Before & After: My Experiences with the “Start Your Career Seminar”

This is part one of a two-part blog entry about my feelings and experiences regarding the conventional “get your career started” type-seminar. You know the type. College kids awkwardly filter into a huge conference room filled with chairs and round tables; uncomfortably mingling with each other until the keynote speaker approaches the podium to begin the program. They break you up into groups and teach you how to build your resume, do well in interviews, and network with professionals. All things that are important, don’t get me wrong, but not overwhelmingly helpful when it comes to starting your ideal career.

However, later this month I will have the opportunity to attend another one of these seminars in Blue Bell, PA. This seminar, titled “Launching Your Career 101”, is invitation-only and for graduating or post-graduate college seniors. Taking into effect the exclusiveness of the invitees, I was immediately interested in attending.

I feel as though this seminar will be more beneficial than others because it is reserved for students who are eager to enter the working world. Here is what I anticipate going in:

1. Everyone should have a well-put together resume: There shouldn’t be any need for getting a resume set up, rather the workshop should be reserved for making adjustments in order to make your resume compelling and stand out from others.
2. Personal branding should be a focal point: Differentiating yourself from the masses and landing the opportunity that will launch your career should be heavily discussed.
3. In-Depth Interview Prep: Because most of the participants should have significant interview experience, I would expect more in-depth interview prep with regards to “pitching yourself” to a prospective employer. Many young professionals know how to answer questions, but cannot give a quality pitch for themselves.
4. Creating a List of potential employers: Most of us obviously want to pursue a career in our field and may even know of businesses that are hiring, however finding the ideal employer is the difficult part. A workshop detailing how to narrow down this search would be extremely helpful for future young professionals.

From looking at the agenda, it appears as though there will be a lot of useful information and guidance from successful recruiters who have extensive experience in this field. Stay tuned for part two of this blog where I will be recapping the seminar and providing several key takeaways I learned from attending.

This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Steve Jacobs.