Posted by: Complaints

Author: PAUL BOWLEY

Employment opportunities have to be handled with special attention when you’re a high school or college student job seeker. For example, no matter what your age, a hiring decision about you is made only after a face-to-face meeting.

So employment opportunities require you to master a few basic communication skills.

First, you have to look employable. If this is your first job, you have to make absolutely everything work to your advantage. Since you don’t have a work history or at best a thin resume, much more credibility will be placed on how you come across when you meet with a decision-maker. There, it’s up to you to represent yourself assertively and with enthusiasm.

Here are 6 tips that can move you toward success with your employment opportunities:

1. Get your ducks in a row. Write down the specific talents and capabilities your bring to the table. For example any work experience including volunteer work, school and church projects, family projects, athletic prowess . . . anything that demonstrates that you have contributed to helping another organization or individual. Be sure to include any work for neighbors including raking leaves, baby-sitting, shoveling snow, etc.

2. Write a script that details how you’ll present yourself to a prospective employer. Remember, first impressions count BIG! If you stumble around and can’t look an interviewer in the eye, you just lost. You must be prepared to speak with authority.

3. Practice what to say with friends. Let them ask you tough questions so you can learn to respond intelligently without getting rattled.

4. When you’ve done all your prep work, then you can write a resume recapping what you’ve done in the first three steps. It has to be brief and to the point (maximum one page.) Remember–your resume won’t get you a job. Only a face-to-face meeting results in serious consideration.

5. Dress appropriate to the position and according to company standards. Be polite. Have an opening comment to make so you can be the first to speak. Prepare in advance some intelligent questions to ask.

6. Be open to employment options. For example, an internship, starting out part-time, offering to work free for a week, a probation period, etc. Incidentally, the holiday season is a great time to get your foot in the door with retail businesses. Very often part-time holiday employment turns into full-time after the holidays.