STANDING OUT FROM THE PACK

STRATEGIES & APPROACHES FOR

INTERNSHIP & CAREER SEARCH
Presentation, Discussion , & Assistance Offer by Elena V. Kornyshkova
 WHAT WE NEED TO KNOW
• Best jobs do NOT go to the best qualified, but
to the best job-hunters
• Go for EVERY imaginable opportunity: tune your
brains, out-of-box thinking, courage, stamina for digging up
EVERY opportunity!
• Little effort=Discouragement= YES to 1st offer
that comes around? NO. Avoid this pitfall –start early
& work hard!
• YOU deserve that EXTRA consideration. List your
strong points & convince through all info you ever give out!
 WHAT are Employer REALLY looking for?
Have it shining through your communication!
• Commitment (show & re-confirm your specific interest & knowledge of the
industry & company!+ high degree of certainty of your plans about the company, your
growth within the company & your contribution to its success). Never hesitate to re-
confirm your interest!

• Maturity & Confidence (you are the most mature & intelligent
person!)

• Professionalism (any info to support the quality of your education (both

schools), achievements, your background! Accreditations of the school(s): anyone else
has them? Uniqueness of the experience! Professional skills & qualities!)

• Adaptability & Growth (anyone you know of is such a hard worker and
quick learner? Anyone has such cross-national experience? Success in the new
environments? )

• Responsibility (& punctuality). Also, follow the best rules of

international business etiquette & the corporate environment rules.
 WHERE to START
• TAKE INVENTORY OF YOUR INTERESTS & ABILITIES.
• DECIDE FOR CLEAR DIRECTION: 1. INDUSTRY 2. JOB FUNCTION 3.
GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION (be flexible & courageous!)
• CONSIDER DAILY TASKS OF JOBS: ARE THEY INTERESTING FOR YOU?
WORK SCHEDULE?
• ADVANCEMENT & TRAINING? JOB PERFORMANCE EVALUATION
(& PROMOTION) SYSTEM?
• WHERE SHALL THE JOB LEAD TO: COMPENSATION? NEXT
POSITION?
• PERSPECTIVES OF THE INDUSTRY & THE JOB?
• BEING REALISTIC & NOT SELF-LIMITING.
• NOW TUNE ON COLLECTING REFERRALS & INFO!
• THINK OF CLUSTERS OF INFO. Where would employers go to find
those they need?
 INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEWS! –
before the time comes when you’ll get that desperate look in your eyes…

• A great & unique for Russia way to find out more. Ask friends
& relatives if they know anyone in the industry. Come up with some Links
& Contacts Exchange with your friends! Make a road map for your links!
• Alumni Association + Career Center + ANY GSOM (& not
GSOM) contact/department/individual. ONLY results count… If
you know what you want, walls fall down… Be persistent!
• Cold calls to set up an informational interview- why not? It’s a
very common step by every business student & graduate in US.
• If you do like the field/company, then it’s a TERRIFIC stepping
stone into a full-time position. So DO IT!
 WAYS TO FIND JOBS
• ON-CAMPUS RECRUITERS – make an interview possible instead of just handing
your resume with others… at a Career Fair. Guest lecturers are for recruiting the best too.
• INTERNSHIPS – it’s your first work experience that will count!
• CONSULTING PROJECTS – be the star in the project, network, get referrals, get
background info towards your internship &/or career
• CAREER CENTER – more you ask about, more you learn, more you achieve.
• ALUMNI – track down every networking opportunity, stay in touch. One day your turn to help will come,
so don’t hesitate to ask for help now!
• PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYMENT AGENCIES (Internet: www.hh.ru etc)-let
every headhunting agency with international corporate clients know your excellent credentials!
• NEWSPAPER & on-line newspaper formats ads. Sometimes it’s also worth
rehearsing if you don’t need the job opportunity.
• DIRECT CONTACTing of companies (incl. INTERNET)
• NETWORKING: INSIDER CONTACTS (incl. Alumni, other students, your
academic research advisors)
• Forget your Mom’s ban to talk to strangers! Do it! Practice
everywhere! More people know about you, more chance to land a perfect opportunity!
MAKING A JOB-SEARCH PLAN NOW
• CHOOSE A CAREER PATH (PATHS!)
• DEVELOP A STRATEGY (a ROAD MAP with
benchmarks?). Core questions to answer:
1. Whom you plan to get in touch with initially for networking.
Build up a networking file. Log your contacts & results, follow
ups, dates, major outcomes, call-back dates.
2. Which sources (internet, newspapers, company sites) you will
be monitoring and WHEN. Make a calendar, decide of the
day of the week for each source. How much time will you
spend PER DAY?
3. When will you have all your “packaging” polished? What
else do you need to make your strategy successful?
PROGRESS = EASIER TO PUT ADDITIONAL EFFORT!
 COMMON PITFALLS
Never stop - until you have worked in a new position
for 2 weeks! Share spare contacts with your friends.
Don’t get caught up in what everyone else is doing! Look for
overlooked opportunities.
Don’t pay anyone to help you find a job! But find those
who will benefit if their help works out.
NEVER get frustrated. Stay with the job-search, work
hard, have confidence and you’ll be there!
 CONTACTING COMPANIES DIRECTLY
• Mass mailing & phone calls: make them look
that they are personal. Make a professional, personal
approach to a select group of companies. Focus on field & job
function to be effective. Find out names, change objectives &
wording accordingly.
• Big companies are deluged with resumes. Consider
moderate-size & small companies – for a further
career growth – often overlooked by graduates.
• FOCUS on Fluent English requirement in your #1
search! This expectation comes in package with other
important requirements you HAVE!
 SOURCES OF COMPANY INFO
• Make a list of companies in a specific field for research & DO
IT! Analyze & organize the info.
• Use INTERNATIONAL INFORMATION & CONTACTS to find contact info
and to learn about the company opportunities in Russia!
• IN US: cities & metropolitan areas’ JobBank series ( a complete research tool
to provide name, address, tel.#, email addresses,contact names, listings of
common positions, educational backgrounds sought, fringe benefits offered,
region’s economic outlook, addresses of professional associations, chambers of
commerce, executive search & job placement agencies). So write to them, you
may be surprised with the result!
• Dun & Bradstreet’s Million Dollar Directory, Standard & Poor’s investment
guide list basic info.
• RESULT OF YOUR INFO WORK: Your Career file/folder of contacts from
EVERYWHERE & INDUSTRY, OPPORTUNITIES, LEADS info.
(article clips, info from Business FM radio programs, internet, meetings,
discussions etc – everything must work for expansion of your info file)
 CONTACTING SMALL & LARGE
COMPANIES
• As a general rule, always try to contact a department
head or president of a company, even for companies
with over 1K employees
• Resume+Cover Letter addressed to a SPECIFIC
PERSON.
• After 1-2 days since it arrives – CALL!
• A call before sending? YES, if you are unusually
confident & articulate, & especially if it’s the case of
a small company.
 FOLLOWING UP – ALWAYS!
• ALWAYS FOLLOW UP WITH A CALL! If not – you have wasted your and
everyone’s time!
What you say = HOW you say it
A MUST: an aura of positive YOU, mature confidence, no apologetic tone!
Write a short script to make 3 points: WHY you are calling, WHY you’d be
a strong candidate for hiring/internship, WHAT kind of position you’re
interested in. Ask WHEN to call back, not IF YOU CAN call back… Have
control over the process and decision-making. Remember names.
Use a mirror to practice. Breath. Smile when talking! Have $300 (new rate…)
in your pocket! Have a list of your strengths FOR THIS PARTICULAR
company in front of you. Be proud of yourself but listen to the needs of
the COMPANY. You must become the ASSET of the company, not the
company as your personal asset.
Always will be answered courteously?? – NO
. You shouldn’t care but stay professional. You are above all this and need to
reach your goal!
 NETWORKING YOUR WAY
• Magic NETWORKING=exchanging of info, contacts,
experience for professional purposes to get helped &
to help!
• How to start: keep up to date with the industry, read!
Look for “insiders”. Every piece of info counts!
• Track down leads. Contact max people NOT to win a
job but to get a referral & background info! You don’t
sound threatening if you say you want to come in and
talk. LOG & organize all your info!!!
• Name dropping: “ … suggested I call you”. Don’t feel
uncomfortable with this.
• Kill uneasiness about talking to strangers. Practice!
 INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEW in
detail
• How did you get started in this business? What was your achievement
path?
• What do you like the most about your job, industry development etc?
• Would you change anything about industry, job?
• What are the current career opportunities for grads in the industry? Any
“typical path”?
• Basic requirements for entry-level positions in the industry?
• Is there a trade association or trade publications (incl. internet-based)
that might help me learn & in my job search?
• What advice would you give a bsn-school grad looking for a job in the
industry?
• Could you recommend someone else for me to contact in the industry?
• What else should I know about the industry?
SEND A THANK YOU LETTER THE SAME DAY!!!
 HOW TO GET EXTRA EDGE OVER THE
COMPETITION
• START EARLY. Make a road map. Have a focus and stamina.
• READ THE TRADE LITERATURE & INTERNET. Tune your thinking towards the goal.
• ADHERE TO YOUR PLAN, REEVALUATE IT. Don’t be “nice” to yourself: every effort counts! Think
out-of-the box too, often they are the world of the opportunities no one is aware of.
• GET TIPS FROM OTHER JOB-HUNTERS, EXCHANGE WITH CONTACTS, log up the outcomes
• USE OLD NEWSPAPER & INTERNET ADS as well. They show requirements and expectations.
Create a job opportunity if you see a match to cover the NEEDS of the company.
• CLIP OUT & FILE NAMES. Be organized. Always stay personal in communication. Feel free to
“drop the names” in your communication.
• GO BACK & CALL AGAIN THE PEOPLE YOU ALREADY CONTACTED FOR LEADS. CONTACT THE
SAME FIRMS TWICE.
• DEVELOP YOUR “AMMUNITION”: RESUME, COVER LETTER, THANK YOU LETTER. Never skip a
chance to get a good advice. Use your critical thinking too, but never clip your wings by
yourself. POLISH EVERY DETAIL OF YOUR “packaging” & self presentation! There is never
enough of this!
• REMEMBER to FOLLOW THE NEEDS of the COMPANY in your personal presentation, not YOUR
needs! Use the right wording!
 The very last tips…
Know what YOU want and what THEY look for.
Be mature, confident, professional, positive, committed!

• DEVELOP a STRATEGY and follow it! Stick to your goal, updating of the
actions to take is also important.
• DEVELOP LEADS BANK, USE EVERYONE for REFERRALS & LEADS!
• DEVELOP a PERFECT “PACKAGING”. Customize it! Make it better!
• INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEWS – do it! Don’t look for a NO answer.
• LOG EVERYTHING, stay organized.
• FOLLOW UP ALWAYS. Be nice & positive. Keep as much control as you
can. Thank you letter is a MUST. Enrich your knowledge about
internationally accepted communication. It’s coming to Russia too…
• FOLLOW THE NEEDS OF EACH PARTICULAR EMPLOYER, SO KNOW THEM!
 Your first step today?

• STAY IN TOUCH AND NEVER HESITATE TO ASK

FOR HELP NOW AND IN THE FUTURE. Welcome
to send your edited and polished drafts for
improvements
» EK kornyshkova@gsom.pu.ru & ekornychkova @yandex.ru
Tel: 8- 911 -151 -8643, & 323 8448