Getting Your First Job For Dummies

Chapter 2

Highlighting What You Bring to an Employer

IN THIS CHAPTER

Identifying your strengths

Counting your extracurricular activities as experience

Getting insights about yourself from those close to you

Searching for your first job is about looking inward as much as it is about looking outward.

During the course of your job search, you’ll need to talk about yourself, including your strengths and your accomplishments. You’ll need to include these attributes in your résumé and cover letter. They’ll also come up during your interviews.

In this chapter, you get guidance on how to identify your skills and abilities based on your previous school projects, activities, and field of study.

Your friends and family often know you better than you know yourself. Here you cover how to approach those close to you so they can help you to better talk about yourself. This allows you to be more prepared for interviews and it also lets you create a résumé faster.

Identifying Your Skills

Employers will ask you about your skills and how they pertain to the job to which you’re applying. Knowing your skills helps you prepare your responses and it also allows you to better identify jobs where you ...