Entry Level Career Management Key Terms

Get off to a great start when you learn entry level career management key terms

By Michele Vrouvas

Today's entry level job seekers may be just as well educated as their counterparts of ten years ago, but they also face stiffer competition and a more grim economy. Career management consultants are urging entry level applicants to prepare for their career search by seeking professional guidance so they'll know winning strategies for job interviews, how to write follow up letters and even how to set specific career goals that don't stop once they've landed their first job. Here's an overview of entry level career management key terms to help you prepare for this considerable task:

The announcement letter technique

Career consultants today urge college graduates to establish a personal network of contacts as they search for a job. Once they've landed a job, the graduates are then encouraged to use the announcement letter technique, informing their contacts of their new career locations.
Try: College Grad explains why the announcement letter technique can be effective in the long term, especially if you decide to move on from your present job. Find out how this technique helps you build relationships within your field.

Career-critical time

HR professionals believe that prospective employers consider the length of time it took entry level applicants to find a job as a critical factor in deciding whether to hire them.
Try: Allen and Associates explains why the length of time you have been unemployed may be used against you during the recruiting process. Find out about statistics supporting the current wisdom that remaining unemployed can have adverse impacts on your career goals.

Career counseling

Some entry level job applicants would benefit from individual career counseling sessions in which professionals help them focus on specific career goals.
Try: At Career Management Consultants, you'll find out the factors that a typical career counseling program focuses on and the skills professional counselors seek to develop in entry level job applicants.

Mock interviewing

Mock interviewing is done so that entry level applicants get to feel what it's like to be "under the gun" at a job interview.
Try: Go to CareerPro USA to find out what career management consultants hope to achieve in their mock interviewing sessions with entry level job applicants. You'll also get an idea of how these mock interviews are conducted.

Career coaching

Career coaching refers to an individualized career plan that does not necessarily stop once an applicant has secured a job.
Try: Mind Tools explains why a person may want to utilize career coaching.

Internship

For college students who are seeking entry level positions even before graduation, career management consultants recommend internships as the most beneficial real-life learning experience that will prepare them for full-time employment.
Try: Loyola University identifies seven characteristics that make an internship program successful. Find out why internships must be goal oriented and offer just the right amount of supervision. You'll also get a glimpse of the internship search process.