Summary: Chapter 13 covers job searching, resumes, and cover letters in the digital age. It is important to utilize technology when searching for a job because employers are using the digital world too. The resume is still an important part of job hunting, but remember that the employer may be looking for other aspects of your life before looking at the resume. When looking for a job a self-analysis is recommended because it gets the applicant thinking about what they might be interested in. Some questions to consider when looking for a job are "what are you passionate about? can you turn this passion into a career? do you enjoy working with people, data, or things? how important are salary, benefits, technology support, and job stimulation?" (400). In addition to this evaluating your qualifications will help you see if the job is right for you personally and if it matches your skillset. Job hunting is not easy, but utilize the resources at your disposal to find one; for instance, career fairs, internships, online ads, volunteer, or interview people in your intended field for what you should do (401). The chapter discussed how to search the open job market and where to look for job openings. Having a network will also help with this because those references can plug you in with people and can vouch for you. Branding yourself will also help employers get an idea of who you are at first glance. In the fourth section of Chapter 13 resumes are discussed, and it mentions choosing the style of the resume, how long it should be, organize information effectively, the types of action verbs that should be used, and various resume examples for different scenarios (409-420). At the end of the section, the book gave tips on how to proofread and polish your resume. The final section of Chapter 13 discusses cover messages and what they should and should not consist of.
Comment: What I have noticed is that people tend to stress the importance of a resume over anything else. However, the chapter makes a good point that branding and outward appearance are going to be the first thing an employer sees before noticing the resume, or any document for that matter. Applicants have to stress the importance of what they bring to the table prior to the interview, which is something that is overlooked.
Question: On page 407 of the chapter, it talks about branding yourself self when you are looking for a job, but is it okay to rebrand yourself after getting the job and gaining experience?
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