George Black is a man who wears many hats. He’s CEO and President of 3coast, an IT Staffing and Managed IT Support firm located in Webster, TX. A BOI (born on the Island), Mr. Black is also involved in many organizations and events in Galveston. He serves as Captain of a Mardi Gras krewe, Director of Galveston’s Oktoberfest and Chairman of the board of regents for Galveston College. Black, who has been in the staffing and IT business for over 30 years brought some valuable advice to the graduates who are now looking to enter the job market. See the article below from the Galveston Daily News (source citation found at bottom).
A few job search tips for graduates
By PATRICK GRAHAM
With the ink barely dry on their diplomas, college and university graduates locally and across the country are now looking for their first jobs.
George Black comes to this milestone in a young person’s life with a unique perspective.
As chairman of the board of regents for Galveston College, Black has had a hand in helping prepare college students to enter the workforce for many years.
As the president and CEO of 3coast, a company specializing in staffing and managed IT support, Black has had a hand in pairing potential employees with potential employers for many years.
Like most experts, Black concedes college graduates face some real employment challenges. However, he also believes there are some real opportunities for grads who studied hard and studied the right things.
“In the last five years, our education system has realized we have not had enough focus on science, technology, engineering and math,” Black said. “Because there wasn’t that focus for many years, there is now a shortfall of experienced people to meet the demand that is out there right now in fields that need that kind of expertise.”
Fields like information technology, oil and gas, medical and finance, Black said. These all represent lucrative opportunities college graduates can find here in Galveston County and in nearby Houston, he added.
That’s not to imply the job market is rosy for all college graduates everywhere, Black said. If you were a humanities or liberal arts major, for example, you might find your opportunities are a tad more limited, he said.
So what can you do, no matter what you studied, to put yourself in the best position to land your first job out of school?
Black has the following advice for how you can stand out in the crowded job market field:
• Don’t blindly send out your resume. Start by narrowing your search to a particular city, particular field and particular company. If possible, deliver your resume in person rather than just mailing or emailing it like everyone else will.
• Get the gatekeeper on your side. If you are able to establish a relationship with the gatekeeper, sometimes that person will decide that he or she likes you enough to “see if Mr. X might have time to see you for a moment.”
• Dress for success. Get a professional business suit to wear on interviews. You cannot be overdressed for an interview. You can be underdressed. That could eliminate you from consideration.
• Ask for the job at the interview. Too many people don’t. It’s your way of letting the employer know they have the best candidate in front of them and need look no further.
If all else fails? Yep, you guessed it.
Go back to school.
“Consider getting a master’s degree or a teaching certificate,” Black said.
“If you decide to do that, choose one of the curricula that are in high demand. And most importantly, make sure you maintain a high grade-point average.”
Source: Graham, Patrick. “A few job search tips for graduates.” The Galveston Daily News 9 June 2013