The moment when you finished high school, you are probably super excited about moving out for college. You might have heard from your older friends about how fun college can be with all the parties, school clubs, new friends, and a new atmosphere. You might also have watched movies where the characters changed the most during college where they found their career choice, interests, or even their life-long partner. While all of these could be a dream come true, you should also consider starting planning for your future career.
The phrase “trying to survive college” is still valid, but it is no longer just to survive, but also to prepare and turn yourself into a professional in four years. It might sound intimidating to think that as college students, we should have everything figured out in just four years. The real answer is, no, you don’t have to have it all figured out in four years, but there are resources at school to help you become successful after your graduation, like the career center or guidance counselors. However, outside of school, there are also other tips you can take on to how you should prepare for your career, and here are some of the resources and a timeline during your four amazing years in college to prepare yourself into becoming a professional.
FRESHMAN YEAR
As a freshman, there is no doubt you needed time to adjust to the new setting in college. Everything seems to be out of hand when you first arrive because you are on your own in a new environment. However, to fully enjoy college while preparing for your career, here are some tips you should consider.
Join as many clubs and organizations if possible. You may come across your ideal career choice while exploring available clubs on campus. Clubs like Business Clubs, Consulting Clubs, and even volunteering clubs may benefit you to explore your career choice and ultimately spark your interest.
Speak with older college friends for tips. Another good way you could do as a freshman in college is to speak with your upperclassmen friends. Ask about their experiences during their first year of college and find out what you could do during your first year and take advantage of those resources to help you land your first internships!
Brief Companies Research. While you should spend time finding your interests during your first year, you should also research different companies and their roles. Many roles are associated with a specific specialty, for example, in Marketing, there are many different types of marketing, like Content Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Field Marketing, Digital Marketing, and more. Research companies on what they do, their services, products, and more to fuel yourself with the right knowledge before you apply for their internship positions. You can use JobSeer to help you learn more about the company by using its Company Insights tab, where it consists of various information like size, revenue, services, competitors, and even visa sponsorship history
JobSeer Google’s Company Insights
Resume For Internships. It is time for you to start drafting your first resume. To start, you should understand how to write a well-written professional resume. Do some research on how a resume should look, and start writing down your past experiences. The most critical points of a resume are keywords and how you format them. The best advice I can give you is to follow this format for each of your bullet points: Action Verb + Quantified Business Impact + The Work You Performed. To learn more about what should you NOT add to your resume, check out this article.
SOPHOMORE & JUNIOR YEAR
Now that you have completed your first year of college, and finally got your feet wet, and know how it is like to be in college. During your Sophomore and Junior years, it is now for you to get some REAL experiences. While you are still trying to survive and pass college classes, your career is just as important.
Continue to join more clubs and organizations.If you haven’t gotten the chance to explore clubs and organizations during your first year, now is the time to do so. If you found a club you really like, try to run for president or an officer! It will definitely look good on your resume and get some real hands-on experiences. Try your best to create a solid network in school which can include your involvement in school clubs or getting to know professors.
Create a professional LinkedIn page and start networking. LinkedIn is essential for your career development, it is like an overview of all of your professional experiences. Learn how to create a successful LinkedIn profile with Wonsulting’s tips and start reaching out to recruiters or employees about their experiences! If you need help finding the right point person to talk to, try JobSeer’s recruiters’ and employees’ contact finder.
Also, if it is a challenge for you to write a cold message, check out this article in which shows you a step by step guide on how to craft a cold message.
Attend career fairs and leverage the school’s career centers for tips. Attending career fairs can help you network. There are current employees and recruiters at career fairs who are ready to speak to proactive students, so take advantage of those! Prepare one or two rapports to introduce yourself to the recruiters or hiring managers at a career fair. Make valuable connections by starting a conversation and ultimately pass them your resume. Also, try to utilize your school’s career center, there are counselors who will be willing to provide you tips and career help! If you are wondering how you should prepare for a job search and want to know what you should or should not do, check out this article in which we dive into details on how you should prepare for a job search.
Use tools like JobSeer to help with finding internships/interests/resume polishing. Once you have done all that and have your resume ready, it is time for you to look for an internship. Ideally, you should start six months prior to the start date, but it varies with industries and companies. Apply strategically by using JobSeer to help you filter out all of the relevant positions and allow you to understand your candidacy with the resume analysis feature!
JobSeer Resume Analysis with Match Score
SENIOR YEAR
Congratulations! You have survived all three years of college, and now it is your final and last year in school, take advantage of all the resources at school. Other than completing your school, also try your best to follow these tips and advice into landing your first job after graduation.
Reminder: Remember that your first job isn’t your last job, it is okay to get rejected or change your career path, because it is redirection!
Try not to get discouraged because your peers have landed their dream job before you do because everyone has their own timeline. What matters is how you make your time count and how you create your personal journey!
Have several resumes and cover letters. Craft several versions of resumes and cover letters to expand your job search with different job positions. It is great to have a “master” resume, where you have all of your experiences in one document so that you can easily pick which experiences are the most relevant to the position you are applying for.
Start job search early. If you haven’t already gone to a career fair, attend one soon and open up more opportunities for yourself. Present yourself in front of university recruiters, current employees to help boost your confidence in public speaking and make valuable connections. Other than that, of course, start searching on job boards and connect with the right people! JobSeer can help with its resume analysis and skills recommendations, along with providing the right people for you to contact from a company!
“Present yourself in front of university recruiters, current employees to help boost your confidence in public speaking and make valuable connections. ”
— Jobseer
Practice Interviewing skills.Practice your interviewing skills with friends or even simply by watching YouTube videos. Practice makes better, and be sure to be you during an interview! Learn how to easily answer the most common interview questions like “Tell me about yourself”, “Where do you see yourself in five years?”, “Why are you interested in this position?”, and so forth.
Most Importantly: HAVE FUN!Graduating is a time to celebrate. Celebrate yourself with your family and friends, and congratulate yourself for completing a huge milestone. Don’t forget to have fun and enjoy your best self at the right moments.
“Don’t forget to have fun and enjoy your best self at the right moments. ”
— Jobseer
FINAL WORDS FROM JOBSEER TO YOU
Don’t afraid to try and explore new things - while also enjoying college.
While this checklist can go on and on, the bottom line is to not be afraid to try new things in college. There are many opportunities in college that might become your strongest strength! While you are busy surviving classes in college, don’t forget to enjoy your college years with friends. The people you meet in college might be your long life friends. If you are worried, anxious, and getting nervous about this transition as a student to a full-time employee, check out this article from my personal experience on how I manage to have a smooth transition. You are not alone, and don’t afraid to reach out to the right people when you need it. Congratulations, don’t stop yourself from doing what you know is best for you.
AND HERE IS A REMINDER FOR YOU FROM THE JOBSEER TEAM
ABOUT WRITER
Rene Cheng was the Community Intern at Hiretual since Summer 2019, and in late 2020, she has been working full-time with Hiretual as a Content Marketing Growth Specialist in the JobSeer Team. Rene handles all PR, influencer marketing, and content creation for the JobSeer Team. During her free time, Rene likes to go on coffee adventures in the city, researches different hair types and stylish, flies her drone to explore the greatness of nature, and also loves to just chill at home. Rene loves the idea of self-development and is currently starting to read books about self-development and self-love. If you would like to connect with Rene, feel free to reach out to her on LinkedIn!
