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Patrick Madsen Articles


Why I will reject you…

June 2nd, 2010 ::

by Patrick Madsen

Photo courtesy smemon87 / Sean MacEntee. Flickr Creative Commons.

I am a part of what is known as “Generation X.” I am supposed to be your ally, part of the generation in the working world that understands you best. After all, we both come from a time of computers and the internet, and according to everything you read, we share a number of other characteristics and abilities. So why is it that I would reject your application, reject you during the interview, and may not even respond to you at all? Easy… because you are not showing me why I should.

Here are just a few reasons you may get rejected by me:

  1. Professional image: Yes, business attire has changed and business casual has become more of the “norm” in corporate American. BUT that doesn’t mean that you can wear flip-flops to work, not brush your hair, or wear “Saturday night” attire to an interview or to networking occasions. The people that are still in charge and making the hiring decisions will look for the professionally dressed.
  2. Your attitude: Just because I am not standing in front of you does not mean that I will not hear about EVERYTHING you said and did. I remember a student who showed up to our building for an appointment only to discover that I was not in the building. He threw a temper tantrum in front of our reception team, demanded to see my boss, and wrote a two page grievance letter to the dean. While printing this letter, he decided to check his email only to find out that he had mixed up the appointment day/time. He didn’t turn in the letter to the dean. But I still heard the whole story. So be careful about the image you are projecting AT ALL TIMES as it can affect your career opportunities in the future, especially when you don’t yet have a proven track record. No one wants to hire someone with a poor attitude or who cannot act professionally. (Side note: Even had I been wrong and gotten the date messed up, the temper tantrum in the lobby would have immediately put this student in the “no” pile had I been a hiring manager.)
  3. You don’t care: I can quickly pick out those who really care about the job and those who just see it as a means to an end. Find something you are passionate about and go after it. Don’t settle for something that you will hang onto only for a short time and then move on. Your passion, or lack thereof, can be seen on your face, your demeanor, and presentation. That said, I also don’t want you to think that your first job will be your “dream job” and will meet your every criterion. But there is a mid-point between those two extremes.
  4. Spelling and grammar: You’ve heard this before, I’m sure, but it bears repeating: One negative trend that technology has created is the lack of professional writing. With people instant messaging, tweeting, and texting, their ability to coherently develop structured writing based on the “rules” we learned in school has gone by the wayside. Emails that are poorly developed, resumes with one spelling mistake, or even a connection request on LinkedIn that has errors often will land you in the “no” pile vs. the “yes” pile.

People forget that a job interview is a sales call. You need to sell me your “value”! Why should I want to hire you if you cannot sell me on the idea of you? Think about yourself as a product. What would make a consumer purchase that product?

And remember that you are still playing in the world developed by those from the Baby Boomer Generation and Generation X. Learn as much as you can about how they think, how they work, and what motivates them. The more you know, the more it will help you interact with those from the generations doing the hiring.

Patrick Madsen, Director of Programs & Education in Career Services at the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business SchoolPatrick Madsen is the Director of Programs & Education in Career Services at the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School. He manages the Programs & Education curriculum to include career advising services, speaker series, brand management training, and other events to help students prepare themselves for the world of work. His background includes a degree in Psychology from North Carolina State University, a masters degree in Counseling from East Carolina University, and a doctorate in Organizational Leadership/Student Affairs from Nova Southeastern University.

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Posted in Cover Letters, Interviewing, Job Search, Networking, Patrick Madsen, Personal Brand, Resumes, WhatsNextGenY, Working World | No Comments »

All good things must come to an end

May 12th, 2010 ::

by Patrick Madsen

Image: CarbonNYC / David Goehring Flickrstream. Creative Commons

Finishing up this stage of your life seems like the easiest thing to do, but many forget to look at what’s involved with the next stage. Life after college can become a real bear if you are not ready for it. Many of you are beginning to feel the pinch of student loans coming soon, to worry about the big move to somewhere new, or even to fret over the lack of a job to transition into. Stress will creep into your mind, this is normal—but there is something you can do to lessen the effects it may have. Prepare yourself as early as possible.

Thinking about the future is always the hardest part because you are never sure what you are leaving out or forgetting. Let’s generally talk about what you are going to need:

  • Budget: No longer can you just spend money on whatever you want at the moment. Bills will begin to fall on your lap – not only for those pesky student loans, but also for rent, utilities, and food… you know, all those things mom and dad used to cover! Create a budget so you can figure out how much money you’ll have left over each month after you pay your bills.
  • Insurance: Make sure you have health insurance, car insurance, renters/home insurance, and even disability insurance. Extras could include vision, dental, and even maternity insurance. If any of these are not included in your benefits package, then you might want to measure the pros and cons of having it.
  • Sharpen the saw: Keep mentally, spiritually, and physically fit. Exercise and proper nutrition, no how busy you are, will assist you in coping with stress and living a healthier life. Remember to use those vacation days! They exist for a reason.
  • Office Politics/Culture: Observe your surroundings and find where you fit in. Do not come in like a gangbuster and expect to change the world. Remember there are formal and informal rules throughout each job. Pick your battles… your job is not your life!
  • Thinking of the future: At some point you are going to want to retire… or will be forced to. Consider your future when planning your budget or career. Start saving now. Think about IRA plans, mutual funds, stocks, and a comprehensive portfolio to make sure you are comfortable as you age. Remember to plan for extras such as family, car breakdowns, moving expenses, sudden illness, or whatever else life throws our way.

Let me leave you with a few things my father liked to bore into my mind. Remember, this is a man who has been in the work world for more than 35 years — most of those years with the same company. He has had many experiences and passes these experiences on to my siblings and myself. So here they are for you:

10 commandments of my dad

  1. When you get done with work, be done.
  2. Be prepared for the working world.
  3. Understand what it is you want from life and take it.
  4. Have a life.
  5. Network, network, network.
  6. Continue to learn new things so that you never get bored or stuck.
  7. Respect your boss, don’t kiss ass.
  8. Don’t be the same as everyone else. Those who are different get seen the most.
  9. Relax… after all, what’s the worst that can happen?
  10. Sometimes we have to do things we don’t like… SOMETIMES

Have a lesson you’ve learned from a parent, professor, friend, or your own working world experience? Add it below in the comments section.

Patrick Madsen, Director of Programs & Education in Career Services at the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business SchoolPatrick Madsen is the Director of Programs & Education in Career Services at the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School. He manages the Programs & Education curriculum to include career advising services, speaker series, brand management training, and other events to help students prepare themselves for the world of work. His background includes a degree in Psychology from North Carolina State University, a masters degree in Counseling from East Carolina University, and a doctorate in Organizational Leadership/Student Affairs from Nova Southeastern University.

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Posted in Life Transition, Networking, Patrick Madsen, Personal Brand, WhatsNextGenY, Working World | 1 Comment »

Should You Go to Grad School?

April 29th, 2010 ::

by Patrick Madsen

Image: Andrew Magill's Flickrstream, Creative Commons

I had the opportunity to read through an article posted on Yahoo! Finance’s page the other day titled “Valuing Another Degree”. Interesting article and something that is probably at the forefront of a person’s mind as they consider furthering their education or sticking it out in the workforce. I have to say, this is something that has been discussed by students all through my 10 + years of experience in the career counseling profession. This is not a new concern nor something that the recent economic downturn has caused to surface.

Here are my thoughts on the decision of furthering your education or staying in the workforce:

  • Are you satisfied with your current career path? Most students would say “no” and that the previous education they went for did not pan out like they thought. A graduate degree provides a person with a more specified set of skills, experience, and knowledge that not everyone in the marketplace may have. It is an opportunity to say, “Hey, employer, this is what makes me better than that person over there” or “this is the value that I offer your company to affect your bottom line”.
  • Did you learn the skills that you need to effectively operate in the workforce? Many employers would say you didn’t. Often times, an undergraduate degree is meant to provide you with an overall education, i.e., you get a little history, social sciences, math, composition, and other transferrable knowledge, but with a few exceptions, you likely didn’t get the specific training needed for a specific industry. Take, for example, a Liberal Arts degrees. I fully believe that students are gaining great experience in research, analysis, and thoughtful discourse, but many times they are not shown how these skills can be marketed to the workforce. So these bright and talented young professionals are stuck having to figure out how to target themselves and prove that they have the skills, experience, and knowledge for many industries. Thus… enter a graduate degree.
  • Don’t assume that a graduate degree alone will give you a higher salary. The concept of a graduate degree, by itself, was never meant to automatically give you a higher salary. Instead, it was meant to provide you an update in knowledge and practice to help you prove you deserve a higher salary. This is a misconception about graduate programs (and MBA programs especially). A vast majority of students entering these programs believe and expect that once they finish someone will just give them a job and a $100,000 salary right after they grab their diploma. FALSE. The graduate degree is something that helps you show your passion and motivation for a particular area. It helps “open the door” so that you can show the employer all the great experience and practice you have had and how you could apply it to their organization. When it comes down to it, an employer will most likely look to see if candidates have the degree, but then quickly go into their experience and skills to see if they can “do the job”. After that, the interview will help them see if you are actually a “motivated and professional person” that can fit in with their organization.
  • What does history say? I do not have statistics on this, but I bet they are out there! When you look at the history of jobs and their requirements you start to see an interesting trend. At one point, a high school diploma was the main driver for entrance into the workforce; many jobs asking for a minimum of such educational completion. Over time, you start to notice that the minimum has grown to a bachelor’s degree being the requirement for most jobs out there. I am beginning to see that a master’s degree will become the new minimum requirement for a majority of jobs. This is just something to think about. See if you can find a similar trend for the industry and job function you are looking to enter.

What do I say to students who have been debating this same question over the past 10 years? Simple. What do you see yourself doing with your life? How do you imagine being a part of society?

I want them to see that life is more than just a “job” that they do to earn money, but something that allows them to show the world “this is who I am”. A career is an opportunity to express your values and add substance to the world around you. Do you need a degree to do this? Not necessarily, but often times it helps you get through that door that society puts up to make sure you are motivated, professional, and proven.

Patrick Madsen, Director of Programs & Education in Career Services at the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business SchoolPatrick Madsen is the Director of Programs & Education in Career Services at the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School. He manages the Programs & Education curriculum to include career advising services, speaker series, brand management training, and other events to help students prepare themselves for the world of work. His background includes a degree in Psychology from North Carolina State University, a masters degree in Counseling from East Carolina University, and a doctorate in Organizational Leadership/Student Affairs from Nova Southeastern University.

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Posted in Advanced Degrees, Patrick Madsen, WhatsNextGenY | No Comments »

Your Job Search: Is it like looking for water in the desert?

April 12th, 2010 ::

Desert Landscape

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sidavid/ / CC BY 2.0

Guess what? The world changes constantly. (Big surprise, right?)

It wasn’t that long ago that we were riding high with the many new industries opened up by the introduction of the world wide web and the fascination of what a company could do with computers. Jobs were abundant. Nationwide, headhunters were gathering candidates before graduation. It’s not happening like that today. (But you already know what that. You’ve probably experienced it first hand.) Why, you ask? Well, in case you’ve been living under a rock – and if you have, you’re going to have other problems in your job search – our economy has hit a few road bumps, budgets have failed, and companies have gone under. This can make it very difficult for today’s graduate to locate a job that is worth all the time and money spent in college.

I have had numerous students come into my office with the same complaints: Where are the jobs? Why did I even go to college if there is nothing out there for me?

Let me clue you in: There are jobs out there.

I definitely believe that. It’s just a matter of finding them. And that is the key: Companies are not going to find you anymore… you have to find them! So what does that mean for you, the job seeker? It means you need to learn a few new tools and techniques so you can creative in your job search. And that’s why I’m here. I’m going to teach you how to be assertive and aggressive in your job search by getting to know yourself and your potential and options.

Getting creative means looking for jobs in areas or with techniques previously not used. Did you know that only about 20–30% of jobs are actually published to the general public? (One of my fellow bloggers knows this is true. She wrote about it.) Yet, despite this fact, 80–90% of people looking for jobs concentrate their efforts solely on finding published jobs. So where are the rest of the jobs? They’re centered around an employer’s wish list or they’re just “thoughts,” waiting for the right person to come along and make them a reality.

All employers are thinking about the future: where the company is headed, what projects the company needs to undertake, and who they will need to hire to meet these goals. Many professionals network to find the person to fill positions rather than publicize it to everyone and chance hiring the wrong candidate. This means to you that you need to start digging for jobs rather than searching for them.

Digging entails networking with professionals already working in your desired industry/career field. It means getting to know the people, talking with them and picking their brains for ideas. Networking also may mean interviewing professionals about their career and how they got there (not necessarily just handing them your resume, but rather hinting at your search in progress).

Digging also can mean taking on more volunteer work, part-time work, or internships in the areas you are interested in. This will allow you the chance to get “your foot in the door” and gain contacts in the field. I cannot expect to just jump into the computer industry without first having some experience in computers or by not having any contacts to “back me up”!

Using this train of thought means you need to follow some simple steps:

  1. Get to know your interests: What is it that interests you? You must first learn the product you are going to be selling before you can create a marketing plan!
  2. Market yourself: You must continue to learn new things so that you have opportunity to move to different areas. Learn effective job search strategies from Career Services or from your contacts.
  3. Take away the bumps in the road: If your industry is feeling a pinch in your area, be willing to move somewhere else. I can remember a student who asked me the potential job market in the Greenville area for fashion design. I couldn’t help her much because, let’s face it, Greenville is not the center of the fashion world. Keep this train of thought in the forefront of your mind.
  4. Be positive and energetic: It will be hard in some instances…believe me. But, remember to keep your energy high and your mind positive. The more negative you become, the harder the process gets. Employers pick up the negativity in the interview and this will count against you. No one wants to work with a sour-puss!

So what happens when you do all this and still hit a brick wall in your search? Easy. Back up and find another road to follow. This is where your resources come into play.

Contact your school’s Career Services department. Contact friends who can provide you with an outside view. Contact alumni groups for your university. Contact your parents’ friends and your friends’ parents who work within a relevant field. And read further into this great blog! Anything to keep you moving forward with your job search.

Patrick Madsen, Director of Programs & Education in Career Services at the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business SchoolPatrick Madsen is the Director of Programs & Education in Career Services at the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School. He manages the Programs & Education curriculum to include career advising services, speaker series, brand management training, and other events to help students prepare themselves for the world of work. His background includes a degree in Psychology from North Carolina State University, a masters degree in Counseling from East Carolina University, and a doctorate in Organizational Leadership/Student Affairs from Nova Southeastern University.

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Posted in Job Search, Networking, Patrick Madsen, WhatsNextGenY | No Comments »

Resume Building is Easier Than it Looks!

March 2nd, 2010 ::

by Patrick Madsen

You’ve done a lot while in college… hopefully. Now you’re getting to the point where it’s time to develop a way to express your achievements, expertise, and anything else you want to tell a potential employer. In other words…it is resume-building time!!

I know it looks like it’s going to take a loooooong time to compile, but it doesn’t have to. I’m going to share a quick and painless way to pull together your first resume so you can relax—and realize what you have to offer an employer.

I break down resume creation into three main stages: brain-dumping, organizing, and structuring.

Brain-dumping

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joost-ijmuiden/ / CC BY 2.0

Ever heard of brainstorming? That’s pretty much what we’re doing here. Take out a piece of blank paper and begin to brain-dump… Just write down everything you can think of concerning college and outside activities and experiences. This includes the smallest thing—such as a class you enjoyed—all the way to the biggest accomplishments—such as the impressive internship you completed during your college tenure. The objective here is to take everything you can remember and put it down on paper so that you can see it. Don’t worry about order or organization. Just write!

The reason: Many people tend to leave off some vital information from their resume because they either forget it or think it’s unimportant. Don’t be one of those people.

Organizing

Take out a fresh sheet of paper—oh, wait, you’re the Millennials, so open up a new Word document—and start to organize all this random information into sensible groups: Classes in one section, work experience in another, presentations in a third… you get the picture. Do this until all the random information has a home. But do not title these sections yet!

The reason: This is a pre-format for your resume. It allows you to clearly see what types of information you have available for developing a resume specific to an area you are interested in. Also, it makes life easier for the next step!

Structuring

This by far is the most creative time in the process. Before looking at any resume formats or samples, think about WHY you’re making this resume. What type of jobs will you be using this for? What do you want to highlight? What key words from the job description are important for your resume? These, among others, are important questions when thinking about the structure of a resume.

The reason: You should be tailoring your resume each time you submit it so that you highlight those items that are the best fit to the job for which you are apply.

There are thousands of ways to structure a resume…and each field has areas you should concentrate on or aspects you should consider. This is where an expert or a good mentor (or a good website or blog, like ours) comes into play. Go make an appointment with an expert in your school’s Career Services office or talk to another career expert you know. Tell them what areas you’re considering sending out resumes to and gain some valuable tips and techniques specific to those areas.

So there are my first three tips to get you started. I have a lot more. So many, in fact, that I could fill up this blog for the next few years!

One last thought: Once you actually build your resume, send it to someone to review. In fact…send it to MANY people to review!

Patrick Madsen, Director of Programs & Education in Career Services at the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business SchoolPatrick Madsen is the Director of Programs & Education in Career Services at the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School. He manages the Programs & Education curriculum to include career advising services, speaker series, brand management training, and other events to help students prepare themselves for the world of work. His background includes a degree in Psychology from North Carolina State University, a masters degree in Counseling from East Carolina University, and a doctorate in Organizational Leadership/Student Affairs from Nova Southeastern University.

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Posted in Patrick Madsen, Resumes, WhatsNextGenY | 1 Comment »