Rantz job advice: Don’t be an idiot*

After I graduated from Occidental College in LA, I left with zero knowledge on how to get a job and I always resented my Alma mater for it, even though I never really had a hard time getting a job (but I’m in a niche job market). I still was always mad because a big reason one goes to college is to get an edge in the job market.

Apparently, a lot of colleges forget to teach kids the skills they’d need to get their first job and there’s a new local startup called Koru that’s getting in the game. According to The Seattle Times, there have been hundreds of recent college graduates paying $2,750 for their four-week training program. They say “The program aims to put the polish on their résumé, give them [students] a crash course in business skills and provide a tough-love assessment of their networking instincts.”

Two Washington schools are working with Koru (Washington State University and Whitman College) along with about a dozen other schools around the country, including Occidental (not while I was there!).

I’m a tad on the annoyed side with this because these schools can and should do this training themselves. This isn’t to say Koru does a bad job. They apparently have a great track record, but why partner with a third party when you can have someone from the school who knows the school’s culture and student body better?

But ultimately, maybe I’m a little jealous that Koru can demand $2,750 per student for a program that I could easily teach myself.

I have one real simple piece of advice for you – an action item, if you will – if you want to get a job: don’t be an idiot.*

Don’t make a mistake on your resume, don’t make a mistake in your cover letter, don’t harass the person hiring, and be polite and professional. Don’t be an idiot. That simple action – of not being an idiot – gets you noticed because the majority of people applying for a job will have errors on their resume or cover letter, or will call you ad nauseam asking about the job. And as someone who has hired many people in my career, I’ve come across a lot of people making avoidable errors.

Next, during the interview process, speak in complete sentences, ask questions, actually answer questions asked of you, make eye contact, present yourself well, both in attire and posture, and have some level of energy, though not too much.

Finally, offer the employer a solution to a problem they’re facing. How do you know what problems they’re facing or issues they’re having? Well, part of it is common sense: if they’re hiring an on-call baker, it means they don’t have a deep bench of qualified bakers. Knowing that’s a problem they need to address, it would make sense for you to point out that not only are you a great baker but you’re free to take on any shift needed on short notice.

You can also find out what issues they need addressing by asking the person directly. You should always have questions. You should be curious about the workplace, the culture, the realities of the job; but no, not the pay, don’t ask about pay up front. Wait until you’re offered the job or if you’re asked directly.

And if you are asked what pay you want, don’t answer. It’s a trick! The employer will use it to pay you less than budgeted, if you ask for less than budgeted, and make you feel like you’ve won the wage war when you get it. Always say the pay is negotiable and you’ll consider anything that’s fair because you’re passionate about the job and you want to work there!

There you have it. Go get a job and please use a portion of the $2,750 you saved and donate it to your favorite charitable organization or non-profit.

*99.9% of you are not idiots. This label is an example of click bait. You’re ultimately better off for having clicked this link.