Fiveable Jacob's Advice on Career Readiness

Introduction

Do you ever wonder 🤔 about how the most successful career profiles are formatted? Do you want to stand out from the rest of the applicants 👨‍👧‍👦 when applying to jobs and colleges? This blog covers everything the awesome Mr. Jacob 🤡 from Fiveable has to say, including:

• An effective resume✍️

• An eye-catching cover letter 📜
• A successful LinkedIn account 🔗 
• An established network 🌐

There are also some essential competencies you'll need while working, like leadership 🙋 and communication 🗣️ These skills will help you excel in your future career 🚀

Image Courtesy of Unsplash

General Tips

Leadership

Strong leadership skills require a person to organize ✍️, plan 🤔, and lead 🙋 a successful product. To be a strong leader, you must be open-minded 🧠, empathetic with your co-workers 👫, and encouraging 📢 It's hard to become an effective leader, so here's a tip: actively participate in clubs or apply to leadership positions in organizations 🤓 Not only will this boost and strengthen your leadership skills, but it will also give others proof that you have prior experience 🤯

Professionalism

Your first impression will determine how people in the workplace view you 👀, so you want to make sure you put your best foot 🦶 forward.

Here are a few tips:

• Be punctual 🕐 for all meetings.
• Make sure you're using formal communication 🗣️ when corresponding with co-workers.
• Manage your time wisely! If you consistently turn in items well before the due date, co-workers and supervisors will notice 👀
• Demonstrate ethical behaviors like integrity and responsibility. If you did not finish your tasks, own up to them and aim to be more responsible in the future 🥳

Here are a few ways to practice your professionalism:

• Practice your interview skills. Ask your friends 🧒 and family 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 to help you practice.
• Gain exposure to the work-field by applying to part-time jobs 💼 You'll be able to see how people interact 👫 with their colleagues and learn from it.
• Take your studies 🤓 more seriously by managing your time better and demonstrating ethical behaviors in your schoolwork 📝
• Become involved in volunteering programs 🙋 that will allow you to interact and communicate with other people 👱

Communication

An effective communicator can clearly express their thoughts 🤔 while writing 🖊️ and speaking 🗣️ Communication is needed to develop strong leadership skills 🙋 as it helps keep a person more open-minded 🧠

Here are a few ways to improve your communication:

• Practice writing letters ✉️ or articles 💻 about topics that interest or concern you 💥
• Ask to review articles 💻, memos 📱, or papers 📄 from your colleagues 👨‍💼 or fellow students 🧑 Give authentic and effective feedback to them 😉

Creativity and Problem Solving

Problem-solving 🤔 is all about identifying problems and combating them 👊 It involves making intuitive decisions 💡, using data 📈 and prior knowledge, and using your creativity 🎨 to solve issues. It can be difficult to practice on your own but here are some suggestions if you get stuck:

• Watch 👀 inspirational videos (like Ted Talks). Remember that there is a solution to every problem--don't get frustrated 😖
• Get involved in research programs 🔬 to help inspire you 💥

Familiarity with Technology

In today's world, technology 📱 is a necessary component in any career 💼 field. You should be familiar with today's technological tools and be able to utilize them efficiently to accomplish tasks ✔️ and solve problems 🤔 When new technology enters the work-field 👨‍💼, you should be able to familiarize yourself with it and adapt to it. In other words, use technology to spread your ideas💡 For example, you can use social media to spread awareness 📢 about your campaign or LinkedIn to share your skills 🔧

Here are a few tips to master technology:

• Enroll in online courses 👨‍🎓 to familiarize yourself with technical skills 💻
• Certify yourself in widely-used technology 💻 in your field. Make sure you know the basics of Word 📄, PowerPoint 🖼️, and Excel 📈 as those skills are now a necessity.
• Create a LinkedIn 🔗 to share your technological skills 💻 with future employers 👨‍💼
• Learn how to code 🐱‍💻 Coding is now becoming a useful skill in many careers outside of technology!

Career Advice

How to Draft an Effective Resume

Order of Essential Information Needed on an Excellent Resume 📝

Introductions:

1. Your Name 🤡 (Bolded)
2. Under your name, list three words to describe yourself that you can change for different jobs (Ex. Educator | Community | Admissions)
3. Your contact information (Email 📫, optional phone number ☎️, optional LinkedIn link 🔗, etc.)
4. Optional City and State 🌎

Body Sections:

1. Education (What school 🏫 do you go to? Are you dual-enrolled 🧠?)
2. Experience 🤓 (Use the section title "Experience" if you do not have any paid experience. If you do, however...see below)

 a. Paid Jobs (List percentages and revenues) 💼

 b. Volunteer Experience 🙋 

DO's 💁 and DON'Ts ❌

DO 💁 make your resume as concise and clear as possible; we strongly recommend a one-pager 📄.

DO 💁 make every bullet point start with an action word 🏃 and have only 3-4 bullet points per section.

DO 💁 only use black and white colors and leave white space!

DON'T ❌ have a picture of yourself 👱! (Employers will not employ you because of your looks)

DON'T ❌ have a profile statement/objective!

DON'T ❌ add colors 🎨

Check out this article for more resume tips and tricks!

How to Create an Eye-Catching Cover Letter

Brief Cover Letter Overview 👀

Cover letters 📜, when required, map 🗺️ out who you are as a person 👱 and the experiences you may have had! The popularity of cover letters are slowly declining 📉 in recent years, but it is still good to know some tips to create an outstanding cover letter📜

Cover Letter Tips 🧠

• Tell them why you are a good applicant 🙋 Are there any relevant experiences you may have?
• What can you offer to the company? State any skills 🔧 or activities you are willing to put into good use for the company 💼
• Do your research 👀 What is the company like 🤔 What does it do? By stating the company's goals 🚀 in your cover letter and relating them to your own experiences, you come off as a knowledgeable, well-researched, and insightful applicant 🤓

Some Advice For a Successful LinkedIn Account

What to Put on Your LinkedIn Page 🤔

• Experience 🤓, volunteer services 🙋, and a summary of who you are as a professional 💼
• Take advantage of every section LinkedIn 🔗 offers!

Useful Tips When You are Creating a Profile 📄

• Look up articles 🖊️ that teach you how to build a LinkedIn 🔗 site; they really help!
• This video from Fiveable delves into creating a LinkedIn account as a high school student
• Don't be robotic 🤖, be genuine 😇 Independent thinkers 🧠 are always looked highly upon by employers 👨‍💼
• "Professional 💼" is subjective! Your LinkedIn profile picture 🤡 could be you wearing a T-Shirt 👕, and it would still be considered professional! (Ex. Mr. Jacob's LinkedIn profile picture)

Establish Your Network!

A Brief Background on Networking 

Building your network does sound intimidating 😬, but it is simple 😃 Networking is everywhere 🤩 For example, joining a discord call 📞 on a Fiveable Friday is considered networking as well 😮 Now, you may be wondering, how can I maximize my network since I am always networking with people? Well, the next section might be just for you 🥳

Tips for Networking 🙌

• Choose one of your passions 🎆, and try searching up a successful company 💼 or person 👱 regarding the area of your passion. What are they doing or posting?
• Put yourself out there 🚀 Check out events of your passion 🎆 Maybe you will meet someone new 👀
• Directly cold message 📲 or email ✉️ a company or person in the field you're interested in.
• For tips to network as a high school student, check out this article!

How to Get Ready For College

Something to remember... 

"Remember, it doesn't matter where you go to college." 

This is Mr. Jacob's advice when it comes to college readiness 🚀 Yes, you might be disappointed 😢 if you did not get into your dream school, or proud if you did 🥳, but just remember: colleges don't define who YOU are. YOU are unique 😎, and if a college rejects you, continue to be yourself, and you will achieve great things 💥 Without further ado, here are some tips to help you become more confident about college.

College Readiness Tips 

• Do what you are passionate about 🐱, don't do something for the college to see!
• Grades 💯 are not everything! Colleges look at everything on your application 👀
• Subjectively, an application essay ✍️ is the most important part of your college application, so make sure to treat it like gold 💸

Conclusion

After reading this blog post, you have gained knowledge on career readiness and learned general tips to help you get ready for your future endeavors 🤓 You are welcome to re-read this blog throughout your schooling 🏫 and career 💼 as a little guide or a helping friend 👫 However, if you are interested and want to dig deeper, here are some resources for you 👀:

Career Readiness Defined: https://www.naceweb.org/career-readiness/competencies/career-readiness-defined/

Created by the National Association of Colleges, this article paints an overview and definition of career readiness. 👨‍💼

43 Resume Tips That Will Help You Get Hired: https://www.themuse.com/advice/43-resume-tips-that-will-help-you-get-hired

As a hiring platform, this article by the Muse provides in-detail advice for each resume ✍️ section.

20 steps to a better LinkedIn profile in 2020: https://business.linkedin.com/en-uk/marketing-solutions/blog/posts/content-marketing/2017/17-steps-to-a-better-LinkedIn-profile-in-2017

Written by LinkedIn 🔗 itself, this article covers 20 tips to help you gain more recognition on the platform!

The Fiveable Discord Community: https://discord.gg/thinkfiveable

Full of passionate students, the Fiveable Discord Community includes discussion channels for AP classes, test prep, career advice, and much more 🤡 You can ask members to review your resume or LinkedIn or practice your interview skills with them!

That's all for now. Good luck with your future endeavors! You can do it!! 🚀