My Interview with OpenColleges - CareerEnlightenment.com

4. Whats the one thing you wish you knew about applying for jobs when you first finished your qualification?Dont bother following your passion. Thats terrible advice that puts way too much pressure on yourself. I was very idealistic. I wanted to work in the green energy field and save the world. And it took lots of failures to realise that it just wasnt for me. I wish I had built up a very specialised set of skills and then marketed myself.I made the mistake of blasting out hundreds of resumes and the two companies that bothered to get back to me were so unimpressed by my actual qualifications, they never called back.It wasnt until someone I knew referred me to a job that I actually landed an interview. And I did well in that interview because I had two hours of sleep after an international flight, and just answered the questions so directly and honestly, they loved it! Who knew? Lesson: Its all about your network.5.  What do you see as the main advantages that vocational training gr aduates have over university graduates?Dont get me wrong. I think theres value in education for its own sake. And Im glad I got a Religious Studies degree (sort of). But most academics dont understand that after you graduate you have to face reality. They often see career issues as beneath them, while they vainly try to recruit you to their graduate courses.Ive been told that most engineering graduates would much prefer to be English majors, but if theyre going to invest so much money into their education, they need to make sure it pays off with a major that will help them get hired.A vocational qualification will simply give you marketable and valuable skills without pretending. Its a much more practical path. And if you want to study philosophy or international relations, then you can listen to iTunes University for free! I admire intellectual curiosity and critical thinking. But do you need to go $100K in debt for it? So good for you for picking a vocational qualification. Youre the smart ones. Really!6.  What advice would you offer on networking using LinkedIn?Start early. Most students I talk to are seniors with five people in their LinkedIn network. This is a huge mistake.The number one way youre going to get hired is through networking. And that takes time. So start your LinkedIn networking as soon as you can, and get up to 500+ connections as soon as you can and by any means necessary.You cant network in LinkedIn until your profile looks good. So use this  tool  to grade your profile and get tips to make it better.7.  What are the top 3 things you should avoid putting on your resume?No idea. I dont use resumes and if you can avoid it (i.e., by using networking), do so. If you have a good LinkedIn profile, use it to network. And if someone asks for your resume, send them the link to your profile or just convert your profile into a resume format.