This school year I have the honor of serving as a Talent Acquisitions intern for Turner Broadcasting. So far I love it. I get to connect with recruiters all over the country, look over resumes and run all the social media handles for Turner’s HR department. When word got around the Atlanta University Center that I was interning with Turner and my peers learned what talent Acquisitions was, everyone’s being trying to connect with me.
Students all over the campuses of Spelman, Morehouse, and Clark, have been asking me,
“Chris how to do I get put on at Turner?”
“Do you have any suggestions of how I can connect to recruiters?”
With these questions, I’ve found myself repeating myself over and over reiterating the same ideas. I understand that I’ve been given incredible opportunities and blessed to do cool things. Oprah always says, “to whom much is given, much is expected.” I feel like I owe it to all who are curious to teach them everything I know. With that said here are
5 Tips To Getting Any Job
1. Know What You Want.
As college students we are so passion driven. Everyone wants to follow their passions and talents. This pursuit can be very overwhelming because sometimes we can be passionate about a lot of things. For me, I love blogging; I love television, and I like Human Resources. Being passionate about a lot of things make it hard to know what it is you want to do. A major key to getting any job you want is to know what exactly it is you want. When I converse with students about interning with Turner, I always ask them, “Well what do you what to do?” He or she will then say, ” I just want to do anything, I just want to work for Turner.” If you say this statement, that is a red flag. When you’re in a job search, make sure you know exactly what job or position you desire. You should be aware of the job code of the position, the job title and your salary requirements for that job.
If someone came to me and said,
“Chris I want to be a Production Coordinator with CNN, the job code on the Turner Jobs website is 124633BR, and I’m willing to be paid, 30,000 for that job.”
That person is way more inspiring to work with because they know exactly what they want.
2. Tailor Your Resume
In the famous, Beyoncé Resume Tips Video I had a tip entitled, “Your Resume is not Irreplaceable.” In that lesson, I discussed the importance of making sure that every time you apply for a position that your resume is tailored to that position. Recruiters receive HUNDREDS, of resumes a day! Many times to save time, recruiters will use keyword searches to find suitable applicants for the position they are trying to fill. Before applying for a job, check out the job description and what the duties entail. Make sure the same language, vernacular, and keywords are present on your resume.
3. Be Visible
My best friend Sean always says “visibility is survival.” Whatever it is you do, do it, and put it out for the world to see. If you’re an instrumentalist, make sure you have videos or audio clips of your work online. If you’re an aspiring film writer, be prepared to have spec scripts for people to read. Whatever you do in your recreation that is relevant to your career make sure that, that work is easily accessible. I make it very easy for anyone to find my work. If you search “Chris Sumlin” on any search engine or social media, you’ll find me quickly. I never allow any projects or experiences that could leverage my job search hard to find. Recruiters and industry people are always searching for the next superstar or potential hire. You never want to miss an opportunity to be that for a company so always make sure you’re work is readily available and visible online.
4. Create Authentic Relationships
Relationships are always key. You can be the most talented, intelligent or creative person ever. If no one knows who you are that sets you at a significant disadvantage to those who know people. There are so many people with jobs with average GPA’s, common skill sets and less ambition with fantastic jobs merely because they know someone.
Aim to be someone who has talent and an impressive network. Get on LinkedIn, attend career fairs, reach out to industry people on Twitter. When you create genuinely, authentic relationships with people, it greatly enhances your chances of finding work. Everyone knows someone, so always treat people right you never know where your next opportunity might come from.
5. Follow Through
When you catch the eye of someone in your industry, and they give you his or her contact info or some instruction of how to follow up, follow through. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ll tell someone I’m willing to work with them, mentor them and help them achieve their goals and they don’t follow up with me. No one owes you anything in life.
Whenever an opportunity to work with someone who can help you get to where you want to go comes along follow up with them and seize the opportunity. Make sure your primary e-mail accounts are sent to your phone with Push alerts. Make sure you get alerts on Twitter when you get a DM. I would even suggest subscribing to a recruiter’s tweets online so you know when they are online. There are so many opportunities that many of us let slip under our nose because we were too lazy to send that follow-up email or call that recruiter on the phone. Don’t be that person. Always remember to follow through.
There you have it, my friends. With these five tips, I promise you can get any job you want. Be diligent, be talented and be inspired! Thanks for reading this blog and good luck. If you ever have any questions you can always e-mail for advice and tips. Good luck!