Top Ten Tips

Job-Hunting Tips for the Liberal Arts Grad
By the Liberal Arts Dude

You spent your time at school racking up good grades. You had some extracurricular activities but they were mostly geared towards academic work—honor societies, English/Sociology/Philosophy club, etc. You don’t really have many skills beyond what the traditional Liberal Arts education taught you—writing, speaking, presenting your ideas in a coherent way, etc. You know some software for wordprocessing and spreadsheets but your skills on them are in no way advanced. You’ve decided to put grad school on hold and to test the waters of the job market. You realize from reading my blog that you are at an immediate disadvantage. What to do? Here are some tips from the Liberal Arts Dude:

1. Decide what type of work you would like to be doing. This is probably going to be the hardest part of the process because in the Liberal Arts you really aren’t being trained for anything specific job-wise (except maybe to be a graduate student in that discipline). So it will take some self-assessment of your skills, interests, and some deep thinking and reflection for you to make a decision. I suggest reading self-help books like What Color is Your Parachute and Zen and the Art of Making a Living to help you guide yourself along the self-assessment process.

2. Research that profession/job sector. Now that you’ve decided what you want to be, you need to research that sector of the economy. Find out what job titles and where the entry-level positions are located. Find out what skills are needed—determine if you have those skills already or if you need to get additional training. Use the Internet to search for as much information as you possibly can about that particular job or career. Chances are you will find many resources.

3. See if a temp agency specializing in those types of jobs exist. Some—not all—professions usually have temp agencies that specialize in placing people with particular skills to jobs. Aquent and EEI Communications, for example, specialize in creative work for publishing, advertising, communications, etc. These would include desktop publishers, editors, writers, graphic designers, etc.

4. See if any listserves or professional associations exist for that sector. These groups and listserves will usually have job openings circulated among themselves. Join these listserves and be an active lurker. DC PUBS is an example of an informal listserve about the publishing industry in the Washington DC area.

5. Network. Meet people who are working in that sector. Become friends or acquaintances with them. Keep in touch with them and let them know you are seeking any information that can potentially lead to a job in their area. Be nice to them and treat them with respect. Your reputation is very crucial in their decision whether they will help you or not.

6. Tailor your resume and cover letters according to the specifications of the job. Do not use a generic format listing of your education, grades, extracurricular activities, etc. Instead tailor your resume according to the specifications of each job you are applying to. They say they want writing skills? Show them that you have them by listing your writing accomplishments. They say they want graphic design skills? Show them the list of software you know and start a portfolio. Read self-help books on resume and cover letter writing. Show your resume and cover letters to someone whose professional reputation and opinions you respect.

7. Move to a big city or where the jobs are located. Chances are you will be more likely to find jobs in a big city rather than a small town.

8. Join a “young professionals” group. This is an excellent way to network and get inside information from people who are already in the industry but are close to your age and experience level. They would be in the front line of information most relevant for potential entry-level candidates. YNPN and DCYNL are examples of groups that deal with the nonprofit sector.

9. Check you ego at the door. This is a time to be humble. People will be more than likely turned off if you come off as arrogant, a know it all or pushy, especially if you crow about the grades you had, your GRE scores or the school you graduated from. Remember: you are a potential entry-level worker. A trainee. Low person on the totem pole. That means you have to know your place and to behave accordingly. I don’t mean act like a doormat. I mean be humble, appreciative of any help you get, and most of all, be respectful of those who know more than you.

10. Prepare yourself for rejection shock. Even if you do all of the above you will still get rejections—both from the jobs you will apply to or from people whom you approach for networking purposes. That’s OK. It’s all part of the game. Develop a thick skin. Adopt a “pull myself up by my bootstraps” attitude. You will need it.

Copyright 2005