Top 10 ways to find your dream job

You've tossed your graduation cap in the air, and have your diploma firmly grasped in your hand. You have finally completed your college education.

Now what?

For many seniors, the path after graduation is a little murky. They have their degree in hand, but a big, resounding question mark regarding where it's going to take them.

Since the majority of college seniors wouldn't dream of sticking themselves with any old job, The Beacon has put together a top 10 list of ways to get on track for that perfect job.

1. Don't overload your resume with unnecessary fillers.

The resume introduces you to the company for which you are interviewing, so you want to make a good first impression. Keep it clear and concise, and make sure it contains only pertinent information. Your potential employers probably aren't going to care if you were captain of your bowling team in high school. According to Lisa Mulvey, a career consultant at Career Services, including high school information is irrelevant.

However, another mistake Mulvey sees is resumes that skimp on important details. For this reason, students should skip the Microsoft Resume Wizard, and instead craft one by hand.

"When you use those [templates], they often times ask you for information you don't necessarily need, and omit a lot of information that employers want to see," she said. "We see missing information like dates they were employed places, or they forget to include accurate descriptions of responsibilities or accomplishments at internships or jobs."

2. Keep your resume professional.

Once you get the hard part of the resume down, you don't want to screw it up with something as simple as your contact information. You may have fun e-mail addresses that you use with your friends that may reference questionable activities or hobbies of yours, but don't use them on your resume.

"These are true e-mail addresses that I've seen people use on their resumes-'Sexy Dancer' and 'Hot Italian Stud,'" said Mulvey. "Unless you're applying for a job in this type of field, you want to use a plain e-mail address."

Your employers don't want to know how sexily you may dance, or how studly you may be. Just use your Wilkes e-mail address. 3. When you're going to an interview, look like you are going to an interview.

Even if you're applying for a job that's pretty casual, suits are still required dress for interviews. That means dress pants and a jacket for men, and dress pants or a skirt with pantyhose and close-toed shoes for women. Avoid heavy makeup, excessive jewelry, exposed skin, and make sure you take out any facial piercings, with the exception of earlobes.

Personal hygiene is also very important. Come to an interview freshly showered, but avoid drowning yourself in perfume or cologne. If you're a smoker, don't smoke in the car before the interview.

"A lot of recruiters told us they were offended by the smell of smoke when someone came into the room," said Mulvey. "It can make a negative first impression."

4. Don't be struck silent at the interview...

According to Jenn Radogna, the recruiting manager for Enterprise Rent-a-Car in Easton, one of the best ways to stand out during an interview is to ask knowledgeable questions about the company, and be able to answer questions about themselves.

A new trend in interviewing is to ask behavioral questions, like "What did you do when you had a difficult customer?" or "How do you react when your group doesn't listen to you?" Answers to these can be difficult to come up with off the top of your head, so Mulvey suggests practicing with potential questions before the interview.

5. …But don't run your mouth either.

Honesty may be the best policy, but brutal honesty probably isn't going to win you the job. If your interviewer asks you a question about how you see your future with the company, don't tell them you see it as a jumping-off point to the bigger and brighter.

"The biggest mistake I've seen is telling the interviewer that they are interested in their company just to gain experience, but their real goal is to work somewhere else," said Radogna. "This will always be a deal breaker, since the interviewer is most likely looking for a long-term candidate."

6. Build a network, and don't be afraid to put yourself out there.

Most of the time, the really great jobs out there aren't the ones that run in the classifieds section of your local newspaper. People find out about those unlisted jobs by word of mouth through their network.

You can build your network through your part-time job, internship, or volunteer work. Whatever you're doing, you should be building connections and letting people know that you're looking for a job.

"Join professional organizations in your field, go to conferences, really get out there and talk to people," said Mulvey. "You want to keep in touch with people, and really leave your internship on a high note."

7. Start looking for a job as soon as possible.

It can be tempting to put off the job search in favor of some summer fun, but since the average graduate takes six months to find a job, it's not something you want to put on hold for too long. Especially when your student loan bills come rolling in.

If you're not sure what exactly it is you want to do with your degree, Mulvey suggests looking to the internships you completed to find out what appeals to you about them. Find a part-time job and do some community service to continually expand your arsenal of skills.

"The longer you take to start looking, the harder it's going to be to explain to employers why you waited so long," she said.

8. Understand that the path to your dream job may include a lot of coffee runs.

As qualified as you may be, it's very unlikely that the boss of your favorite Fortune 500 company is going to step aside to let you take over the reigns. You're going to have to work your way up from something.

"You're going to have to pay your dues first, in whatever field you're going into," said Mulvey. "You may have to start in an entry-level position and wait until that opportunity presents itself."

According to Radogna, at Enterprise, all promotions are filled by employees who already work there. In order to optimize your chances for a promotion, Radogna suggests displaying a positive attitude, showing curiosity regarding the company, and avoiding complaints about coworkers or management, even in prior jobs.

9. Be proactive in your job search.

Mulvey says that many college graduates think that having a degree is enough to ensure them a job. They simply post their resumes on Monster.com, and wait for the job offers to come flooding in.

"You've got to be really aggressive," she said. "Once you graduate, looking for a job should be your full-time job. And that means spending seven hours a day looking for jobs, networking, sending out resumes, following up on leads, or going to job fairs."

Mulvey points out that when you graduate, you're not the only one competing for that job. You're going to be up against all the graduates from the local colleges and universities, as well as people already in the workforce, so you're really going to have to make yourself stand out.

10. Know that you never have to be stuck in a dead-end job.

If that job that you were super psyched for right after college turns out to be a fizzler, you don't have to resign yourself to a life of monotony. Instead, you should look to see if it's the place you can't stand, or the actual job you're doing.

Mulvey suggests looking into other opportunities at companies you like, or researching lateral moves to other companies where you will be doing a similar job.

She also points out that if you're serious about moving up and getting the best job, you may have to expand your horizons to outside the Wyoming Valley.

"Don't stay in a job if you're unhappy," she said. "Life's too short to be unhappy with where you work."