"How big a role does my college have in getting me work? If I graduated from a prestigious college, do my chances increase?"

Hundreds of thousands of 2005 graduates must be asking these same questions.
In general, graduating from a school that is noted for consistently producing top quality employees and future decision-makers over several decades would enable you to get your foot in the door, but that's about all it would guarantee (unless you graduated at the top of your class). Employment still depends on how well you rated during the rest of the screening process.

In many instances, the screening process starts with scanning resumes. For entry level positions for new grads, recruiters take a look at the school, the extra-curricular activities, any achievements of note, and previous employment, if any. A well-organized resume should be able to attract the recruiter's eye to the most important data about you. (And this is why, you should not place your picture on your resume, unless the employer specifies so. The worst thing that could happen to your resume is that it be thrown away on the basis of your 1x1 photo.)

Do not be discouraged if you graduated somewhere in the middle of your class, from a lesser known college. Some of the best recruits I've known came from lesser known universities because they try harder. Conversely, some of the worst recruits have come from the best universities because they thought they were God's gift to the corporate world.

Employers judge if you're fit based on a number of criteria. They check for a match between the job requirement and the specialty of your school. For example, some multinationals would shortlist graduates from the top three universities for positions such as management trainee, account manager, copywriter or any job that requires persuasive communication in fluent English and analytical thinking. The shortlist for potential engineers would generally come from universities known for their engineering courses. And so on.

After going over resumes, employers schedule the first interview. This initial interview usually is with the Human Resources department or through a recruiter. During this interview, they would go over the contents of your resume. They would ask for explanations on gaps and inconsistencies. Then, they would ask for examples of activities and situations similar to the job you are applying for.

Understand that you might not be the first person they've interviewed that day. You have to keep them interested in you. During a full day of interviews, all applicants start to look and sound the same after lunch.

It is during this stage that they have you go through a battery of tests. Some are regular IQ tests that you've probably encountered during your college entrance exams. Some tests have essay questions to test for how well you express yourself. Some tests are psychological to test for whether you have the temperament for the job, for adaptability in stressful situations, for ethical standards. If you passed the criteria they've set for these tests, then you could be interviewed by a supervisor or manager. This person would be asking pretty much the same questions you've been asked previously, but he would be assessing you based on his experience in his area of responsibility, on how well you would fit in with the others on his team, on whether you match the client you would interphase with, how far you are willing to go to get the job done, and whether you are well within his budget.

Interviews are not one-way streets. Show you have a sharp mind by asking questions about the company, the product, the culture, the training it provides. Show your potential employer that his money will be invested well in you. In other words, prepare.

And the best preparation starts in school. Be involved in school activities that will enable you to build your problem-solving, organizing and social skills. Do volunteer work. Read good books that make you think, that give you new ideas, that inspire you to be better. Read magazines that bring you up-to-date on current events and technology. Take the time to do research, instead of having your bright groupmate whip up that term paper by himself. Use the Internet to advantage - find out what different companies in different industries are doing. Find out what industries are emerging and where you would fit in.

Be passionately curious about the world outside and equally passionate about what you want to achieve. Only then will you discover opportunities that will be missed by the mediocre and the lukewarm.

Have a fruitful hunt!
Ina

[Ina Teves is an organizational development consultant with a change management firm dedicated to making a difference wherever it goes by journeying with the client through the entire process of organizational transformation. Email your questions to inateves@pacific.net.ph]