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Unread 14-10-2008, 10:09
Rich Kressly's Avatar
Rich Kressly Rich Kressly is offline
Robot/STEM troublemaker since 2001
no team (Formerly 103 & 1712. Now run U.P. Robotics (other programs))
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Re: Using Chief Delphi as a Networking Tool

Quote:
Originally Posted by Cynette View Post
What advice would you offer to an upcoming college grad who is looking for his first job and hasn't had any luck with the standard job search process?

Which networking tools have you used to find a job or find someone you want to hire?

How can the FIRST experience be used as a launching pad to career success?

I think these are legitimate questions and would seem to fit in the Career category.

Now I'm sure there is more to the story on why this thread http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=69570 was closed so soon after opening, so that is not my concern.

But I think the questions that RobotCollegeGuy was asking were good ones, so I'm surprised that we weren't given more of an opportunity to share our tips and advice.

In the age of Monster.com and LinkedIn.com and many many more, which of the career building tools do you recommend? Or are the old fashioned methods still the best way?
I can't speak for anyone else, but I use linked-in, keep an updated resume with links posted on personal webspace and in a word doc I can send out, and maintain my online teaching application at pareap.net on a semi-regular basis. I'm sure other professions (engineering, etc) have similar online systems. Not that I'm looking for another job at all right now, but I always try to keep information at these places current as well as maintain letters of reference from others just in case they are needed.

Networking, in general, however is a much more personal thing in my opinion. You need to build credibility and relationships - which are only partially achievable electronically. "Involvement" in FIRST won't necessarily get you very far by itself. The involvement needs to be meaningful and you need to develop tangible skill sets along with the relationships. FIRST certainly attracts a LOT of high quality people and getting involved is a piece of the pie, but just like with any professional experience - you need to come out the other side with solid recommendations and skills. In addition to FIRST you need the corresponding credentials that any profession would otherwise expect. Then, and only then in my opinion, will quality FIRST experience separate you from other candidates in a given field.

For those just starting out, remember two things:
1. You will get turned down many, many more times for jobs/internships than you will be successful. Over the years I estimate that the ratio for me is something like 60:1 (rejection:acceptance). I used to keep a drawer filled with rejection letters for motivation to keep going, but discarded them all two moves ago. If you haven't seen Randy Pausch's Last Lecture and his discussion of "brick walls" and why they exist, I suggest that you do so - now.
2. For a first job - take one - any one. Start making money and building relationships and a reputation as a "can-do" team player. It doesn't matter if the pay stinks (at first) and it's an unrelated field. Initiative and perseverance are two skills that you need to be able to sharpen and demonstrate in today's world. Once you have something, then you search from there a little more selectively.
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Last edited by Rich Kressly : 14-10-2008 at 10:19.
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