Jacob Greene, 28, sits at his desk with his pen out, easing back in his chair, listening to talk of company growth, change and branding at the head of a long table; this is typical of Greene’s day-to-day management of his consulting company, Greene Group, which he formed in 2006.
Greene, who wrote “Whoa, My Boss is Naked!: A Career Book for People Who Would Never Be Caught Dead Reading a Career Book,” has offered peer-level advice to professionals striving to find a dream job.
His impression of current graduate job seekers is they are much too verbose.
“Generation Y must learn to be concise in interviews – while networking and on the job,” Greene said. “Unfortunately after watching two decades of MTV ‘confessional interviews,’ many 20-somethings have adopted the bad habit of broadcasting their inner monologues.”
Job searchers must speak of the benefits they will bring to the corporation, and limit the personal chatter, Greene said. Another problem is many recent college graduates don’t know where to look for new job positions. Most wait for a job position online that will never appear, while, most positions are filled through referrals and networking, Greene said.
Approximately 80 percent of job openings are filled through personal contact and networking, and most job openings are rarely, if ever, advertised.
The college graduate must learn how to control and manage a network, according to Sue Morton’s book, “How to Get a Job and Keep It: An Essential Guide to Landing Your Ideal Job and Making the Most of It.”
“Networking is definitely not a secret network of employers and job-seekers,” Greene said. “Anyone can do it.”
The key is learning how to effectively position yourself by letting others know what you stand for, Greene said. Making an excellent statement summing up what it is you will do for the company is crucial to whether the employer will commit your name to memory.
Interviewers have an image of what they want in a given position, and scan applicants’ resumes to see the linkage between dream and reality. In other words, leaving a great lasting impression is vital, Greene said.
“Most resume templates are stale, and most cover letters are like Mad Libs with no jokes,” Greene said. “If new grads want to stand out, they need to market themselves like DVDs by highlighting their ‘special features.’”
In order to do this efficiently, job applicants should list their strongest experiences and attributes near the top of their resumes to ensure focus from potential employers, Greene said. This way, the interviewer doesn’t have to wade through several references.
If the interview didn’t work, always ask why you didn’t get the gig. Greene said he best time to get candid feedback about your interview performance is right away.
More importantly, always remember owning up to rejection is key to acceptance, he said. You can only learn from a mistake by acknowledging that it happened and then move on.
“Don’t let rejections get you down,” Greene said, “There are always more ‘dream jobs’ out there. Schedule more interviews and networking dinners right away.”
E-mail Jillian Thomas at features@unfspinnaker.com.
