Can I Wear My Nose Ring to the Interview?: A Crash Course in Finding, Landing, and Keeping Your First Real Job (3 page)

When it comes to job-hunting, though, there’s only so much you can do in a day. If you’re not currently working, running Job, Inc. will be your number-one priority, but it can’t be your sole focus or you’ll go crazy. Balance is key.

Unemployed job-hunters often retreat to their caves, eat a lot, watch a lot of reruns, and get depressed. “I have nothing to do and nowhere to go” is the common complaint. Well, to the rest of us, that actually sounds fantastic. An unstructured day with no meetings, no external demands, no deadlines? Bring it on! In my busy periods, I long to be bored. But the grass is always greener on the other side, so the jobless fantasize about being busy while the busy fantasize about doing nothing. You’re not earning any or much money; it’s not as if you’re on vacation with money to burn. But still, there are many constructive and rewarding ways to fill your days.

Have a daily agenda. Set your alarm for the same time every day. Shower and get dressed—no lounging around in your sweats. Make appointments with yourself, scheduling downtime and fun time just the way you’d schedule a meeting. Play tourist in your own town. Do some community service. Explore your hobbies or find new ones (you never know where a good contact might lurk). Go to the post office, get the newspaper, visit the library. Go to the gym. Walk the dog, anyone’s dog. Take a class. Do something, anything, so you have a routine. Make sure you get some exercise, get out of the house every day, and maintain your social life—you’ve got to see people and remain engaged in the world, even while you’re in limbo.

Not only will all this help you survive what can be a difficult time, it will actually help you job-hunt. Picture this: An interviewer asks, “So what have you been doing with your time since you graduated?” Wouldn’t you rather say,
“I’ve been temping in the industry, I have a part-time internship in the field, I’m taking a course, I started swimming every day at the Y, and I’ve finally had time to take advantage of all the great free events around town”
than “Nothing”? No one wants to hire a depressed, self-loathing slug, and if you’re hanging around the house in your pajamas, you are less likely to convey an energetic, positive attitude.

Q. I’m a night owl. Not setting an alarm and sleeping until noon are some of the things I really like about not having a job! I know that once I’m employed, I’ll have to be up at dawn. Does it really matter what time I get up now?

A.
There’s nothing wrong with not wanting to set an alarm. But if you’re serious about job-hunting, you should start changing your habits. First of all, it’s often easier to catch people at their desks in the morning, before they plunge into their workdays. And changing your sleep cycle can take some time—you don’t want to risk being late for work when you’re new on the job. It all goes back to developing a professional mind-set and demeanor even
before
you think you need it.

IF YOU’RE STILL A STUDENT ...

When people tell me they have no idea what they want to do, I don’t believe them. With some probing, I can usually get them to articulate an interest in a field, if not a specific job.

There must be things you like to do. What’s stopping you from pursuing them? If you’re unclear about how to translate your obsession with bee-keeping or Guitar Hero into the world of work, you just need to use your imagination and do a little research. Start talking to people, and you may find out about jobs you didn’t even know existed! (Did you know companies hire video-game testers, for instance?)

DEAL-BREAKERS

Remember the old adage, “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.” Every journey begins with the first step, but I don’t want you traveling down just any road. So start with three roads in which you’re interested—it’s the Rule of Three again. They could be general areas of interest
(sports, animals, food)
, professions
(sportscaster, vet, chef)
, places or companies
(ABC, the zoo, a hotel restaurant)
, people to talk to
(mom, dad, roommate)
, or fantasy jobs.

Let’s say your first choice has to do with sports, but you have no idea what jobs you could have in the sports world. Choose three people to talk to: a coach you know; a friend or relative involved in sports in some way; and a sports reporter for the local newspaper (even if you’ve never met). You will contact each of these people and schedule an informational interview, either by phone or in person. You’ll ask them a series of questions about their work, their paths, and the field in general. You’ll also ask each of them to recommend someone else you might speak to. (Thus the cycle continues.)

Through these conversations, you’ll learn more about options in the field. You’ll use the Internet and/or library to build on what you learn. Eventually, you should be able to choose specific areas to pursue (fields or companies, such as
sports marketing
and
Nike
). You’ll use your network to find people who work in these fields or companies.

But any time you find yourself at a loss as to how to proceed—you’ve hit a dead end or simply have no one else to call—you’ll move on to the next of your three categories. You’ll do this over and over, exhausting leads in each category and moving on.

This is just a strategy to get you moving, of course, but it’s a strategy that works. Even if you find out that you’re not interested in the three areas you set out to investigate, that’s valuable information. Once you’ve jump-started the process, you can change your categories at any time.

I
F NOTHING COMES TO MIND, TRY THIS EXERCISE
.
How do you spend your free time, or how would you spend your time if work or school were canceled for a week? List three things you’d do. The answers may offer a direction to pursue. Another method is to pretend there are no obstacles on the path to your dream job. Money is no object, and neither is location or your current skill set or experience. What do you want to do? Pick three things.

Beware: There is a difference between doing something as a job and doing something as a hobby. When I hear people say they’d like to own a country inn or run a restaurant, I always think, No, they don’t. What they mean is: “I want to go stay in a country inn. I like to eat in restaurants.” But if you think you are truly interested, talk to people in the business.

If you want to play tennis or swim or ski or fish or play an instrument or sculpt all day long and get paid for it—and you’re not on the pro circuit or famous in your field yet—you could teach in the field or get involved with a magazine or organization dedicated to it. You’ll soon discover whether you find it satisfying or frustrating.

Another way to focus is to identify what you like to do best and least. Write? Talk on the phone? Analyze data? Sell things? Interview people? What kind of day do you like? Busy? Slow? Varied? Are you a self-starter or do you prefer being managed? Do you enjoy managing others? What kind of environment do you like? Quiet? Bustling? Outdoors? Social? Would you prefer to work alone or on a team? From home, in an office, or on the road? Use your imagination. You must envision what you want to do and where you want to be—a job-hunter’s visualization technique—in order to figure out how to move toward it.

Sometimes it’s easier to come up with what you want to do and what you’re good at by process of elimination: Focus on what you DON’T like to
do and don’t think you’re good at. Back into your desires and talents this way if you have to.

Q. I know exactly what I want to do: Be an astronaut. Seriously, it’s what I’ve wanted my whole life! But I don’t even like to fly and I have asthma, so it’s just not going to happen. Now what?

A.
Well, first you should figure out what appeals to you about being an astronaut. Do you really know what astronauts do? It’s not just about floating weightlessly through a cabin in a big white suit, eating freeze-dried ice cream, and waving at the cameras as you plant the flag on a planet they’ll name after you.

Are you interested in space exploration? NASA employs thousands of people who never go into orbit: scientists, photographers, communications and public relations people, and so on.

Is it the technology that appeals to you? Maybe you should look into engineering. If you can’t stop thinking about the Big Bang theory, consider a degree in Astrophysics. The point is to figure out which concrete aspects of space travel really interest you, and to express those interests using skills and talents you already have or that you can realistically develop.

Job, Inc. has a research department, and it’s one of the best around. You guessed it: You’re it. Once you’ve identified your top three industries or jobs or companies, begin to keep on top of any news about those fields and/or companies. Every news clip is a potential source of names (and great fodder for interview conversation). Subscribe to periodicals in your area of interest, read them online, or find a local library where you can access them.

Find out whether there are any conferences you can attend or industry associations you can join or visit.

Google everyone and everything related to your top three choices; print and file these notes as background for eventual interview preparation. Chance might favor the prepared mind, but employers favor the prepared candidate.

Explore the career center and alumni resources available at your college.

Read a local and national newspaper every day. You’ll feel more connected to the work world, and you’ll be better able to make conversation in an interview.

For specifics on the ins and outs of
pre-interview
research, see page 125.

If you’re having trouble self-motivating, use these tips from time-management guru Alan Lakein, whose book
How to Get Control of Your Time and Your Life
I read decades ago and still find relevant today.

1.
Create running to-do lists prioritized into A, B, and C levels: A’s are very important things that need to happen right away; B’s are secondary—important but not crucial; and C’s are nice for whenever you get around to them. Keep your A’s, B’s, and C’s separate, and break large tasks into mini tasks. Don’t write “Make résumé.” Make a list of several discreet subtasks: “Buy résumé paper, spend twenty minutes brainstorming college activities, draft college activity entry, have Mom read and edit college entry.”

2.
Ask yourself what is really stopping you from doing a particular task. Assess, divide, and conquer. What steps will help you be ready to take this action? Do you really need to tear apart the apartment, or can you call someone else to get the number or information you need? Can someone talk you through this task or help you do it?