“I asked what was bothering her and she told me she had just received a job offer from a firm she loved, but the starting salary was too low,” Rodkin said. “I looked at her and the class and remarked, ‘Hasn’t anyone taught you guys how to negotiate?’”

Rodkin then gave the class a lecture on salary negotiations. Afterwards, while the class waited, the student stepped outside to call the firm that had made her the job offer. “She returned to the class with a smile and said, ‘It worked! They gave me a $15,000 signing bonus and raised the starting salary!’”

It was this experience and others that led Rodkin, a popular professor who has taught at DePaul for nine years, to pen the how-to book for student job seekers, which is being issued by Thomson Custom Publishing in September 2003. In the book, Rodkin shares what he has learned about job-seeking from his 30 years of experience in the corporate world, where he worked as a marketing executive for companies that include Procter & Gamble, A.C. Nielsen Co. and the Chicago Tribune.

The book offers practical advice about choosing the right career path, resumé writing, networking, interviewing and salary negotiations, tailored to students entering the job market in either a boom or bust economy. It also provides students with templates to create resumés and cover letters, as well as worksheets to explore career goals and track job-seeking progress.

Rodkin believes the 134-page book is especially needed for students who are about to enter one of the toughest job markets in recent memory. His advice for students who will graduate in the spring includes:

Begin to prepare your campaign now by developing an appropriate, business-like resumé.

Thoroughly understand the importance of building a network based on asking people for advice about maneuvering through the career process. Then practice and use a five-minute “who you are” speech for calling/meeting people in the network.

Look at a variety of industries where you can get excited about future prospects, then start investigating companies in these industries. In your networking meetings, contacts may know of people in these companies for you to meet. Networking means never saying, “I'm looking for a job!”

Do not restrict yourself to only resumé mailings or answering ads – be proactive in following your goals. Contact former teachers, past employers, friends or anyone else you think may be able to help with your job search.

Set up a formal record-keeping system that includes tracking business cards collected and keeping notes about people met through networking.

During an interview, focus on positive answers and how your background fits the needs of the organization. Make sure the interviewer gets a higher percentage of the dialogue ratio than you do.

Do your homework on salary ranges for the position that interests you, but avoid discussing salary during the interview. Wait until you get an offer. If there is a discrepancy between the salary offered and the target range for the position, tell the employer how excited you are about the job, but that you are bit concerned about the salary level. Ask the employer to take two days to reconsider the salary and tell them you will call them for an answer. Call as promised and see if they have modified the salary. Depending on what the answer is, be prepared to accept or reject the offer graciously.

Editor’s Note: Rodkin can be contacted for interviews at 312/362-8671. Journalists seeking a copy of the book for review should call Robin Florzak at 312/362-8592.