“Market” Yourself to Get a Job

By Cynthia Oh

Congratulations! You’re graduating UCLA soon and have studied rigorously for those midterms and finals for each round of ten weeks. It’s great to be leaving but, do you sometimes feel afraid to go? The important thing is don’t let the fear control you. You should control the fear. Fear is a good thing because it’s a warning sign that something important is about to happen. Let’s replace this apprehension with four basic steps to market yourself and get that all important job as soon as you leave your alma mater:

1. Build a resume that will sell you.
2. Write a customized cover letter for the job application.
3. Plan a strategic job search.
4. Practice interviewing.

Build a resume that will sell you. Your resume should represent the very best of all that you have to offer a company or organization. Think carefully about your accomplishments in the past four years. Get a pad of paper and a pen and scribble key words down about your technical skills, personal attributes, experience, major skills, etc. Do you have a lot of positive energy? Do you possess strong interpersonal skills or the ability to handle high pressure situations well? Have you completed any internships, special research projects, or coordinated an event on campus? Do you have any honors or special activities to list? Write them down.

Next, prioritize and organize your experience and various skills. Put it all together in a worksheet in your handwriting. Don’t go to the computer just yet. You should still do more research on the way you would like your resume to be formatted. For example, do you want to represent yourself in a chronological way, from a functional perspective, or a combination of the two? This all depends on the industry you’re applying for. Visit the UCLA Career Center’s Career Lab and ask the librarians for assistance. They can show you where key publications are about resume building. Also, pick up a copy of the UCLA Career Guide 2004-2005 at the Career Center on the second floor. There’s a lot of great information packed into that free 80 page book! For example, on page 33, there’s a list of “Sample Action Words” that can brighten up the way that your resume markets you! There are also sample resumes to give you a sense of the direction you may want to go.

Write a customized cover letter for the job application. A customized cover letter for each job application is just as important as your resume because it highlights and summarizes the core reasons why the company or organization should hire you. Here, you’ll want to quickly talk about your skills, experience, and knowledge in a clear way. Show the reader how you will contribute to their organization and why you stand out above the rest of the competition. Make sure that you do your research on the company and address your cover letter to a specific individual. If you cannot find the name of the person, utilize, “To Whom it May Concern.” Don’t forget to sign your letter and keep a copy for your records. Remember: It is imperative that there are no misspellings anywhere in this cover letter or the resume.

Plan a strategic job search. A strategic job search means utilizing every possible avenue at your disposal, like attending on campus career fairs, online job searching, on campus interviews, and information sessions through BruinView™ (as long as you’re still a current UCLA student), and professional association memberships. Your strategy should begin as early as possible because it could take weeks to months to secure your job. Sit down with a pad and pen and write down your strategies. It’s not too late to get started. The quickest route to take is to sign up for BruinView™ if you haven’t already. (It’s free if you’re still a UCLA student and if you've just graduated UCLA, it's only $30 plus the cost of the UCLA Alumni Association membership.) You can also check the professional and trade publications to identify current job openings.

An important part of your plan to look for this job is to network. Research indicates that many positions are filled through networking and connections. Networking is just a way to let people you know that you’re in the job market and are asking for career advice. Everyone you know is a potential source of information. Remember to always respect your contacts and get their permission if you intend on using their name to meet someone else. Think of creative ways to keep in touch, use common courtesies, and respect people’s busy schedules. Make the networking experience fun and find kindred spirits to link with. Take on special projects or serve on committees − but be sure to fulfill your responsibilities if you decide to take them on.

Researching the company or organization is a vital part of the job search strategy. For example, let’s say you found a job opening in BruinView™ and you’re about to polish your resume and cover letter. Make sure you know as much as possible about their product or service, mission statement, locations, etc. Not having this information could cost you a potential job.

Practice interviewing. If you’ve followed all of the advice that career counselors communicate about how to write a fabulous resume and cover letter, then you’ll look great on paper. What about in person? Can you communicate under fire? Do you know the types of questions that are asked in an interview? Do you know what to wear to an interview? Do you know enough about the company or organization to intelligently answer “If you had this position, what would you do if…” questions? It’s vital that you anticipate now and be prepared. To get a basic understanding about the interview process, pick up a free copy of the UCLA Career Guide 2004-2005, published by the UCLA Career Center. See page 54, chapter six entitled, “Successful Interviewing” and read it carefully. You’ll feel empowered afterwards because you’ll have an introduction to how you can handle your interviews, plus you’ll know that more research and practice is imperative, if you want to beat the competition.

If you’re still a UCLA student, you can also participate in “Mock Interviews” through the Career Center. Each quarter, a new schedule is posted on the web at career.ucla.edu/workshops/Registration.asp. Professional career counselors will assess your strengths and weaknesses and share personalized advice with you that will put you on the road to success.

Don’t sell yourself short. Market yourself in a positive way that reflects the professional image you want to portray and intend on upholding. It’s never too early or late to start improving your job search. Good luck!

Cynthia Oh is the manager for marketing, publications, and media relations at the UCLA Career Center.

Note: This article was written on 1.19.05 and posted on this web site on 5.26.05 (with updates).