Creating a Competitive Advantage for a Successful Career Trajectory

Abstract

A competitive advantage is the ability to stay ahead of one's present or potential competition. This article will examine how first-year college students can create their own competitive advantage by preparing themselves not only academically but also professionally to position themselves for a successful career trajectory. The article will cover crafting professional job search documents, such as a résumé and a cover letter; the art of interviewing via various mediums (phone, live video, recorded video, in person, panel); and creating a professional brand through LinkedIn.

Headnote

Abstract

A competitive advantage is the ability to stay ahead of one's present or potential competition. This article will examine how first-year college students can create their own competitive advantage by preparing themselves not only academically but also professionally to position themselves for a successful career trajectory. The article will cover crafting professional job search documents, such as a résumé and a cover letter; the art of interviewing via various mediums (phone, live video, recorded video, in person, panel); and creating a professional brand through LinkedIn.

Keywords

career, success, career readiness, branding, internships

Introduction

The college years are a critical time for students to prepare themselves for their future careers. We live in a competitive world, and first-year college students should take advantage of the resources that are available to them at their colleges and universities. Career Centers offer important student success services to students at all levels. This article will delve into how firstyear college students can create a competitive advantage to be successful in their careers. We will start by discussing what a first-year timeline for first-year students should look like. Next, we will talk about professional preparation. Topics reviewed under professional preparation will include crafting professional job search documents such as a résumé and a cover letter, the art of interviewing on different platforms, creating a professional brand on LinkedIn, and gaining experience while being in school.

First-Year Timeline

Many students do not think of career planning as something important until they are in their senior year in college. Nonetheless, students who start planning their career early in their college years will be better prepared as they start applying to jobs and embark in the interview process (The University of Minnesota, 2021). Students during their first year in college should think of exploring. For those who are undecided about their major, visiting their college's career center to begin learning about their skills, values, and interests will be important (The University of Minnesota, 2021).

What are the typical recommendations for first-year college students? First, they should complete a self-assessment of their personality, interests, skills, and values to learn about what major would be a good fit for them, reconfirm their selection or open new avenues that students had not considered (University of Minnesota, 2021; FAU Career Center, 2020). Second, first-year college students could meet with faculty and ask about the career paths of former students, coupled with other career options. Additionally, students could explore their academic strengths and interests by taking introductory courses, join student clubs and organizations, volunteer, or engage in internships (University of Minnesota, 2021). Something else first-year college students could do is conduct an informational interview with a professional mentor; that way, they will learn valuable information about the professional mentor's career (FAU Career Center, 2020). Finally, it would be a recommendation for first-year college students to meet with a career counselor to get their professional résumé ready, conduct a practice interview, and learn about Career Fairs and Career Expos that the institution coordinates. First-year college students will start having a competitive advantage over other students by engaging with employers early in their college journey. They can start networking with employers, learning about internships, part-time and fulltime positions as early as their first year (FAU Career Center, 2020).

Professional Preparation

This section will review creating professional job search documents, specifically focusing on the two most important documents which are résumés and cover letters. In addition, we will discuss interviewing techniques, and the power of having a LinkedIn profile.

Professional Job Search Documents

It is important for first-year college students to start working on their professional job search documents. We will share tips and tricks for students to develop résumés and cover letters that will look professional to potential employers.

Résumés. A résumé is a must-have document in the job search process. First-year college students often ask what they should include on their résumés, especially if they have no work experience. First-year students in college are in the process of acquiring skills and experiences that will help them make the jump to the workplace. A professional résumé will give students the tool to apply to opportunities such as internships, on-campus jobs, part-time jobs, work-study opportunities, scholarships, and student organizations. First-year college students can include information from their high school years; however, moving into their second year in college, they should omit high school experiences (Career Guide, 2021).

A college first-year student's résumé should include the following information:

* Contact information: Name, full address or simply the city and State, cell phone number, and an email address that looks professional.

* Skills: Skills should include technical skills as well as soft skills, those that relate to personality characteristics and traits (team player, critical thinking skills, communication skills, leadership abilities, etc.).

* Extracurricular activities: College first-year students are bound to have gained experience and valuable skills from extracurricular activities. As such, they could include teams and organizations that they belonged to, as well as any achievements that students were able to accomplish during their first year.

* Education: The education section should be placed on top of the résumé as students will be currently enrolled in school. Students should include the name of the institution, the expected graduation date, the degree and major or minor. Moreover, students should include their GPA if it is over 3.20 to denote academic achievement. Any scholarships that the student has should be in this section as well.

* Work experience: First-year college students may lack work experience. However, they can compensate that lack of experience with other opportunities where they can learn career readiness skills. Such additional experiences are exchange programs, volunteer work, part-time jobs, seasonal positions, leadership roles, exchange programs or study abroad, and seasonal positions or internships (Career Guide, 2021).

Some tips and tricks for a college first-year student to keep in mind when working on a résumé are including bullet points. Bullet points present the information in a more concise way making it easier for the reader to follow. Students should avoid using first person language ("I utilized..."). Additionally, students should use an active voice and present diverse descriptions, even though the experiences may be similar. By using action verbs, they will use language that attracts, excites, and gets the attention of the reader. Descriptions can follow this formula: Action verb + details + impact, purpose, or result (Career Guide, 2021).

Formatting the document is important as students only have one impression to make a good first impression, and this applies to job search documents as well. First-year college student résumés should be one page in length. Formatting needs to be consistent. The use of bold, italics, and underlining should be careful to give the résumé an uncluttered look. Margins will be 0.5" at a minimum. Times New Roman or Courier New are commonly accepted font styles in résumés between ten and twelve points. Résumés will be sent in PDF format (Career Guide, 2021).

Cover Letters. A cover letter should be one page long, with three paragraphs. Cover letters are students' opportunity to answer the question as to why the employer should hire them. Why are students a good fit for the position? It is important that students read the position description carefully so they can address the needs of the role (Arizona Student Engagement & Career Development, 2021).

Targeting the cover letter to the position that students are applying to is a time-consuming exercise, but one that is likely to impress the employer. Students should demonstrate their enthusiasm and interest in the opportunity. Read the job description carefully, so their cover letter really speaks to the requested qualifications. A few recommendations related to the cover letter are the following:

* The contact information should go at the top, the same way as it goes on the résumé.

* Students should write Dear Hiring Manager, Dear Hiring Committee, or Dear Human Resources Director if they do not have a contact to whom to address the letter.

* The first paragraph introduces the student and their interest in the position. Students may want to include how they found out about the opportunity.

* The second paragraph will talk about what students have to offer to the employer in question at an individual level, highlighting their skills and qualifications.

* The third paragraph will focus on what added value they will be bringing to the organization.

* The last paragraph provides closure. Here, first-year college students can reiterate their interest in the organization and thank the employer for their consideration (Arizona Student Engagement & Career Development, 2021).

The Art of Interviewing

First-year college students can have a competitive edge by preparing for all kinds of interviews and be aware of new techniques that are permeating industry. Traditional interviews, those where employers ask candidates about their skills and experience to gauge for fit, have been the norm for decades. Traditional interviews come in all shapes and forms! They can be in-person, phone, one-on-one, panel interviews, live video interviews, asynchronous video interviews, structured, and those with unstructured questions. No matter the interview type, first-year college students should be prepared for them all (Lewis, 2018). Moreover, one of the most important ingredients to a successful interview is enthusiasm and having the right attitude. In H. Anthony Medley's book Sweaty Palms, the Neglected Art of Being Interviewed, the author states: "Because you radiate what you feel, your state of mind will be directly related to the success or failure of your interview" (Medley, 2005, p. 111).

According to the Global Talent Trends 2020 report (Lobosco, 2020) that surveyed more than 9,000 recruiters and hiring managers, traditional interviewing is not good at assessing candidates' soft skills (63%) and weaknesses (57%). Furthermore, traditional interviews are time consuming, and rely on asking the right interview questions to get a clear picture of a candidate (Lobosco, 2020). Fortunately, more innovative interviewing tools have emerged. According to the Global Talent Trends 2020 report (Lobosco, 2020), the five most useful interviewing techniques are the following:

* Soft skills assessments (59%): Soft skills assessments provide an objective view of candidates' personal traits. Examples of high-tech tools are Koru and Pymetrics. These tools use neuroscience to assess candidates' soft skills such as flexibility and teamwork, which predict job performance (Lewis, 2018).

* Job auditions (54%): Job auditions consist of bringing in talent to the organization and let them see what work would be like. In return, employers will get a clear picture of the candidates' skills. Companies will ask candidates to do job auditions in the shape of hackathons, bringing them in for a full day of work, or even hiring candidates for a trial period spanning several weeks (Lewis, 2018).

* Casual setting meetings (53%) lets employers see a more authentic side of candidates in a low-pressure environment. While these used to be outliers, today more than half of all recruiters and hiring managers see the usefulness of less formal interviews. It puts everyone at ease, allows candidates to show more of their personality, and gives a great impression of the employer's work culture.

* Virtual reality assessments (28%): Employers increasingly use virtual reality assessments as a recruiting tool to measure candidates' skills, show the organization's culture, and attract younger talent (Lewis, 2018).

* Video interviews (18%) allow employers to consider more remote candidates efficiently. The way in which video interviews work is by having candidates record themselves answering basic questions for approximately 15 minutes. The benefits of video interviews are that busy candidates can record themselves as time permits, whereas nervous candidates can feel more relaxed. On the recruiter end, they can efficiently review a high number of candidates in a short span of time (Lewis, 2018).

Once first-year college students are familiar with the five most useful interviewing techniques, they need to prepare for their interview. The purpose of the first interview should not be to get the job, but rather to get to the second interview (Martinez, 2010). Students should thoroughly prepare for the interview and follow up with the recruiter. Some highlights from Harvard Business Review's strategies of effective interviewing (Trull, 1964) include the following:

* Preparedness: The number one mistake that candidates tend to fall into is the lack of planning and preparation for an interview. Candidates should anticipate questions they may be asked and prepare themselves accordingly.

* Rapport building: The interviewer should attempt to make the interviewee feel comfortable, especially in the job application process, promotion, or in other similar situations. The interviewer can take some notes to remember what happened and refer to their notes to continue building rapport with the candidate (Trull, 1964).

* Managing the conversation: The interviewee is sensitive to all reactions by the interviewer. Being aware of this, the interviewer may easily navigate the conversation in the most productive way. Phrasing a question by rewording it into a rhetorical one gives the interviewee a period to think through a definite response. Nodding is the most effective way to support a candidate. Other nonverbal cues are similarly meaningful (Trull, 1964).

* Developing information: Successful interviewers use broad, broad questions. Frequent questions allow candidates to answer with information they may feel important, and they can expand into other areas that candidates deem important. Once candidates respond with information, the interviewer can follow-up with specific questions that will look for short answers (Trull, 1964).

* Silence: Nowadays, silence seems to be always avoided. It is for this reason that inexperienced interviewers will not take silence in an interview well and may go on to the next question while the interviewee is taking the time to really think about the response (Trull, 1964).

* Active listening: Often, people fall into hearing what they want to hear, as opposed to what has truly been said. To clearly hear what is said during an interview, interviewers need to be aware of their own filters that may block clear and accurate reception of information (Trull, 1964).

* Data analysis: Once the interview is conducted, the interviewer should analyze the data. First, the interviewer will be reviewing the content of the interview to analyze what was being said and whether or not it was reliable. Then, the interviewer will investigate the verbal - what was heard - and nonverbal - what was observed - content. Interviewers additionally will subjectively evaluate candidates' feelings and attitudes (Trull, 1964).

* Ending the meeting: The last 10% of the interview is crucial. There typically will be a plan of action, something that either or both parties will need to achieve (Trull, 1964).

* Follow-up: Interviewers tend to fail at documenting conversations that occur during an interview. By jotting down impressions, key events, and mutually agreed information, the interviewer will be able to reconstruct the interview at a future date, which will provide a framework for planning follow-up sessions (Trull, 1964).

Creating a Professional Brand

The best way to create a professional brand is by opening a LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn is a professional brand that will give first-year college students access to the global job market. LinkedIn has more than 600 million users across 200 countries (Garriott, 2015; Ngo, 2020). LinkedIn is the place to find and be found. College students can use LinkedIn to set a professional online presence, which is important for securing career, internship, and volunteer opportunities while still in school (Ngo, 2020). By doing so, they will have access to over 1.5 million student jobs and internships. Further, more than nine in ten companies use LinkedIn to recruit new hires (Garriott, 2015).

First-year college students can work with a career counselor on their LinkedIn profile. To have a complete profile and start applying to opportunities, they should review and act upon the following points (Garriott, 2015; Ngo, 2020).

(1) Upload a professional photo. Profiles with photos get fourteen times more views than those without a photo (Garriott, 2015). Some career centers offer professional headshot services. First-year college students should inquire and take advantage of that service.

(2) Write a memorable profile headline. The headline is a short slogan that will cover the one thing students want a recruiter, hiring manager, or future colleague to know about them. For example: "Honors student seeking summer research internship."

(3) Spend some time on the Summary statement. The summary statement tells one's story. This is the section where students can bring to life their experience and aspirations (Garriott, 2015).

(4) Detail your experience. Students can include more or less detail on their experience than what they include on their résumé. Students should include a brief description of what they were responsible for and what they were able to accomplish.

(5) Additional profile sections. For students who are starting their careers, they can substitute lack of experience with additional profile sections such as volunteer experience, part-time or unpaid work, contract work, internships, and organizations.

(6) Develop a robust network. 80% of job openings are never advertised (Garriott, 2015). It is not who students know, but who students know knows. That is why starting to focus on building a strong network is so important.

(7) Be unique and have your unique LinkedIn URL. LinkedIn users can edit their LinkedIn URL to make it look more professional and achieve search engine optimization to make it easier for employers to find them.

(8) Show your work. Students can include actual examples of their work. They can upload documents or link to media, presentations, and documents.

(9) Use relevant keywords and ask for recommendations. Browse job listings that students are interested in to find keywords that they can include in their LinkedIn profile. Students should evaluate their résumé for soft skills, and include soft skills along with hard, measurable skills. Students can add them to the "Skills & Endorsements" section of their profile (Garriott, 2015; Ngo, 2020).

(10) Review the content on LinkedIn. Students can explore and follow companies, talk to recruiters, and follow influencers who provide advice for success (Garriott, 2015; Ngo, 2020). According to research from the Society for Human Resource Management (2013), approximately 90% of recruiters extensively use LinkedIn. Students can spark interest from these professionals by keeping their profile up-to-date and having an active online presence (Ngo, 2020).

(11) Apply for jobs. LinkedIn has more than 20 million job listings, including student jobs and internships. Once candidates find positions that interest them, they can simply use LinkedIn's Easy Apply feature, which allows candidates to include additional materials to a stored résumé and hit send (Ngo, 2020).

Summary

First-year college students need to prepare themselves in a way that will differentiate them from their classmates. Gaining a competitive advantage truly is at their fingertips, and their college career center office team can help them get prepared. This article reviewed how first-year college students can gain that competitive advantage by learning what to do in college to be successful and preparing themselves for the professional world. As part of the professional preparation, firstyear college students can focus on crafting a résumé and cover letter, practicing for several types of interviews, and working on their brand by creating a LinkedIn profile.

Sidebar

About the Author

A native of Madrid, Spain, Cristina C. López Vergara ([email protected]) is a higher education administration professional with more than 20 years of experience in academia, nonprofit, for-profit, and corporate sectors. Currently, she is Director of Experiential Learning and Internships at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida. She is a Ph.D. candidate in the Higher Education Leadership program at Florida Atlantic University, and holds a Master of Arts in Communication Arts, a Master of Business Administration, and a Graduate Certificate in Human Resource Management from St. Thomas University, in addition to a Master of Arts in Higher Education Leadership from Florida Atlantic University. Ms. López Vergara is passionate about traveling and languages, and is fluent in English, Spanish, and French. ORCID 0000-00018477-7068.

Discussion Questions

(1) How can first-year college students develop a competitive advantage to be career-ready?

(2) What must students do during their first year in college to be successful?

(3) What should a first-year college student professional résumé, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile include?

(4) What are some tips and tricks for first-year college students to maneuver through the distinct types of interviews?

To Cite this Article

López Vergara, C. C. (2022, Fall). Creating a competitive advantage for a successful career trajectory. Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, 14(2), 77-84.

References

References

Arizona Student Engagement & Career Development. (2021). Writing a cover letter. https://career.arizona. edu/j obs/cover-letters2021

Career Guide. (2021, February 22). How to write a résumé as a college first-year student (with template and example). Indeed. https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/résumés-cover letters/résumé-college-first-year student

FAU (Florida Atlantic University) Career Center. (2020, May 5). 4-year career plan. https://www.fau.edu/career/students/4yearcareerpl an.php

Garriott, O. (2015, February 6). 10 LinkedIn tips for students and new grads. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/10-tips-students-new-grads-linkedin-omar-garriott

Lewis, G. (2018, January 29). 5 New interviewing techniques that you should start using. LinkedIn Talent Blog.<https://business.linkedin.com/talent-solutions/blog/interview questions/2018/5-new-interviewing-techniques-that-you-need-to-know-about

Lobosco, M. (2020). 4 trends changing the way you hire and retain talent in 2020. LinkedIn Talent Blog.<https://business.linkedin.com/talent-solutions/blog/trends-and research/2020/global-talent-trends-2020

Martinez, L. A. (2010). Getting there (Vol. 2). Xlibris Corporation. http://gettingtherecoach.com

Medley, H. A. (2005). Sweaty palms: The neglected art of being interviewed. Warner Business Books.

Ngo, C. (2020, March 18). How to use LinkedIn as a college student. Best Colleges. https://www.bestcolleges.com/blog/how-to-use-linkedin-in-college/

The University of Minnesota. (2021). Career planning - year by year - parenting college students. https://innovation.umn.edu/college-parent/career-planning-year-by-year/

Trull, S. (1964, January). Strategies of effective interviewing. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/1964/01/strategies-of-effective-interviewing