on social media, chime in, let
us know what you did for your
first shop. Well, it is
graduation season and tens of
thousands of students are ready
to enter the workforce. But
how can recent grad stand out
from their peers and secure a
stable job? Joining me now is
Nicole Vanden Heuvel with the
Sentor for Career Development
at Rice University. Thank you
so much for coming in this
morning. What was your first
job?
>> Nice to see that back.
Yes, my first job. Well, my
real first job was in high
school was working at the
equivalent of Walmart. Okay.
It was K Mart Of course I was
check out supervisor today or
he wants. They’re still around
this time around. Not here.
Not now here. Not here. I know
of north. We still have them
that I ask. But of course,
babysitting. And then I was
as a housekeeper to cleaning
hotel rooms. And so I I did a
bunch of grunts tough to get.
Those are all life skills, all
life skills and very rewarding.
Setting you up for success in
your future, right in your
careers.
>> With that said, what are
some hiring trends? College
grads should be aware of right
now.
>> I’ll have to tell you since
we’re talking about college
grads, the market’s very strong
and we are at near unemployment
record levels as you have
probably reported. nearing 50
year lows. Wow. The market in
Texas is especially strong and
and in Houston as well. So
we’re what we’re Rice
University. We had a very
active fall recruiting and of
an active fall. A spring season
and companies are still
recruiting. That said the
market is still competitive,
right? And you still have to be
able to set yourself apart.
I was just going to ask, you
know, having a strong such as
we have right now. What does
that do for someone applying
me? It makes it that much more
competitive.
>> Yes, I mean, you still have
to check. You got to check the
boxes of having a really strong
resume. Yeah, OK? And that’s
really still the first entry
point when we’re talking about
for students.
If you’re going to ask me like,
what should students do right
now, you know, to to set them
site last, I would say the
first thing is go to the Cruz
enter. Yeah. They have those
conversations. Those
conversations as you were
talking earlier and, you know,
your college tuition dollars
are paying for the courier
senator so died. That’s your
first year. That should be your
first point of.
And try. Yeah, your first stop
stop. Their first can go back
because Chris Ares also open
all summer. We don’t take a
break. We don’t. We will go
on vacation. That’s good.
So that’s really yes. So let’s
go to your cursor first.
And then secondly. Have a
strong link
to improve profile. Yeah,
companies are recruiting based
your outward profound and make
sure that it’s really good.
Yeah, I look at yours. Yours is
really You know, I was that I
was I thought you’re going to
say, I need to update mind,
which that I do. You know, it’s
it’s tough because they think.
>> For me, at least I look at
the linked in profile as a
yearlong resume. You know, you
have you have your you have
your one. She resume out paper
that you bring or you can send
to people but really that
profile can really stand for
your portfolio all year long.
Well, it’s your outward resume,
right? It’s your visible
resume. It your brand. So the
resume is still your point of
entry and I I tell students you
still have to have a perfect
resume. Okay? Because companies
are looking for reasons to, of
are you? Yeah, right. So don’t
give them that reason to to
not hard to be sharp and be in
shape. What are some of the
industries looking to hire here
in Houston? First
say again, everybody’s So it’s
a positive message, right?
But when we’re looking at our
job boards in our recruiting
were education still really up
there? We need strong teachers
we need. That’s a labor
shortage. There. Health care
industry, obviously owing gas
and energy is still very
strong. Financial services.
Those and nonprofits. Those are
very strong sectors. And and
there are job functions in all
those different areas within
within all of those. So when
students say I want to be a
software developer, you can be
a software developer. thought.
I want to go into marketing.
I also going to marketing in
energy and oil and gas in
sustainability. That’s really
good to know. And to remember
people looking to secure these
jobs within these markets, what
how did they how do they go
about doing so? Is it going
to their website first to have
those types of conversations
with the recruiters for those
companies?
>> Great question.
>> First of all, do your
research. Okay. So I tell
students if you can’t talk
about who you are and what you
want to do, house the company’s
supposed to know that, right?
So what is your pitch and how
are you going to tell your
companies that you’re
interested in how your skill
sets align with what they’re
looking for. As I tell my kids
to its not about you, it’s
about them. So show the company
how your skill sets are
aligning with what the company
is looking for. Look at the
job description. Do your
research. And then be be able
to articulate those
transferable skills. And what I
mean by transferable skills and
all students are getting that
on campus. Those skills are
communication. Ya.
Problem. Solving analytical
skills. Teamwork, large.
Yeah. Professionalism work
ethic and those students are
getting those opportunities
on campus in class and their
extracurriculars. So everyone
has a story just know how to
articulate that story. Nicole,
if you had to wrap this
conversation up with one tip,
one suggestion for anyone
looking for a job, whether that
be a recent college grad or
soon to be read. Recent college
grad.
>> someone just looking to
transition careers. What would
be your your number one tip
to them? Number one tip is
networking. Okay. Because about
50% to 80% of jobs or had
through networking.
That’s a skill that’s
uncomfortable for adults like a
site but also for young college
grads. But it’s something that
you’re going to need to do
throughout your whole life.
>> And a lot of jobs or had
through that. So.
Yeah, get comfortable with
networking. Don’t hesitate to
reach out there and ask
somebody for help and to to to
have asked for renters.
>> And for people looking
services. Students watching
right now wanting to connect
with you. How can they called
out to accept?
>> CCD Dot Ri study you so go
to our careers Sen.
>> But go to your if your
college grad go to guard us
where you are, right? Exactly.
Go. You go to your college
career, senator, because
>> those are the experts.
The experts were the first were