Kelly, a PhD in Management student, had been unemployed and searching for new position for six months before she interviewed and was hired for her new position as a Global Marketing Product Manager.  How did she do it, what worked for her?

After three months of a disappointing job search, Kelly contacted Career Services for guidance on strengthening her resume, networking, and interviewing skills.

She was advised to revise her resume to clearly and concisely describe her accomplishments and what she would be able to contribute to a new employer.  She made her job search a full-time job.

 She regularly contributed to Linkedin groups related to her career field.  Prior to her interview, she used Linkedin to find a connection to the company, preferably in HR, and then she contacted that person with questions about additional requirements for the job and the name of the hiring manager.

Once she had the name of the hiring manager, she contacted him directly with questions about the qualifications that were not posted in the job description. She started building a relationship with the hiring manager prior to the interview. During the interview, Kelly inquired about the hiring manager’s professional passion. With this information, she engaged him in a conversation about topics of interest and importance to him, further building the relationship. Also, because she was staying in the same industry, she was able to leverage her customer connections from her previous position.

After she adjusted her job search strategies, Kelly had four job offers and chose the best opportunity for her!    Kelly, thank you for sharing your story!

Written by Career Services Advisor, Denise Pranke