Four LinkedIn Job-Search Tips for College Seniors

Seniors, I’m hearing from a lot of you that you’re having a tough time finding the right job and graduation is looming.

Starting OutAllison ChestonApril 7, 2017LinkedIn profile, LinkedIn, online job search, Career Happiness, Networking, first job, Alumni NetworkComment

Want a Summer Internship? Here are the 6 Things You Need to Know

So you’re a college student and while you really want a summer internship, you either haven’t gotten around to working on it or have made some inroads but given up. The good news is there are still plenty of internships available if you’re willing to apply yourself to the task.

Starting OutAllison ChestonMarch 23, 2017Internships, Summer jobs, Networking, job market, informational interviews, unpaid internships, Career Planning, College InternshipsComment

How a College Senior Can Build A Network in 3 Easy Steps

A panicked college senior at University of Michigan, my alma mater, contacted me recently.

Dear Ms. Cheston,

I’m graduating in May and have been applying for jobs with nothing to show for it. I’ve completed over 100 online applications and haven’t received one call back.

Starting OutAllison ChestonJanuary 23, 2017first job, informational interviews, fraternity, sorority, Alumni Network, Career Preparation, College SeniorsComment

How a 2016 College Grad with No Experience or Connections Got His Dream Job in 6 Months

Happy 2017! I don’t know about you, but I find the onslaught of tips for committing to New Year’s resolutions anxiety-producing. Personally I prefer – and find more effective –making incremental and realistic changes as I feel inspired – by a book, a talk, a client…or a thought in the shower. Then I’m able to plan for that change in a specific and habit-forming way, propelled by positive energy. But everyone’s different. How do you feel?

Starting OutAllison ChestonJanuary 6, 2017first job, informational interviews, job hunt, Job Search, LinkedIn profile, Networking, Alumni Network, Career StrategyComment

Want More Interviews? Build Your Career Brand in 4 Steps

So you want a job that pays you to do your best work. You want to be appreciated for your experience, your special abilities and your creativity. You want to work for an organization that aligns with your personal values, a place you can feel proud to call home.

Changing Course, Moving Up, Starting Out, Telling Your StoryAllison ChestonNovember 7, 2016Career Change, Career Development, Career Management, Executive Branding, Executive Careers, Interviewing, LinkedIn, millennial careers, Networking, Personal branding, Recruitment, Resumes, Career PlanningComment

Get the Feedback You Need to Get Better at Your Job

I have a 23-year old client who is doing a one year, post-graduate fellowship. During our call this morning he told me that while he enjoys his work it can be slow and that his bosses don’t give him as much work as he’d like. In fact, they expect him to take initiative and suggest work he thinks needs to be done. While he has some ideas for new projects he struggles with how to initiate conversations with his boss who seems so busy with more important work.

Changing Course, Moving Up, Starting Out, Telling Your StoryAllison ChestonOctober 10, 2016Bosses, Career Change, Career Development, Career Management, College to Career, Feedback, millennial careers, Networking, Social Media Management., Career PlanningComment

Summer Internship Not Working Out? Here’s What to Do

It’s mid-summer and you’re in the midst of a coveted internship, following an intense and competitive interviewing period. When you were hired, you and your parents were thrilled.

Starting OutAllison ChestonJuly 25, 2016Career Development, College to Career, Internships, Job Search, millennial careers, Recruitment, staffing, temp jobs, Career Planning, College InternshipsComment

Engineer Your Career: Make Big Career Decisions Using this Simple Process

Try applying “the engineering design process” detailed in Charles Duhigg’s excellent book and you will learn to make better, less binary and more creative decisions. This “methodical approach to problem solving” removes the emotion so we can view our problems more objectively. It’s an excellent tool for defining career problems and coming up with potentially novel solutions.

Changing Course, Moving Up, Telling Your Story, Starting OutAllison ChestonJuly 6, 2016Career Change, Career Management, College to Career, engineering design process, grad school, Job Search, millennial careers, Self-Employment, Career Choice, Career Dilemmas, Career PlanningComment

Want a Mentor? Don’t Make these Rookie Mistakes

I was listening to one of Tim Ferriss’s excellent podcasts the other day, and he made the comment that the best way to guarantee someone won’t mentor you is to ask them directly to be your mentor.

Changing Course, Moving Up, Starting Out, Telling Your StoryAllison ChestonJune 28, 2016Back to Work, Career Change, Career Development, Career Management, Job Search, millennial careers, Networking, sponsoring, Career Discovery, Career PlanningComment

Graduating from College and No Job In Sight

Dear Ms. Cheston,

I am graduating from college this May with a B.S. in Public Health from Syracuse University, but I’m no longer sure I want to go into this field. While I’ve taken some business courses as well, I don’t know what to look for in a job, and when I apply to jobs online, I never receive a call back. As I move closer to graduation, I am nervous that I don’t have a job lined up for after graduation. Please help! I’m getting desperate.

Starting OutAllison ChestonMarch 2, 2016Career Development, Career Management, College to Career, first job, Interviewing, Job Search, LinkedIn, millennial careers, Networking, online job search, Resumes, Social Media Management., Career PlanningComment

Anxiety and Your Job Search: Getting the Treatment You Need

A client of mine, an engineer with a PhD from a top school, had an easy time getting interviews. But during every meeting he became nervous and hesitant, stuttering and sweating as he was asked to respond to the most basic interview questions.

There’s No Such Thing as a Dream Job

Do you, or have you ever had, a “dream job”? Do you have any friends, former classmates or colleagues who describe their job as a dream? Do you believe them?

5 Ways to Develop Yourself as a Leader Early in Your Career

Leadership is one of those terms that is so ubiquitous it’s hard to define. Everyone aspires to be a leader, feels pressure to be a leader, is building their leadership capabilities. Every company is looking for leaders. Sure there are natural leaders, those with charisma to burn whose disciples will follow them anywhere. But leadership is not just the purview of those with rare talents; most people can become leaders if they take an interest and a methodical approach.

Why Recruiters Aren’t Returning Your Calls

There is a long-standing misconception among job seekers about recruiters – how they can help, how to engage them and, most often, why they’re not returning your calls.

Colleges Make It Pay for Students to Take Unpaid Internships

Did you know that your school may offer grants for those students taking unpaid internships this summer?

Starting OutAllison ChestonFebruary 18, 2015Career Development, College to Career, Internships, millennial careers, unpaid internships, Career Planning, College Funded InternshipsComment

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