends up reading the communication maintains the desired opinion of him or her.

Conversely, it should be understood that individuality can be beneficial to career progression. A student should not confuse professionalism with boring. Thus, it is permissible, and even favorable in some instances, to be likable while on the job. Employees must remember that they may be considered for advancement before they have any notion of it, and the perception of an employee by their peers is a key facet of this consideration.

This is the first in a series of articles designed to help students prepare for job hunting, interviewing, and entering the workplace environment. Hopefully it will aid its readers to find and get the job they are seeking.

For additional information when conducting a student job search, visit the site indicated for excellent educational, employment, and grant-writing resources.