Week 6 Discussion Step 1: Find Job Announcements

Step 1: Find Job Announcements

As mentioned above, you’ll need to find 3-5 job announcements for (entry level) jobs in your field. In other words, find job announcements for jobs to which you would be applying upon graduation (so internships and co-ops would not be appropriate here since these are positions typically held by current college students). Some places to look for job announcements include:

Cardinal Career Network

http://www.michiganworks.org/

https://www.usajobs.gov/

http://www.indeed.com/

http://www.glassdoor.com/index.htmLinks to an external site.

http://www.dice.com/

There are plenty of other sites to locate job announcements. Asks friends and/or professors in your department if there are specific job recruiting web sites in your field.

*Please note: I do not necessarily endorse the sites above. These are sites students have indicated work well for them. Some sites may require login registration. I encourage you to read through terms and conditions and other materials for these sites before registering.

Step 2: Analyze the Announcements

Once you’ve located 3-5 job announcements, conduct a close reading of each and write a 100-150 analysis of these job announcements. What are the keywords or key phrases you notice across announcements? What skills, experiences, and requirements are privileged most? In your discussion, make a list of your findings, and link to or include screenshots of each job announcement.

Step 3: Reading about Creating a Bio

Read Kistler’s “How to Write a Bio, which breaks down a professional bio, and discuss three ways this piece will be useful as you draft your own bio.

Step 4: Write a 100-Word About Me

Considering what your analysis revealed, begin to frame your bio by writing a 100-word “About Me.” Some things to consider, as you write:

1. Stay at or just under 100 words

2. What makes you stand out and how can you define your “brand?”

3. Incorporate the appropriate wording (lexical choices) from the job announcements when necessary–the keywords and phrases from your analysis above.

4. What are three to five claims you can make about your accomplishments, experiences, and/or skills?

5. Be specific and concise.

Try to stay away from typical job search platitudes such as “hardworking,” “multitasker,” “dependable,” and others that can be used to describe just about anyone. Instead, push yourself to be unique and define you–and your brand.

https://brandyourself.com/blog/how-tos/8-tips-on-h…