msuCatalyst →

Today's post comes from the msuCatalyst archives. With graduation and/or summer quickly nearing, the job search is a hot topic and Molly Fletcher has expert advice on landing that Dream Job. There are great events around campus like the Summer Employment and Internship Fair on February 18th and Cram Sessions on the 10th and 16th, so be sure to check those out.

 MSU Alumni Molly Fletcher was a successful collegiate tennis player that knew she wanted to work in the sports industry after college. So she put everything she owned into her Honda Accord, took her $2,000 dollar life savings out of the bank, and traveled down to Atlanta Georgia. She had done her research. Atlanta was becoming a sports hotspot and Molly had the names of two people in the industry. Her plan was to get these two people to like her enough to help her by offering her advice and referring her to other people who would do the same. With persistence and focus, she increased her network and was able to become a sports agent. Ten years later, Molly is the president of client representation at Career Sports & Entertainment (and Tom Izzo's agent!). More importantly, she wakes up every day excited to get to work, because she has found her dream job.

Molly is now the author of an excellent book on finding your dream job. This straight-forward and practical book provides examples and anecdotes from Molly's life that provide insight that gives you a competitive edge in the job search.

Here is a glimpse of Molly's 5 tools for becoming YOUR own career agent:

1. Your Passionate Style

The key to career success is finding a job that you are passionate about because passion is what will sustain your motivation to take the extra steps needed to be different from everybody else and overcome roadblocks and barriers. So take time to ask yourself what you love doing more than anything else. This will help you find your own personal style so you can sell yourself to an employer and not just your resume.

2. Your Fearlessness

Once you have found your passion, you have to demonstrate it fearlessly. No one is going to hand you your dream career. You have to pursue it. And that requires courage and confidence. It’s not easy to face your fears, but it is vital to embrace the challenges that face you instead of allowing the fear of rejection to paralyze you and keep you from achieving your dreams.

Getting to the top requires making relationships, getting people to like you enough to help you, and seeking advice from people with experience. Being fearless allows you to do this. Molly's mantra is to be consistently, uniquely, and respectfully persistent in forming vital business relationships.

3. Your Game Plan

Once you’ve found your passion and faced your fears, you will need a game plan so you can effectively represent yourself on paper and in person. This means creating a quality resume, preparing for your audience, and practicing what to say during and after your interview. Molly includes sample cover letters, resumes, and examples of what to say (and what NOT to say) when trying to contact people, conducting an interview, and following up after the initial meeting.

4. Your Flawless Execution

Getting the job interview is only the beginning, now is the time to shine, to prove you are the right person for the job. This takes research. Knowing facts about the company and preparing answers to common questions are just as important as looking professional. A successful interview is one where you get up out of the chair to leave feeling that you have successfully conveyed how you are a solution to the organization's current problems and a great fit for its future opportunities.

This section offers step-by-step instructions for a successful interview that will calm your pre-interview jitters and give you an advantage with tips on having:

• a WOW factor comment that shows you've done your research
• a mental list of questions to ask
• the right level of confidence
• and a strategy to answering tough interview questions

5. Managing Choices

The interview is going to go one of two ways, and Your Dream Job Game Plan covers both.

Mistakes happen. No matter how prepared you are, something might go wrong, which is why Molly has a list of common interview mistakes and practical solutions. For example, if you slip up and ask a question or make a statement that is insensitive or disrespectful, acknowledge it, “spin it” with a clever comment, or simply apologize for it. Then move on. If it was a major slip up, follow up with a respectful email to apologize and explain the situation.

However, after using the previous four tools for success, you’ll likely be offered a position and that means you have a choice to make. It is important to carefully consider the position before you decide. Make sure you know:

• What work you will be asked to do
• How you will be expected to get the work done
• How your employer will assist you in your tasks (training, support, resources)
• How you will be evaluated and paid

Then you must take a moment to consider what is important to you: salary, bonus opportunities, vacation time, insurance, etc. Do you believe this job is a great opportunity for you? After serious thought, you’ll be able to make a sound decision and accept or decline the offer.

Bottom Line

This is just a fraction of the great advice you’ll find in Molly Fletcher’s book. If you feel overwhelmed and nervous about finding a job after college pick up You Dream Job Game Plan, you will not regret it!