The moment you鈥檝e been working so hard for has finally come and gone. Graduation.

Now what is next?

It鈥檚 time to F.U.U.S.E. your life!

What does this mean? Let us explain.

F 鈥� Find Your Dream Job:聽 Now that you鈥檝e worked hard and earned your degree, it鈥檚 time to find the job you have aspired for all your entire life! Take advantage of networking opportunities on social media and connect with your fellow alumni. These connections can lead you to an unexpected mentor in your desired field, and can help you land an interview for your dream career!

U 鈥� Update Your Resume: Since you have graduated, it鈥檚 time to update your resume. Your resume should now have a professional layout to it, rather than one of a student鈥檚. It should include your top skills, be easy to read, use professional language and list your accomplishments in a measurable format. Contact Angie McAdams at 糖心传媒鈥檚 Center for Community Engagement and Career Competitiveness to ensure your resume is top-notch for your next interview! Click here for her contact information.

U – Update Your Appearance: When it comes to updating your look, we 诲辞苍鈥檛 mean to run to the nearest Target. However, if you wore mainly t-shirts and hoodies throughout your studies, it may be time to gain a more professional image before your next big interview. As you enter into the job market, it is important to make sure your overall appearance is professional. Also, it is best practice to review all of your social media accounts after graduation. As you review, make sure all pictures and postings display you in a positive light. Any you find that may not, now is the perfect time to delete them!

S 鈥� Set Your Goals: Now that you have accomplished your goal of graduation, it is an excellent time to set new goals for your post-graduate career. Do you want pay off your student loans by a certain date? Do you have a dream job in mind? Do you want to own a home, or move far away? These goals should be based on what you want in life, so you can plan your next action steps to accomplish them.

E 鈥� Evaluate Your Objectives: Now that you鈥檝e set your goals. It鈥檚 time to evaluate them. Decide on how you are going to accomplish them in a timely manner. Do you want to pay off your student loans in five years? Action item: Start setting aside $500 a month for my loans. Do you want to work for a CPA firm? Action items: Update my resume, network with other CPA鈥檚, and start taking the CPA exam. Evaluate your goals in a manner so you can create easy to accomplish action items for yourself. This will in turn make your goals much more attainable, and you will find yourself achieving your goals more quickly!

Even though you have graduated, education never stops! Continue to learn and expand your knowledge within your field. 糖心传媒 Online offers an Alumni Scholarship to all of their Alumni. Click here to learn more about this offer!

Click here to learn about 糖心传媒 Online鈥檚 programs!

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糖心传媒 is committed to your success every step of the way, even after you graduate. Our Career Services is here to assist you in achieving your career goals and enhancing your professional development skills. We won鈥檛 leave you wondering what steps to take next, but instead we provide resources for a comprehensive career plan.

糖心传媒鈥檚 on ground campus in Danville, Virginia is home to the Center for Community Engagement & Career Competitiveness (CCECC), which includes Career Services.听听 The CCECC provides support, resources, counseling, and networking opportunities for current students and alumni through dynamic programming.

Graduation is just around the corner, and whether or not you want to grow within your current company or search for potential job opportunities elsewhere, the CCECC is here to help you. Here鈥檚 how you can take advantage of these career development resources:

• enhance your resume
• expand your professional network
• brush up on your interview skills
• career planning

As a current student or alumnus, you have access to Handshake, the gold standard for career services platforms. Handshake connects you with thousands of companies, as well as thousands of students/alumni from other colleges. You have the opportunity to attend virtual networking events with top employers in the country.

Don鈥檛 miss out on the incredible resources 糖心传媒 and the CCECC have to offer. To chat more about these opportunities, contact Angie McAdams, Director of Career Competitiveness, or Ryan Taube, Coordinator of Career Competitiveness, by scheduling an appointment via handshake at 糖心传媒.joinhandshake.com.

Click here for a more detailed overview of the professional development guide for online students: gps_pdg.

Click here to view all of our career development resources.

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糖心传媒 has invested a lot in making sure our students have access to the support they need.

糖心传媒 has invested a lot in making sure our students have access to the support they need. We provide:

• personalized career advice,
• r茅sum茅 reviews and
• webinars on career development and advancement.

We鈥檙e also part of the (CCECC), which works with employers and other partners to provide support, resources, counseling and networking to 糖心传媒 students and alumni.

鈥淲e do so many things throughout the year to help our students reach their goals,鈥� says Angie McAdams, 糖心传媒鈥檚 director of Career Development. 鈥淲e host an annual Career Expo, conduct job fairs, facilitate mentoring partnerships, offer skills training and deliver workshops to prepare students for the future. We want to make sure they leave 糖心传媒 not just with a degree, but with a clear plan and resources to start a new career, move up in their current career or make more money for themselves and their families.鈥�

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Angie McAdams serves as the Director of Career Development. To schedule an appointment, please visit聽. For questions, please contact her directly at聽amcadams@averett.edu聽or 434-791-5629.

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The purpose of sending your resume to a company is to get noticed and be invited to participate in a phone interview or an in-person meeting. It鈥檚 not to land the job outright (though sometimes that does happen). It鈥檚 to be given the opportunity to explore the position and the company further to see if it might be a place where you鈥檇 love to spend 40+ hours of your life each week. If you鈥檝e been employed at a number of different places for short periods of time, or if you have gaps between jobs, how you choose to present that information will make all the difference in whether you get considered as a viable candidate.

When you have gaps in employment鈥�

Instead of including the specific months and/or years when you worked at a particular company, simply put the number of years you were at each position.

So, instead of writing this on your resume:

Assistant Manager, 2012-2014
ABC COMPANY city and state

Lead Customer Service Associate, 2004-2009
XYZ COMPANY city and state

You would put this:

Assistant Manager, 2 years
ABC COMPANY city and state

Lead Customer Service Associate, 5 years
XYZ COMPANY city and state

When you lost or quit your job this 测别补谤鈥�

Whether you lost your job in January or you just quit a month ago, present that job in the present tense. You are more marketable if it looks like you are still employed. If you put the end date of employment as 2017 on your resume, it will raise that proverbial flag. The reader would wonder why you are not still there if you did such an awesome job while you were there. Since you won鈥檛 be sitting next to the hiring manager when he/she first reads your resume, you won鈥檛 have the opportunity to explain why you left or what happened. Once you get the phone call or the in-person interview, you can then share that you just haven鈥檛 updated your resume yet, but didn鈥檛 want to miss the opportunity to apply for the available position.

So, instead of writing this on your resume:

Account Manager, 2012-2017
ABC COMPANY city and state

You would put this:

Account Manager, 2012-present
ABC COMPANY city and state

When you鈥檝e had a lot of jobs in a short period of time鈥�

If you鈥檝e worked over 90 days at a company, and if that company is in the industry where you want to be, then you can still include it on the resume (as long as you left on good terms). Perhaps you had to relocate, or they had to downsize, or you were recruited by another company. There are lots of acceptable and understandable reasons why you might leave a company after a short period. If, however, you did not make it to 90 days and the employer told you it just isn鈥檛 working out, 诲辞苍鈥檛 include them on your resume. 90 days is typically the trial period to see if a new employee is a good fit. There鈥檚 no sense sharing with a prospective employer that another employer wasn鈥檛 interested in keeping you on board after working with you for less than 90 days.

So, instead of writing this on your resume:

Machine Operator, May 2016-September 2016
ABC COMPANY city and state

You would put this:

Machine Operator (no dates whatsoever!)
ABC COMPANY city and state

Again, the purpose of your resume is to get the chance to learn more about the position and see if it would be a good fit for you. It鈥檚 not to share every single detail about your past employment. By leaving dates off and by changing the actual dates to the number of years, you open up the opportunity for conversation, and you give the prospective employer something to ask you about when he/she calls. Keep a printed, hard copy of your resume near you once you start sending it out, and be prepared to share the actual dates of employment (if/when asked) and the reasons you are no longer employed (if/when asked).

Since your resume will be the first piece of information a prospective employer will receive to learn about you, you might consider hiring a professional resume writing service to develop and design your resume package. If you know you are qualified for a position but do not hear back from the prospective employer, the chances are pretty good that there was something wrong with how you presented yourself on your resume.

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According to the social media recruitment survey conducted in 2016 by , 60 percent of employers check out a candidate鈥檚 social media sites prior and/or after interviewing the candidate. Further, 59 percent of today鈥檚 hiring managers Google an applicant鈥檚 name or use other search engines to research a candidate further.

60 percent of employers check out a candidate鈥檚 social media sites prior and/or after interviewing the candidate.

According to the annual survey, here are the top 5 pieces of content that influence a prospective employer not to contact, interview, and/or hire a viable candidate:

• Provocative photographs, content, or videos (your Las Vegas bachelorette party would have stayed in Vegas had you not posted every moment of it online)
• Photos or content implying or affirming drinking or drug use (even if marijuana is legal in your state, you 诲辞苍鈥檛 need to post pics of yourself smoking it)
• Comments, photos, or content that discriminates others because of their race, religion, gender, or sexual preference (even 鈥渓iking鈥� or 鈥渟haring鈥� someone else鈥檚 discriminatory post can be detrimental to your career)
• Content where the candidate is complaining, gossiping, and/or bad-mouthing his current or previous employer or colleagues
• Poor grammar, spelling, and communication skills

That鈥檚 interesting. And scary.

It鈥檚 interesting to think about how others can perceive what you thought was just an innocent post; it鈥檚 scary because it means that:

• no matter how awesome your professional resume reads and looks,
• no matter how specialized your cover letter is to a particular position,
• no matter what your GPA in college was, and
• no matter how highly your references speak about you,

you could miss an opportunity to be called for a job interview or to be called back for a second interview simply because of what you chose to post about yourself and your life on social media platforms.

While it鈥檚 not recommended you erase all evidence of you anywhere on the internet (41 percent of participants in the 2016 social media survey shared they are less likely to interview a candidate if they can鈥檛 find any information about that person online), here鈥檚 what you can do:

• Be mindful and purposeful about what you choose to post. Think before you press 鈥渟end.鈥� Is what you are about to post something you would be proud to have your grandparents see? If not, 诲辞苍鈥檛 post it.
• Carefully go through each of your social media accounts and delete photos, comments, and shares that are even potentially offensive (you know which ones those are).
• Sift through your list of 鈥渇riends鈥� on your accounts. If you have no idea who someone is, how you know them, or why you ever accepted their friend request initially, delete them. Prospective employers aren鈥檛 looking to see who has the most friends or likes, they鈥檙e looking to see who has integrity, common sense, and the right skills to fit with their company.
• Delete all political rants. Sharing your political party online is simply inviting heated discussions, comments, and posts from any of your friends.
• Start posting and sharing positive and relevant articles, blogs, and links that inspire others. Share appropriate pictures of yourself enjoying life with your family and friends.

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Here are some tips to help create the best reference list possible:

Contact Your References First (Before You Have Others Contact Them)

Just because someone told you four years ago that you could include him/her as a reference, doesn鈥檛 mean you can still include him/her today. Their job title, contact info, and memory of you may have changed over the years. Contact each reference you want to use for your list and ask if you may (still) include that person on your list. If they have a vague recollection of you or what you did at your former job, but still say they will serve as a reference, thank them and then delete them from your list. There is no reason to have a reference on your list if the person does not really know you, your work ethic or your skills.

Compile a List of 3 to 5 References

One or two references are not enough; more than five is too much. Your reference sheet is a list of individuals who will speak highly of you. It鈥檚 not to prove you鈥檙e a name-dropper. It is not a list of people in high-ranking or powerful roles who attended a private party where you worked part-time as a bartender. Each reference should be able to place your name with your face 鈥� and with your disposition!

• You can include a relative, as long as that cousin, uncle, or sibling has a different last name from yours. If contacted, the relative would simply say he/she grew up in the same neighborhood (or school) with you and has known you all your life.
• Ideally, your list will include at least one reference from a recent
• Be careful when including a reference from your current employer and only include someone that you trust implicitly. Plenty of people have lost their jobs while looking for a new job because the word got out that they wanted to quit.

Seven Things You鈥檒l Need for Each Reference + One Thing You鈥檒l Really Want

In addition to the reference鈥檚 name, you鈥檒l want to include:

• his/her title,
• the name of their employer,
• the city and state where they work,
• their email address, and
• their phone number.

When building your reference page, include direct quotes from some of your references. Send them an email and ask them if they would write a few sentences about you that you could include on your reference sheet. You are not asking them to write a full-length reference letter; you simply want a few sentences from them. By including this unique component directly on your reference sheet, often times the prospective employer will simply read those quotes and not bother to call the reference directly.

Your reference sheet should match your resume and cover letter in layout, design, paper, and font. Bring a copy of it with you on each interview. At the end of the interview, hand a copy to the person who interviewed you and say, 鈥淧lease feel free to contact my references!鈥� It鈥檚 a nice way to end the interview, and it shows that you are organized and well-prepared.

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Some adults returning to college know exactly what job they want and where they want to work. They鈥檝e had several years to think about it since high school; they鈥檝e worked in several fields already, and now have a clear focus on where they want to be professionally. Other adult college students have a pretty good idea of the industry in which they want to work, but 诲辞苍鈥檛 have a solid handle on the exact role. Still, others know the type of job they鈥檇 like, but they haven鈥檛 decided on the particular industry where they鈥檇 like to do that yet.

While you 诲辞苍鈥檛 have to know exactly what you want to do in your career and exactly where you want to do it before you start your college journey, there are three initiatives you can take along the way to pursuing your formal education that will help you discover where it is you are meant to be.

1. Volunteer Where You鈥檇 Love to Work

While some organizations and companies have formal volunteer programs, others may not have considered welcoming volunteers 鈥� until you came along. Think about where you鈥檇 love to work and contact the owner, the HR Department, or perhaps someone you know who works there, and see if you can volunteer for a few hours one day a week. It doesn鈥檛 matter what you do as a volunteer; just being in that environment will enable you to get an inside look at many of the behind-the-scenes activities that are not available to the general public. The experience will either affirm your decision to pursue a career in that industry or it will motivate you to consider other options.

The experience will either affirm your decision to pursue a career in that industry or it will motivate you to consider other options.

2. Shadow (or Interview) Professionals Who Have the Job You鈥檇 Love

Connect with professionals in your area of interest and see if you can 鈥渟hadow鈥� them a few times while they are on the job. If you cannot find a time convenient for the two of you to meet, see if you can interview them about their job and experiences. Perhaps you could offer to take the person to lunch to get information about why they chose their career, what they like most about it, and what they would do differently, or schedule a time to talk on the phone. After you鈥檝e shadowed or interviewed professionals from your industry of choice, be sure to snail mail them a thank you note (including a gift card to a local eatery wouldn鈥檛 hurt either!).

3. Secure an Internship in an Industry that Interests You

Internships differ from volunteering because they are typically more formal with their requirements and formatting. An internship can last six weeks or six months and may include monetary compensation or even college credit. Securing an internship in an industry where you would like to work is invaluable. Internships often turn into a full-time job offer at the same company where they took place or they will lead to phenomenal references (if you do an exceptional job during the internship).

— — —

Whether you choose to volunteer somewhere, shadow an expert, and/or commit to a formal internship, the experience will not only give you more substance for your resume but also enable you to have a more laser-focused perspective on what you鈥檇 really like to do. Ultimately (and ideally), your career of choice should be one that can finance your lifestyle, utilize your skills and talents, and enable you to contribute to the world in a meaningful way.

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Obtaining a bachelor鈥檚 or master鈥檚 degree will no doubt boost your chances of landing your dream job, getting promoted or successfully changing careers. But all that hard work could go unnoticed if you 诲辞苍鈥檛 have a strong LinkedIn profile.

Research shows up to 94% of recruiters search LinkedIn for job candidates. Make your profile stand out from the other 500 million LinkedIn users with these simple do鈥檚 and 诲辞苍鈥檛s:

DO

• Use keywords, not buzzwords. When writing your profile, include relevant industry terms, software programs, skills and performance words like 鈥渁chieved,鈥� 鈥渟old鈥� and 鈥渂uilt.鈥� Find the right keywords by looking at job descriptions of the position you want.
• Include a professional photo. Profiles with photos get up to 21 times more views and up to 36 times more messages. Invest in a professional photographer to shoot a close-up of your face (smiling, please) on a clean, white background.
• Be specific about what you do. Instead of a generic title like 鈥淪ales Rep,鈥� say, for example, 鈥淔inancial Services Account Manager.鈥�
• Communicate your value. Use your headline to tell readers not just what you do, but how they鈥檒l benefit from working with you. 鈥淩egistered nurse who helps pediatric cancer patients and their families through treatment and recovery,鈥� is much more compelling than 鈥淩egistered nurse at Central Hospital.鈥�

顿翱狈鈥橳

• Leave gaps in your job history. Time gaps are red flags for recruiters. If you have periods when you weren鈥檛 employed, talk about what you did do, such as attend school, volunteer, consult, etc.
• List everything you鈥檝e ever done. Attention spans are short. Give details of your recent work experience and accomplishments relevant to what you want to do next, then summarize older jobs with company names and dates.
• Fall in the overused word trap. To avoid sounding like everyone else, stay away from words LinkedIn says are the most overused, like motivated, creative, passionate, driven, extensive experience, organizational, strategic, track record, responsible and problem-solving.
• Skip the summary. A surprising number of people leave this section of their LinkedIn profile blank, missing an opportunity to express their business philosophies, values and personality. 听听

USE IT!

LinkedIn is a powerful tool, but only if you use it regularly. Follow companies you鈥檙e interested in, join groups in your career field and update your profile whenever something changes, such as your contact information, work status or educational achievements.

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