You invested a lot of money in your son or daughter’s education. Now, you want them to get a good job. So, what should you do when they have graduated and are still unemployed?
Parents and students might be at odds on how to conduct a successful job search. As I work with many new graduates to launch their careers, I get an earful from the parent who wants to help but doesn’t know where to start without alienating the son or daughter. Here are a few common concerns I’ve had parents talk to me about recently.
Melissa called and said her son is a Computer Science major looking for a Software Engineer job. She and her husband are shocked he’s unemployed months after graduation. Concerned, she is unsure what their son is doing wrong, but it obviously must be something.
Tom’s daughter is a business major looking for a marketing coordinator job. She’s found the job search process overwhelming and got very discouraged because she’s not getting any response to the jobs she has applied for.
Kim confessed she is at a loss on how to help her daughter. A communication major, her daughter has no direction and is unsure what she wants to do, nor does she know what to apply for.
Many students need help even if they believe they should do it on their own. When they aren’t getting hired, this is where a parent can be helpful. Here are ten recommendations on how a parent can assist and help the graduate land a good job.
1. Review their resume
College students often have poorly written resumes. They don’t know how to write it, as they likely haven’t created one before. Look it over carefully as if you were the hiring manager. Give them an honest appraisal from the employer’s perspective on the current resume. Point out where they have more experience and skills that should be mentioned. Be aware that your perspective varies significantly from what an entry-level role requires, so ensure your advice is appropriate for their job level.
2. Understand how ATS works
Human Resources software, ATS works as an online database or a digital filing cabinet that a recruiter or hiring manager uses to find, sort, and review resumes. Note that 90% of large employers use an Applicant Tracking System. Recruiters recommend you use a Word doc that works better than a PDF, which often gets changed in the ATS. Also, avoid using headers, footers, columns, and tables, as these aren’t compatible with the employer’s Applicant Tracking System.
3. Customize the resume based on the job description
Search for a few jobs with the title your grad is looking for, such as financial analyst. Look at the top qualifications and 3-4 duties that are common in all these job opening descriptions. Use that verbiage on the resume. This allows the resume to align more with what an employer wants.
4. Don’t use a creative resume style
Many students are proud of the fancy resumes they have developed. It often uses color, has a great design, and has columns, tables, or sections. But this format almost always will get rejected by ATS. A plain text-only format is always more effective. Even if you email it to someone at the company, that creative resume will likely be scanned into their ATS, and most of what they have created will disappear.
5. Make the most of the internship experience
Help your graduate more completely define what they did and learned in that internship. Look for a job description that outlines their job details. If it’s unavailable, go to one of the job search sites, like Indeed.com. Search their job title with the word internship in the search area. It would be like this: Social Media Internship. Review several listed internship descriptions, and you’ll have a clearer idea when you ask your son or daughter which parts of these tasks they did on their job.
6. Use Glassdoor.com
The colleges often have a search site called Handshake to look for job postings. Most students tell me it’s not very good, and that is what I have found to be the case. They will have better luck using Glassdoor since that site has a large number of listings for people with less than five years of experience.
7. A top-notch LinkedIn profile is essential
Just opening an account and putting up the bare minimum doesn’t work. Their profile needs to be detailed and complete. The headline needs the proper keywords with the job titles they seek. Add the top 5 skills (found in the About section) to point out their strengths and the necessary skills for their desired job. A business-like photo is mandatory. No graduation picture, no cutting yourself out of a group, no party look. They don’t need a professional photo. Follow these guidelines from my Forbes article:
8. Turn on LinkedIn’s “Open to Work”
The green TAG will go around part of their face photo. This tells hiring managers and recruiters they are currently available.
9. Stress how to create a LinkedIn network
Everyone should have an effective network of 200-300 people on LinkedIn. Unfortunately, many new graduates have less than 30, so the LinkedIn algorithm will not notice their profile. Help them search for family, friends, classmates’ parents, etc., to build a more effective network. They should also connect to recruiters at companies they’d like to work for.
10. Consider vocational testing
When your student has no idea what they want to do, I suggest they get some vocational testing to set them on the right path. I highly recommend the Johnson O’Conner Research Foundation featured in this Forbes article Best Career Test to Select Your Next Career
Read the full article here
