Laura Miller

Normalizing the emotional side of the job-search process as well as organizing, setting small, achievable goals, and using a support system along the way. Don’t forget the confidence in your skill set and readiness to be a trustworthy employee.

The importance of your online presence- using professional social media like LinkedIn but also keeping your personal social media in good standing. Being aware of the industry and companies you want to work for, and reaching out to create relationships. Also, I think digital portfolios will be the resumes of the future.

The resources are great tools to use to help students break this process down, and then be able to proceed with confidence.

I appreciate the section about introversion as I am an introvert and a task oriented person. I am not good at “small talk”. Knowing you can navigate creating networking using your own personality and style makes this process seem a lot less intimidating.

Informational interviews are a great way to find hidden job opportunities, but can also be super-intimidating. I think having my students go through a real “cold call” request for an informational interview will really help them overcome those fears and be ready to use this strategy when the time comes.

I’m excited to work with students on the idea of inbound and outbound networking. Who do you know in the industry you are seeking (outbound)? And, try finding someone to contact at a company you are interested in and reach out to see if you can make contact (inbound).  I think talking to both someone they know and someone they don’t know about their chosen industry will be a great experience.

I’m thinking about my own current networks (school colleagues), and how I can better engage within that existing network. Doing my own work on this will help me talk about the benefits with my students. In particular, the challenge for me as an introvert would be to nurture dormant relationships. How can I encourage students to do this when I’m not comfortable doing it? I appreciate this opportunity to work on it.

I appreciate the idea of paying attention to understanding and relevance when communicating via email or virtually. Being thoughtful of how we replace nonverbal communication in these circumstances is important to continue connections and rapport with students. 

It’s so important to take the time to really understand the client and what they are actually looking for. Once you know the “big picture” it becomes easier to coach the client into helping themselves achieve their goal. Do not solve the problems for them, instead, be there for support as they consider different solutions on their own.

This has been a wonderful refresher on active listening, body language and positive feedback. It is good to take a step back as a counselor or coach and assess yourself to ensure you are using these tools and ideas effectively.