An Open Letter to the Class of 2009
by Richard L. Hearin, Director of the Office of Career Services
As our country struggles through one of the deepest economic recessions in a generation or more, we realize that many of you are concerned — and some downright worried — about your job prospects following graduation this May. Watching the economy daily as we do, we know the situation is tough and may seem beyond your control, but there are steps you can take to ensure that you are doing everything YOU can to find a place in the job market.
With this backdrop in mind, here are some of the things WE are doing to mitigate the impact these economic conditions may have on you. We are:
- Reaching out to any employers who have recruited here in the past five years, but haven’t yet scheduled visits this year, to keep Miami students on their radar.
- Offering weekly workshops called Job-Search Strategies that Work: Bringing Your ‘A’ Game to a Tough Job Market. These are in addition to our regular array of workshops throughout the semester. For a full list, see our Web site at www.muohio.edu/careers.
- Working intensively with our colleagues in Alumni Relations to tap into the networks of Miami alumni whom they nurture and maintain, so we can increase the number of job postings we bring to you.
- Redesigning and reprinting our Employer Services material with help from the University Communications staff, so we can better promote your strengths as potential employees.
- Promoting our teleconferencing capabilities, so employers who cannot afford to come to Oxford can still recruit you using this evolving technology. Working with Miami’s fundraising staff so they can encourage current and prospective donors to recruit you for positions in their companies and share other job leads they may have.
- Maintaining — and refining where we can — our existing services and programs to better prepare you for the job market. Many of you are familiar with the added emphasis we have given to interview training over the past several months, and we’ll continue to stress this in all of our workshops.
Here are some of the things YOU can do:
- Take full advantage of the services, educational programs, and resource materials we offer, including our online services.
- Register on Miami CAREERlink and upload a current resume, so employers can identify you through our online Resume Book.
- Make sure your paperwork (resumes, cover letters, etc.) is top-notch. In this kind of a market there is very little margin for error.
- Take advantage of the on-campus interviewing opportunities available on Miami CAREERlink throughout this semester, and check the system at least once or twice a week for updates.
- Go to the Spring Internship and Career Expo (Spring ICE) on February 11th at Millett Hall. While we won’t have as many employers as we did last year, the 130+ who are coming want to talk to YOU.
- NETWORK! Make sure that the people you are closest to know that you’re in the market and ready to go to work. And, then, ask them to connect you with their networks. It’s not necessarily who you know; it’s who they know.
- Do not underestimate the assistance you can get from faculty members. Ask them to let you know about any opportunities they become aware of. And don’t wait until the end of the semester to request letters of recommendation.
- Understand — and master — the fundamentals of the job-search process. That’s what our ‘A Game’ workshops are about. I guarantee that it will be worth the 45 minutes you spend with us.
- Get started NOW. This is probably going to be a long slog. There is no advantage to waiting.
- Embrace the value of tenacity. If you know what you’re doing and you keep doing it, you will be successful.
And, to take some of the mystery out of the process, understand that a successful job search revolves around just two considerations:
- Qualifications — and you're already a step ahead on this given the quality of your educational experiences at Miami; and
- Being able to effectively communicate your unique value and potential to prospective employers.
The bottom line is, it isn’t necessarily the best qualified candidate who gets the job, but rather, the individual who knows the most about how to get hired.
It would be wrong for you to think that your Miami degree will shield you from the economic realities facing all of us. But your Miami degree — coupled with competent knowledge of how to identify and compete for available positions — will give you a clear competitive advantage.
We’re committed to your success and we’re here to help.
Sincerely,
Richard L. Hearin
Director, Office of Career Services