As a new class of IU East graduates moves out into the world, they will find themselves entering the highly competitive job market.  And the library is here to help, with career guides and occupational resources.

But as a recent article in the Palladium Item shows, the nationwide difficulty in finding a job isn’t necessarily a lack of jobs.  They’re out there – but as you become a job candidate, you need to make yourself the right candidate for the position rather than just thinking of it as the right position for you.

The Pal-Item distinguishes between ‘hard’ skills – the technical know-how; your degree – and ‘soft’ skills – things like work ethic and teamwork skills.  You’ve undoubtedly got the hard skills, so how do you make yourself stand out on the soft?  First, it’s good to see what others are doing wrong.  Again, from the Pal-Item:

So you don’t want to fall into these traps.  But there are positive actions you can take, too.  And we have plenty of resources for them.  Our LibGuides highlight a lot of great interview techniques.  And we have plenty of books to help, as well – try sources like Preparing for Your Interview: Getting the Job You Want by Diane Berk or Interview Skills: Presenting Yourself with Confidence by Sajitha Jayaprakash.

You can make a good impression and get a great job.  Let the library help you!  Conact us at iueref@iue.edu