Get that job!

By: Hugh Moore, Career and Placement Officer

You’ve finished studying for the year and need some quick cash or to land that internship or co-op in which you’re interested. Want to learn how to write a resume, get a reference letter and get tips for standing out from the crowd? Don’t let the summer heat slow your possibilities down. Here are a few tips.

It’s a fact no one can deny, the world economy is much changed in the last 12 months. Downturned markets, diving dollars, and depressed economies – it’s easy to lose focus, to lose the determination and the drive to look for work. Just one word of caution or advice…DON’T!

Regardless of the world economy and its far-reaching ripples, good employers continue to need and search for good people. That’s one of the ways good employers create a gap between themselves and their competitors - good economy or bad - they are constantly looking for ways to strengthen their operation.

A good employer is aware of the areas in their business where holes exist, as well as where they simply aren’t as strong as they could/can/should be. And they will work diligently to fill those holes, with processes and technology and people, furthering the gap between themselves and others in their industry.

If you wish to secure the position, any position, you need to demonstrate how you can solve their particular issues, how you can fill that hole, and how you are the absolute best person to do so.

The simplest and most powerful way that you can achieve this is by differentiating yourself from other applicants. And you do that with a resume and cover letter that create a strong match between what the employer has said he/she needs and what you’ve done before (that is both experience AND education). Be clear, be concise, and draw strong links that an employer cannot miss between both the obvious and the not so obvious ways you can meet their needs and be a part of their solutions-now. And then go and get your work clothes ready, because you are going to get hired!