Someday these job-related entries will stop. But for now, poll time.

[areyououtthere]

I'm curious about where my peers pick up what they know about job-hunting. I hear a lot of general laments about how liberal arts education leaves people ill-prepared for careers that aren't academia, unsure of what other options exist, and I've certainly spent enough time being bitter about my own relative inexperience. At the same time, though, I

Comments

[fiddledragon]

I learned how to write and format a resume from:

*My parents/other adult family members
*Other adult mentor figures (Professors, employers, family friends, etc)
*Career services people at my college
*Peers in work fields similar to mine
*Peers in work fields different from mine
*Entirely self-taught
*Other (explain in comments)

I learned how to write a cover letter from:

*My parents/other adult family members
*Other adult mentor figures (Professors, employers, family friends etc)
*Career services people at my college
*Peers in work fields similar to mine
*Peers in work fields different from mine
*Entirely self-taught
*Other (explain in comments)

I learned to parse a job ad (figure out if my experience is relevant, figure out what the difference is between skills that are "desirable" or "preferred," figure out when to risk applying for things I'm not entirely qualified for, etc) from:

*My parents/other adult family members
*Other adult mentor figures (Professors, employers, family friends etc)
*Career services people at my college
*Peers in work fields similar to mine
*Peers in work fields different from mine
*Entirely self-taught
*Other (explain in comments) Much from professional resources online not affiliated with my graduate program. I'm a little confused by how you phrased part of this question...where's the risk to applying for something you're not qualified for? The worst that will happen is some HR person somewhere mocks you to themselves and you never hear back from them.

I learned how to answer annoying job interview questions from:

*My parents/other adult family members
*Other adult mentor figures (Professors, employers, family friends etc)
*Career services people at my college
*Peers in work fields similar to mine
*Peers in work fields different from mine
*Entirely self-taught
*Other (explain in comments)