How to Begin Your Job Search Long Before Graduation - Sterling Career Concepts

How to Begin Your Job Search Long Before Graduation How to Begin Your Job Search Long Before Graduation It is a common mistake to think that a career begins after a degree is conferred. Although a young college student isnt likely to have life planned out to the last detail, having some general job-seeking goals is appropriate for the potential college grad. Using the somewhat antiquated four-year college plan, college students should be planning for a career the moment they step foot on campus. Freshman Year The first year in college is a good time to discover your abilities. It is then that self-efficacy is created. Research into job seekers behavior showed that good attitude and a belief in one’s self are necessary to maintain a sense of psychological well-being during the job hunt. Use this first year to center yourself and create a foundation of success from which to draw in the future. Sophomore Year With a year of grades under your belt, the second year of school is when you begin to create your résumé and references. Young job seekers often have difficulty finding positions because they lack experience and professional references for their résumés. This makes hiring them a risky proposition for a company. A high grade in a class will be useful for your GPA, but a letter of reference from the teacher may actually land you the job. Before you ask for a letter of reference, be certain that the instructor knows who you are and that you have made a favorable impression. Here, luck favors the bold. If you have an instructor who shares your career-oriented passions, then create a discussion and spend some time with that teacher. This will give the instructor something to write in a letter. A personal letter of recommendation goes further than a generic report of your grades. Junior Year At this point in your college career, you have probably taken your general education requirements, have an established GPA and are moving into courses that are specific to your job goals. This is a good time to find company specific jobs or internships. General job search databases are good, but you may get better traction approaching a company directly. Many companies, like cyber security leader LifeLock, post their jobs and internships online before they resort to big databases such as Monster or CareerBuilder. Make a list of the movers and shakers in your industry and approach them directly, either online or via an email. Senior Year This is the crunch year. If you do not already have an internship or job, this is the year you need to get one. You already have a year of career-specific education under your belt. If you find a job at the end of junior year or at the beginning of senior year, you will have a solid year of experience when you obtain your degree. The goal at the end of this year is to have a solid résumé, great references and a year of pertinent experience.