In the U.S., we’re led to believe that hard work, good grades and a college diploma will get us a job. However, the majority of college graduates have difficulty finding employment fresh out of school. Why? According to Kyle Winey, the author of “HACKiversity,” the “enroll-study-graduate” approach to college is gone. Today, a new college approach is necessary to excel.
Winey argues that we should emphasize practical skills, networking and experience over GPAs. What can you do as a college student to enhance your chances of finding work immediately after graduation? Winey shares the following insights. His responses have been edited for clarity.
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Did the successful students you interviewed for the book have a set approach when starting college?
It spans the spectrum. At one extreme, some students entered college without a plan and never developed one. For example, one student majored in Spanish and graduated without being able to speak Spanish. Only after graduation did this student discover that a Spanish degree led to few careers outside of teaching — something she didn’t want. As a result, this student landed a low-paying secretarial position — a job that didn’t require a college degree or Spanish.
Some students figured it out along the way. Knowing he was a creative person, one student had no idea how to pursue an appropriate career. He began by majoring in English with the intention of becoming a Hollywood scriptwriter. However, during his sophomore year, this student discovered that he wasn’t a talented writer. As a result, he pivoted into film. Soon, the student realized that he was more talented than others in his class, and switched his major to Communications with a focus in film. Two years after graduating college he helped film the 2014 Super Bowl.
Other students knew from the beginning what they wanted to do. Often this came as a result of finding a mentor (not career services), job shadowing family members or simply an innate sense of direction.
What practical skills should students be developing, and how can they do this most effectively?
Developing practical skills only comes after figuring out where you want to go after graduation. In other words, the most successful students first determined where they wanted to go (self-awareness) and then figured out how to get there (practical skills).
Self-awareness is key. The majority of students who developed self-awareness early in college were able to create a college experience that advanced their career prospects. However, students who failed to develop self-awareness merely floated through college and suffered the consequences after graduation. Students who developed self-awareness did so by defining:
— Passions: activities they inherently loved
— Strengths: things at which they naturally excelled
— Purpose: a deeper sense of significance and its affect on society at large
— Lifestyle: what work-life balance and degree of compensation mattered to them
One of the best tactical ways to develop this self-awareness (while enhancing job prospects) is to go experience the profession for oneself. Informational conversations with professionals, job shadowing and interning or working in an industry are all methods of doing so.
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Two of the practical skills students routinely cited as being the highest leverage were internships and networking — and they often went in tandem. Frequently, students scored an internship, which opened the door to networking, which created job opportunities.
That was precisely the approach used by a student who now works inside the White House as a 23-year-old. She first scored an internship on Capitol Hill. While on the Hill, she asked dozens of people to lunch and coffee and attended networking events. She chronicled each of her interactions with people in a Google Doc (names, topic of conversation, advice given). By leveraging these contacts, this student went from a relatively common internship on the Hill to an exclusive position working alongside the U.S. president.
What is one of the most successful networking activities that students should focus on?
— Step 1: Reach out to people on LinkedIn or email referencing a commonality. The commonality can be anything from overlapping colleges to overlapping college conferences. If using email, writing an effective email subject lines is critical (i.e., tell them what’s inside, don’t sell to them).
— Step 2: Ask for informational chats (leveraging your existing network is best). If your existing network is not available, seek out the “connector,” the individual who knows everyone. It’s likely the connector knows someone who can conduct an informational conversation with the student.
— Step 3: Know how to close. Interactions should end with an “ask,” and students need to know how to build up the conversation to the ask. Then, the student needs to actually follow through and ask the person for help. It could be as simple as asking them to review your resume.
What skills did you find were essential for students to develop in college to enable them to succeed on the job?
The “three Cs:” communication, collaboration and creative problem-solving.
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In regard to communication, students must be able to write and speak publicly. Some of the best ways students mentioned to develop these skills and enhance job prospects is through the following:
— Blog: With WordPress students can launch a blog in an afternoon. Not only can blogging develop (and showcase) writing skills, it also demonstrates to employers that a student is interested in the industry.
— Publish newspaper articles: This follows the same rationale as blogging, but appeals to more professional folks.
— Find leadership positions: Leadership positions often require public speaking, which students can use to refine public speaking skills (plus employers love leadership positions).
In regard to collaboration, employers want to see that students can work on and lead teams. Fortunately, demonstrating leadership skills is simple. For example, one student used a mandatory in-class group assignment in which he “led” (meaning, he simply provided his suggestions) a five-person team as his “leadership” qualification with an employer.
For creative problem-solving, employers emphasize that there is less value in knowing information. Simply being able to recall facts and figures has little value. Instead, students need to be able to apply this information. That’s why students who majored in STEM, or science, technology, engineering and math — majors known for developing higher-level critical thinking — often thrived early out of the college gates.
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How to Turn Your College Experience Into Success originally appeared on usnews.com
