• Start with good sources - Top resources students and grads turn to for jobs are company websites (73%), university or alumni career centers (70%), career fairs or events (69%) and job board sites (60%). Students tend to use career fairs and university career centers, while alumni rely more on company web sites and job boards. This is pretty consistent with what we have seen in prior surveys as the most effective sources.

• Hone in on the “sweet spot” - Most respondents use 2 to 3 criteria to narrow online job searches, most often using job function (65%), type of job (53%), and experience level (50%). Location is also regularly used. This is generally an iterative process, use too many and you might get too few job results, relax the criteria until you get a decent selection.

• Put your best foot forward - When applying for jobs, 73% first review a job two to three times, research the company, and then apply. Most conduct research by visiting company web sites (97%) or researching companies using search engines (78%). Try to learn more about the company before applying; it will help you tailor your capabilities to the situation.

• Sign up for auto emails - While there are lots of ways to find out about job opportunities, most students and alums stay informed through emails from school (73%), search agent emails (52%) and updates in school/alumni portal (47%). Sign up for automated emails or feeds of jobs whenever you can, less work for you and it keeps jobs at the top of your to-do list.

Participate in our next survey and win a $50 VISA gift card - take the survey on Generations & Careers.

Role models clearly make a difference when it comes to careers. Sixty percent said their role models influenced them in “selecting career paths and opportunities, while 45% said that role models helped them with “choosing a major.”

Ways role models helped included:

• Encouraging me to go for my dreams
• Helping broaden my creativity
• Developing into a leader

Not sure where to find a role model?

Look around, they can be the people closest to you. Most said their role models were ”teachers or professors” (46%) or “parents” (41%). Some cited role models such as “friends” (19%), “family members” (15%) and “manager from job/internship” (15%).

So if you are undecided about your career path, or need some guidance, seek out people who are doing what you are interested in and ask them for some insight or advice. More likely than not they will be glad to help out!

Take our next survey on Job Search and win a $50 VISA gift card!

If you are entrepreneurial, outgoing and up for a challenge, this is the program for you to obtain real world experience and hone your sales/presentation skills, whether you plan on a sales career or not.

Apply to our Sales Internship Program

And here are testimonials from our two summer Interns:
“I have had a great experience this summer working in the Experience Sales Intern Program. For someone who is unsure about what they want to do for a career, learning sales is a transferrable skill that can be taken to almost every aspect of business. I have always considered myself an extroverted and social person, but I became much more comfortable speaking to professionals after calling potential clients in sales role. Also, having the ability to work with a small and dedicated team of professionals who wanted to hear my input provided me with a very productive and refreshing experience. Having your voice heard and being treated as an important part of a team is a rare thing to find with an internship and something that makes this program unique.”

“My internship with Experience has truly been an experience. Following extensive client outreach, I’ve acquired the skills to be effective throughout each stage of prospecting. I’m able to execute the meticulous preparation that precedes any successful sale. I’ve learned to listen…and adapt accordingly. Now, I can confidently attest to my proficiency in both resourcefulness and perception. Despite the program’s initial emphasis on sales, I’ve gained invaluable knowledge regarding all aspects of business. My recent exposure to marketing, finance, design, and customer relations have expanded my professional horizons beyond any previous expectations. Experience is a great place to work. More importantly, it’s a great place to learn.”

Students and recent grads said they were intimidated by “not knowing what to say” (63%) and “disliking awkward conversations” (61%).

To combat these fears, here are some suggestions:

Challenge #1: “Not knowing what to say”

Everyone says to network to find a job, yet they also advise you not to ask for a job directly. So I am not surprised that students and grads may be confused. Try some of these approaches next time you are tongue-tied:

To a networking contact:
Do you know of any companies in your industry that are growing or doing well?
Are there specific positions in your industry that are in more demand?

To a recruiter/hiring manager at a career fair:
What types of positions are you are recruiting for?
What kinds of majors do you prefer for those type of positions?
Are there parts of your company that are growing faster than others?

Challenge #2: Disliking awkward conversations

Try to disarm an awkward situation with humor or a shared interest or hobby. If the networking contact or recruiter is into sports, say something nice about his/her team (”too bad about the Pats losing Tedy!”). Or try to get to know the person (”are you from the Boston area?”). If you can find some common ground or interest, it will make the interaction more comfortable, and pretty soon you will realize that “networking” is really just meeting new people.

The majority of the positions they hire for are in engineering (~85%), but they also recruit for finance and supply chain.  What they look for is the ability to work in teams (since just about everything they do is done as a team) and good technical skills.

Raytheon operates in a continuous program environment. They have lots of programs and move through design cycles quickly. Employees move from project to project, keeping their skills current, which is a great learning opportunity especially if you’re right out of school.

As a complex organization, Raytheon looks for jobseekers who are flexible, tolerant of ambiguity, are US citizens (which is required for security clearances) and who love to solve challenges.

If this is you, view Raytheon jobs (requires login)

To make your job search faster, Raytheon jobs with level I & II are entry-level positions. If you see a “Senior” in front of the title, along with level I or II, then the job will generally require more years of experience.

Also view Raytheon’s college site or follow them on Twitter - @RTNCollegeJobs.

We are delighted to be working with Jacob (finance grad from UMass-Dartmouth) and Lauren (marketing grad from Bentley). They will be going through a structured job search program and blogging and tweeting about their experiences. Follow along so you can learn what works and doesn’t work in one of the worst job markets in decades.

Follow them at 60days.experience.com

Why? The process to obtain a security clearance is expensive and time consuming. It can easily take a year to a year and a half to go through all the background investigation required. Even if your clearance has expired, the employer can often renew your clearance faster than getting a new one, saving considerable time and effort.

If you apply to a governmental job or position with a government contractor, simply add it to your resume along with the agency name (e.g. DoD, CIA, NSA) . No need to provide the exact level, that can be shared later in the the interview process. And while one agency’s clearance does not apply to the others, it does convey to the employer that you have been vetted before.

How important is this? The folks at CSC actively scan for “security clearance” on resumes for their public sector positions. There is even a job fair specifically for people with security clearances. In this job market, anything that can set you apart is worth doing!

Sodexo’s director of college relations tells me that they are hiring. You may know them from your college, but they are much more than your campus dining hall.

Sodexo is a $7B company with 120,000 employees, serving customers in corporations, healthcare, long term care and retirement centers, schools, government and remote sites. From serving the armed forces to prestige sporting events, they hire for a wide range of positions including:

• Food Services Manager
• Environmental Services Manager
• Dietitian
• Engineer/Facilities Manager

View Sodexo jobs

(for entry-level positions, look for jobs with a 1 or 2 in the title)

Take our survey

In particular, we want to know what you think about leveraging social media to find a job. We’ll post the results to this blog for all to see.