It is graduation season. Lots and lots of new grads will be looking for their first full time jobs. You will be contacted by nieces, nephews, neighbours kids and who knows who else.
You have two choices: make a few minutes to talk with them and answer their questions or ignore and procrastinate until they go away.
Take the first option.
Not just for karma, although that’s important. Do it because every successful person can point to one or two conversations that were pivotal in making decisions about their early career.
Wouldn’t you like to be at least partially responsible for someone’s meteoric rise?
College and universities are not preparing people for the process of looking for a job. They are not talking about LinkedIn or networking or how to polish their resume. As far as I know, only MBA programs offer this sort of preparation. Most kids are graduating without any idea how to get anything but a job at the mall.
So be helpful. Talk about how people get hired at your company. Talk about companies you know that are hiring or have new grad programs.
Point them to the Jobs page on LinkedIn, Indeed and Talent Egg. Offer to connect with them on LinkedIn. Ask them about their introduction/elevator pitch and help them refine it so that it’s smooth and interesting.
These may seem like little things but they could be enormously helpful to someone looking for their first job. Plus it could come in handy if you discover in ten years that they are your new boss.
Recruiter's Couch 