Experiential learning is all the rage on college campuses. Recognizing that students need real-world work experience in college, many institutions are using innovative ideas to integrate career services into the curriculum. But when it comes time to apply for jobs, many students don’t take advantage of the help that’s on offer in the campus career-services office. Instead students often turn to the people they know best on the campus: their professors.
Trouble is: Most faculty members haven’t applied for a job in a long time and many of us have never worked outside the ivory tower. Lots of professors (including me, until recently) have never heard of ATS — the applicant tracking systems used by many employers — so we certainly don’t know how to help a student beat the AI bots in ATS. Likewise, we can’t offer much helpful advice on the prerecorded video interviews that are increasingly common in hiring. And we may not realize that much of our students’ problem in finding a good match for their first “real” job is less often about their skills than about how they describe themselves and their experiences to an employer.
As a faculty member, you should be steering students in the direction of the trained professionals for logistical advice on job searching. But given that your students trust you enough to ask for help, you do have a role to play in preparing them for the world of work.
In my research for a job-search book I’m writing for students (to be published in 2023 by the University of Chicago Press), I’ve been interviewing employers, recruiters, and directors of campus career-services offices. Along the way, I’ve been accumulating tips for how faculty members can help students think about getting that first big job after graduation.
Much of it has to do with what Carol Dweck, a professor of psychology at Stanford University, calls a growth mind-set. In college, students often become convinced that there’s a “right” answer and that it’s important to show their work. In the real world, things are more complicated. Companies don’t expect new graduates to know everything, but they do have to know how much they don’t yet know and be willing to take direction and correction.
Faculty members know what that looks like in the college classroom, but how can we guide our students to apply a mind-set of humility, curiosity, and eagerness in their job search — and express that in their interviews and in their cover letters, résumés, and other written materials? For job candidates right out of college, what seems to matter most are what employers call soft skills. Here are some ways to guide students who approach you with questions on that front.
“How will hiring you make my job easier?” It’s natural for students, in reflecting on an internship or experiential-learning project, to focus on what they got out of it personally, how they grew. To be successful on the job market, however, they will need to shift that mind-set and think about how to translate what they’ve learned into something that can benefit a future employer.
In college applications we tell students we want to get to know them. We want to understand who they are and what they want to get out of their education. Many parents have drilled into their children that they can achieve whatever they want. It’s not unreasonable that they would carry that framework into their cover letters and the way they speak about why they’re interested in a job. But employers don’t give two hoots about the personal growth of someone they don’t know. They’re interested in how a new hire can add value to the company’s mission.
As faculty members, we need to make sure that students leave our institutions understanding that it’s no longer all about them. It’s not about their goals and what an employer can do for them. It’s about what they can do for an employer. Successful applicants keep in mind a question that managers ask themselves: How will hiring you make my job easier? Encouraging students to frame their job applications in those terms is one of the best ways we can help them. And it’s in our interest to make sure they know we can help. With college enrollments declining and legislators and parents questioning the value of a college degree, we’re going to have to start singing for our suppers. Taking some time out of class to offer advice on practical career matters will be minutes well spent.
“I am the most qualified applicant for the job.” Many students believe (or are told) that they need to sell themselves in an interview or on a résumé. Even though we’ve spent years teaching them skills we believe are important, including habits of mind like critical thinking, most employers — whether they are ranch managers, community organizers, or tech-company executives — have told me that no matter what we teach, they still have to invest time and money in training new employees.
One manager — who has hired hundreds of people right out of college to work at a semiconductor company — said, “We’re going to have to train hires to negotiate the messy world of actually getting something done. We’re making an investment in them. They need to show me that they’re going to work their butts off and be enthusiastic and curious.” The skills they’ve learned in college don’t translate directly to the work that needs to be done. He wants people who want to learn. An uncool eagerness is far more important than swaggering overconfidence.
We can help students by reminding them that enthusiasm is an attractive quality in the work world.
There is such a thing as a dumb question. Most employers say that cover letters, résumés, and interviews go wrong because applicants haven’t done enough research. Information about the employer is readily available, and each cover letter and résumé must be tailored to each opening. Yes. Each one. It’s a lot of work. And it must be done. No potential employer wants to hear a candidate ask, “Can you tell me about your company?”
We can encourage our students to bring to bear their research chops and learn as much as possible before the interview about the company, the field, and the organizational structure. We can show them ways to figure out the values and mission of each company so that they will end up with a good fit. We can help them think about how to frame good questions — not “How soon could I expect to be promoted?” but rather, “What opportunities for advancement are available to hard workers?”
And we can remind them that, like anyone else, hiring managers enjoy being asked about themselves: “How did you get your first job?” or “What workplace traditions do you most like about this company?”
Remind students that what is mentionable is manageable. Mister Rogers had it right: It’s far more interesting and valuable to read about failure than it is about success. If someone has a 2.5 GPA, employers will view that fact differently if a student can explain it’s because they worked 20 hours a week while earning their degree, or lived at home and took care of siblings. If they attended four colleges before finally graduating, we can advise them to explain why.
When asked about weaknesses, “I’m a perfectionist” is not the right answer — unless students can talk about how that led to their not finishing projects and what they’ve done to overcome the tendency.
It’s OK to be privileged, but entitlement is not attractive. We’ve all heard students say things like, “I just can’t get up early so I take only afternoon classes” or “I need to listen to music on my headphones while I’m working.” One hiring manager told me he can’t stand it when undergraduates make boastful remarks like, “We have a beach house in Cabo.” In preparing your students for life after college, ask them to think about the implications of such statements. If Mom and Dad’s names are on the deed of that beach house, “we” are not the owners. They are.
Often students don’t understand how the things that they take for granted land on others. We can provide sounding boards and offer gentle feedback. “I compete in dressage events and own three horses” comes off differently if the student adds, “and I pay for that by working at the barn mucking stalls and giving lessons.” Students may not realize that the last bit is the most important for a hiring manager to hear.
Fit matters. College admissions professionals talk about finding the right fit between student and campus. The truth is that most students find a place for themselves no matter where they end up. But in a job, fit is perhaps the most essential ingredient to success and contentment. That means job seekers have to dig in to find out about company culture and understand what the actual work involves. Urge students to learn as much as they can and ask themselves hard questions: Will they be happy in a place whose stated values are at odds with the way they live? Most of us have to do a bit of code-switching on the job, but they should learn enough about a potential employer (by talking with current employees) to know if they’re going to feel comfortable in its particular work environment.
In a labor market with low unemployment, it is easy now to get a job that doesn’t require a college degree. Big companies are doing a lot of hiring. But if students’ résumés are first read by a bot scanning for keywords that they haven’t included, they’re going to get an inbox full of form rejection letters. Anyone can get a job at a warehouse or a grocery store now, but finding a fulfilling career path requires careful research. Applicants need to show that they are the right person for that job at that company.
Manners matter. I know I’m not the only faculty members who starts classes by helping students understand how to email a professor: “My name is not ‘Hey.’” In an educational setting, the stakes are low. I’m still going to respond to a message that addresses me as “hey” and do what I can to help. That is not the case when applying for a job. Even “Dear Hiring Manager” is better than no salutation at all. (Remind students that it’s best to address someone in a letter by their full name — “Dear Jane Doe” — rather than try to guess their gender identity with “Mr.” or “Ms.”)
Recent college graduates may never have been told that an interview is a holistic process, meaning the evaluation doesn’t stop when the questions do. Be rude to the receptionist and the hiring manager will hear about it. Meet at a restaurant and the interviewer will note how the candidate treats the wait staff. Employers are looking for people who will fit into their work culture and be good citizens.
It seems obvious, but many young people need to be prompted to send thank-you notes after a job interview. Some don’t know how to write one. You can help your students understand that a quick email is all it takes: “Dear Jane Doe: Thank you for taking the time to talk with me. I know you’re busy and I learned a lot. If I have the opportunity, I think I would be a good fit and believe I could contribute over time.” Even better would be to mention something specific that the student learned in the interview.
It’s OK to be nervous. Job hunting is serious — and scary. Let your students know that employers expect them to be anxious. It’s no big deal to take a breath and ask for a moment: “That’s a good question. Can I think about that for a minute?” Or, “Is it OK if I look into that and follow up with you?” We’ve all been there. “I don’t know” is a perfectly acceptable answer and better than a bunch of rambling nonsense.
Ultimately, all of the hiring managers I’ve spoken with have emphasized the same three character traits: They look to hire someone who is humble, hungry, and smart. They value a new hire who has:
- A sense of humility. Someone who knows how little they can contribute when first entering the work world.
- An eagerness to learn. This person will add value to the goals and mission of an organization.
- A surfeit of curiosity. That’s not just a high IQ, but good emotional intelligence. In a way, the ability to get along with people matters a whole lot more than good grades or test scores, especially in a first job. Or for those who are introverted, know themselves well enough to find a company that allows employees to work on their own.
Help your students understand that it can take a whole lot of work to find good work but if they land in the right career, it can feel like a calling.
Most of us in higher education want our students to succeed. We do the best we can teaching our disciplines. But it behooves us to remember that students will need to do something other than classwork after they graduate and we have a key role to play in helping to prepare them.