Question:
My son is graduating in May with a degree in English. His passion is writing. How would you suggest he go about a job search to target those who require his skills?
Answer from Dana:
I love this question — there are multiple answers. I would be remiss if I didn’t say that every job requires great writing skills. You can’t be successful without learning how to write well. That being said, here are three pieces of advice college graduate job seekers and their families should consider:
1. College graduates must be held accountable for their job searches.
Parents, your kids need to own their job search and be responsible for their career decisions starting now.
Some early indicators of a college graduate’s accountability: Did they go into the Career Placement Center at their college or university? Have they purchased at least one book on how to find a job? Have they taken any webinars or seminars on how to find job opportunities, and have they gone to those opportunities?
2. Passion does not lead directly to paid jobs.
An employment opportunity is not about a candidate’s passion — it’s about a company’s needs first. So he needs to research real jobs that are publicly posted right now.
He can use “writing” as a keyword, but he should window-shop on sites such as Indeed.com and Monster.com and read hundreds of job descriptions.
3. Finding job opportunities for writers is the easy part.
The work lies ahead. He needs to learn the end-to-end job search process and how to stand out and “win” a job in a highly competitive space.
