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+--- Thread: TESU Graduate (/Thread-TESU-Graduate)
TESU Graduate - tpell1219 - 07-02-2023
Hi everyone! I graduated in June 2022 with a dual BSBA in Healthcare Management and Human Resources Management/Organizational Management and two associate degrees. My associate's degrees are in business administration and arts. I was just wondering if any other graduates from TESU are having difficulty finding work after completing their degrees. I'm debating going for my master's or getting a PMP certificate. I don't have the money to put out for those because no one will hire me. The job market is very tough. Has anyone had a similar experience?
RE: TESU Graduate - studyingfortests - 07-02-2023
Well, a couple of questions pop to mind:
-- What kind of jobs are you looking for? Do those jobs typically require experience you don't have?
-- Are you tailoring your resume to each position you apply for, highlighting your knowledge/skill/experience so that it matches what the employer is looking for as closely as possible?
-- Do you have a strong cover letter, individually tailored to each organization, its unique needs, and the position offered, that sells what you will bring to the organization and how they will benefit from hiring you in particular?
I think a lot of people take the approach of just scattershot applying to 100 jobs, sending the same resume, and if they include a cover letter, it is the most bland, generic, uninteresting cover letter ever.
I've been in a position to interview and hire people for a long time, and one of the things I have noticed recently is that about 90% of applicants seem to put little or no effort into actually snagging the interview. They just apply, and half the time, the resume they submit doesn't even make it obvious what qualifications or experience they might have that would make them an interesting candidate to consider. 80% of the applicants for jobs I have recently run ads for did not follow the most basic instructions for applying to the job. Another large percentage has errors (misspellings, grammatical errors, etc) on their resume. Equally annoying, of the small percentage that did submit cover letters, almost all were so obviously generic that it was clear they were not actually interested in the position.
The folks that got interviews all read the instructions in the ad, submitted a thoughtful, individualized cover letter, and their resume clearly showed how their skills and experience applied to the position being offered. Out of 280 applications, I would say maybe 30 minimally put in any effort, and only about 10 or so actually took the time to make clear they were genuinely interested in the position.
So... maybe you are already doing all of that, and still not getting any responses, in which case, I'd suggest having someone look over your resume and cover letter, or looking at the jobs you are applying for, to see what you could do to beef things up And if you are not already doing all of what I mentioned above, I would strongly suggest considering putting in that effort, because it does make you stand out.
And only after looking at both of those things would I consider additional schooling. I suspect the schooling is not the problem.
RE: TESU Graduate - davewill - 07-03-2023
I agree. The degree gets your name into the search results that HR uses to select a stack to resumes that they will actually read. It's up the resume and cover letter to get them into the stack they let the hiring manager read and again into the stack they call in for interviews.
RE: TESU Graduate - bjcheung77 - 07-06-2023
@tpell1219, Congrats on getting the degree completed with a dual AOS! It really depends on what you're looking at, some people need to find themselves and their drive to whichever you're leaning more towards. If you're more driven to 'work', update the resume, find a job within the industry you're inclined to go into, such as Health Care or HR Management since that's where your BSBA AOS is in... However, if you're really wanting to upgrade your learning, you can see if there are certain certs, or experience you want to gain in addition to the Masters/MBA or whichever degree you're looking at.
RE: TESU Graduate - dfrecore - 07-06-2023
I would also add that there's probably a certification or two that might go well with your degree. My BSBA is in HR from TESU, and I'm pretty certain that if I wanted to go back into that field, I'd need a PHR at minimum. I'd love to get back into Compensation Management, but the CCP is very expensive and time-consuming to get (it's about $12k and will take at least 18-24mo to get). But it does prove expertise in the field.
I also had no idea that cover letters were still a thing! I thought that went the way of the dodo bird, but I guess not.
RE: TESU Graduate - tpell1219 - 07-06-2023
I'm looking into the MHA program at WGU. I was hoping to find a job first. I've also been looking into a few certifications, one that will transfer into WGU’s master's program. The financial commitment is holding me back.
Answers to questions above. I was focusing on healthcare quality or practice management jobs, or EPIC analyst jobs. I've expanded to apply to anything. I've interviewed a few times for positions I don't necessarily want(mainly in pharmaceuticals) but will take nothing (I put a lot of effort into panel interviews, presentations, mock projects, you name it). I've had many companies decide they no longer want to hire when I'm two to three interviews in the interview process. I've completed projects, PowerPoint presentations, and personality tests. I've put in a lot of effort and nothing. I've tried reaching out, and networking, and people either ghost me, offer me a medical assisting job, or ignore me.
My resume was good enough to get hired by an IVY league healthcare system in the past. Therefore it should be good enough now. Yes, I have a strong cover letter. I change it for each job application. I use Grammarly, so there are no grammatical errors. I am tailoring my resume and cover letter to each position, which doesn't work. I have better luck with my generic resume. I have twelve years of experience as a medical assistant, so my experience is more clinical than administrative. I've been told I'm overqualified and that my resume is impressive during a few interviews, but their hiring needs changed.
Not to be rude, but maybe 80% of people you considered not worthy of an interview due to “not putting in effort” have been beyond frustrated, like me. I have done so much work and have gotten nowhere. I have honestly regretted wasting my time on a bachelor's degree.
Thank you for the constructive help
RE: TESU Graduate - rachel83az - 07-07-2023
That sounds like an industry problem, not a degree problem. There are an unfortunately large number of employers who will conduct interviews in bad faith and use them as crowdsourcing opportunities. Once they get enough interviewers to finish the small projects they need done, they stop "hiring". At least some of those things you've completed have probably been used by the business.
Not all companies are like this and it seems like you've just had bad luck so far.
RE: TESU Graduate - cerich67 - 07-07-2023
(07-06-2023, 10:35 PM)tpell1219 Wrote: I'm looking into the MHA program at WGU. I was hoping to find a job first. I've also been looking into a few certifications, one that will transfer into WGU’s master's program. The financial commitment is holding me back.
Answers to questions above. I was focusing on healthcare quality or practice management jobs, or EPIC analyst jobs. I've expanded to apply to anything. I've interviewed a few times for positions I don't necessarily want(mainly in pharmaceuticals) but will take nothing (I put a lot of effort into panel interviews, presentations, mock projects, you name it). I've had many companies decide they no longer want to hire when I'm two to three interviews in the interview process. I've completed projects, PowerPoint presentations, and personality tests. I've put in a lot of effort and nothing. I've tried reaching out, and networking, and people either ghost me, offer me a medical assisting job, or ignore me.
My resume was good enough to get hired by an IVY league healthcare system in the past. Therefore it should be good enough now. Yes, I have a strong cover letter. I change it for each job application. I use Grammarly, so there are no grammatical errors. I am tailoring my resume and cover letter to each position, which doesn't work. I have better luck with my generic resume. I have twelve years of experience as a medical assistant, so my experience is more clinical than administrative. I've been told I'm overqualified and that my resume is impressive during a few interviews, but their hiring needs changed.
Not to be rude, but maybe 80% of people you considered not worthy of an interview due to “not putting in effort” have been beyond frustrated, like me. I have done so much work and have gotten nowhere. I have honestly regretted wasting my time on a bachelor's degree.
Thank you for the constructive help
people hate hiring overqualified people, let the old stuff as a medical assistant drop off the CV and see if you get more bites. During the interview you can mention it or not if/when brought up.
The other thing you may be trying to aim too low in what you can do for jobs, aim for some you are barely or slightly underqualified for and do everything like you have been, with great effort. Many employers make the list of everything they want a wish list for middle/lower upper management knowing they won't get it all. Many people seem to have trouble understanding that more senior positions become less about the papers and more about the experience and person. Those jobs if you tell someone in a hiring position all about your quals and not enough about your ability and experience will often pass.
Getting past the algorithms for the interview in well paying jobs is the lowest hurdle when you have the experience
Getting past the algorithms in entry level decent pay they want a degree/few certs jobs is the highest hurdle.
As we get older, our approach to getting hired must change, or you will forever be stuck in that early career approach while you get older and less attractive to hire for those types of jobs/positions
Last thing, over 30, you look for a position, not a job or career, you have to believe in that difference.