Microsoft Offers Tips for Using Technology to Get a Job And Make a Great First Impression
REDMOND, Wash.--(COLLEGIATE PRESSWIRE)--Jun 26, 2002--It’s graduation time, and over the next few months an estimated 1.2 million1 students will leave college and hit the pavement in search of a job. Landing that first job can be tough, however, and this year’s college graduates are facing a tight market. According to Time magazine,1 it will take these graduates about four to six months to find employment.
Although every profession requires specific qualifications, more and more employers seek technologically skilled graduates proficient in software programs such as Microsoft� Office (including Word, Excel, PowerPoint�, Access and Outlook�). The consulting firm Accenture recently surveyed Fortune 1000 corporations and found that executives rank technology proficiency among the top three most desirable skills of new hires.2 In addition, dozens of schools — including Oxford University, Pepperdine University, Texas Christian University and The University of Memphis — are now offering, or even requiring, Microsoft Office User Specialist (MOUS) certification in Word and Excel to ensure that their students are well-equipped with the skills needed in today’s workplace.
“Part of a university’s role is to help prepare students for the challenges they’ll meet in the digital workplace,” said Randy Pierson, chief executive officer of Certiport Inc., the leading provider of global, performance-based certification programs and services. “Because computer software skills play such an integral role in today’s business setting, universities recognize that requiring MOUS certification is one of the best things they can do for their students.”
“In today’s tight job market, it is crucial for job seekers, especially entry-level job seekers, to display knowledge of a wide array of applicable skill sets, including Microsoft Office,” said Steve Pogorzelski, president of Monster, North America. “According to data released by Monster� last month, categories such as sales, administrative/support services, accounting and finance, education, and nonprofit currently offer the most entry-level job opportunities, in all of which the proficiency of Microsoft Office would prove to be beneficial.”
Tips for Using Office to Manage a Job Hunt
Microsoft Corp. has compiled the following tips for using Office to help manage a job hunt. Graduates who employ these tips also demonstrate to prospective employers that they are proficient in using the same tools that an estimated 90 percent of Fortune 500 companies3 have on their PCs. Once on the job, employees can continue to use these tips to help them shine.
Use Professional Resume Templates on the Web
If you use Microsoft Word to create your resume, you can get a jump-start with the dozens of resume and cover letter templates available on the Microsoft Tools Web site. Go to http://officeupdate.microsoft.com/templategallery/, click on the template you want to use and personalize it with your information. After your interview, return to the Template Gallery for follow-up letter templates. The site also features templates for business plans, accounting spreadsheets and more. Use them to make a splash at your first meeting or when drafting your first report.
Get a Second Opinion
Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint offer a new electronic editing tool called Send for Review, which makes it easy to send your resume in e-mail to a professor, mentor or friend for proofing. The Send for Review feature streamlines the feedback process by automatically merging all changes into the original and gives the author full control over which comments and revisions to accept or reject. And color-coded changes make the edits easily visible. New “mark-up balloons” identify each reviewer’s changes or comments without obscuring the original document.
Track Your Progress
Organizing interview trips and tracking company contacts, progress and impressions can become a paper-trail nightmare. Set yourself up for success by using Excel to organize all your data in a single spreadsheet for easy reference. Using the Sort feature, you can easily reorganize your list in alphabetical order by company name, contact name, company location, or sent or unsent resumes or letters. Once fall arrives, you also can use Excel on the weekends to track your fantasy football scores.
Ensure Speedy Delivery
These days, employers often receive hundreds of resumes by e-mail within 24 hours of posting job openings on the Internet. Don’t get left behind by sending yours via “snail mail.” Send your documents via Outlook as a Microsoft Word attachment, or in the body of the e-mail message in plain text or using HTML, whichever the employer prefers. Be sure to find out exactly how the recruiter wants to receive your resume; for example, don’t send an attachment if they prefer plain text and vice versa.
Keep Yourself Organized
Outlook comes in handy not only for sending your resume electronically, but also for keeping track of appointments and deadlines with its calendaring tools. Further, you can set it up to remind you when it’s time to follow up with contacts, and store your to-do list in Outlook Tasks.
Power Up Your Portfolio
PowerPoint is an easy-to-use tool for displaying your work portfolio in an interesting way. PowerPoint can make your work easy to read and professional-looking, and will demonstrate to your prospective employer the great technical and presentation skills you possess. You also can download4 Producer for PowerPoint as a free add-on to narrate the slides with video and/or audio, then automatically post your presentation to the Web. This is especially handy if you’re applying for a broadcast or advertising position.
Market Yourself With Your Own Web Site
Use the Microsoft FrontPage� Web site creation and management tool to build your own Web site to market your skills and portfolio on the Internet. Not only will you stand out to potential employers, you’ll catch the attention of recruiters, who scour the Web for resumes daily.
Creating your own home page also shows you’re comfortable with the technologies organizations use regularly.
Use vCards to Send Contact Information
Microsoft Outlook supports the use of vCards, the Internet standard for creating and sharing virtual business cards. By adding a vCard to your e-mail signature, you can include your contact information with each e-mail message you send. Also when you receive a vCard, you can double-click on it to open it as a contact item that you can easily save to your Contacts folder. You can create a vCard by following the steps to create a signature, making sure to select the vCard option.
Add Watermarks
To add a little style to your resume, apply watermarks: text, graphics or pictures that appear muted behind the document text. In a business scenario, you can use watermarks to indicate that a document is confidential or a draft. With Word 2002, adding a watermark to a document is easier than ever; you simply select Backgrounds in the Format menu.
The more familiar you are with common software products before starting your new job, the easier the first few months will be. Knowing a few tips and tricks can help you hit the ground running and make an immediate impact. Tips and tricks for using Office are posted at http://www.microsoft.com/office/. More information on MOUS can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/mous/.
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1 “Parental Aid: Moms and Dads to the Rescue of This Year’s Grads,” Time magazine, May 13, 2002
2 “Accenture Survey Shows ‘War for Talent’ Continues, Layoffs Ending in 2002,” Accenture press release,
http://www.accenture.com/xd/xd.asp?it=enweb&xd;=_dyn/dynamicpressrelease_450.xm
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3 “Enabling Adults and Kids to Get Started,” Chandra Devi, The New Straits Times, May 6, 2002
4 Depending on your Internet service provider, connect-time charges may apply.
Note to editors: Information will be available on the Microsoft Office XP Web site (http://www.microsoft.com/office/) after Thursday, June 6.
Microsoft, PowerPoint, Outlook and FrontPage are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
For more information, press only:
Shelley Ward, Waggener Edstrom, (503) 443-7000, [email protected]
Rapid Response Team, Waggener Edstrom, (503) 443-7070, [email protected]
For more information on Microsoft Office:
http://www.microsoft.com/office/
Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/ on Microsoft’s corporate information pages. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may since have changed. Journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team for additional assistance.
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