College seniors have a lot to juggle during their last year on campus. They want to finish strong academically while enjoying their last year of school social life. There is, however, one more major thing that needs to be added to this list…finding post-graduation employment. The major question is when should you start looking for your full-time job after obtaining your degree?
Some have the point of view that there is plenty of time to work and that a person should maximize their enjoyment. These people would not start their search until after their May graduation, or perhaps even after taking the summer off to relax. While this approach can certainly “recharge your batteries” and provide you with some great life experiences, it will place you significantly behind in your employment efforts. If you wait this long, you will not only be behind May graduates, but also everyone who finished over the summer. Unless you have some outstanding internships on your resume and/or know important decision-makers, I don’t think you want to dig yourself this kind of hole.
Another philosophy is to focus on school during your senior year and start your job search once you graduate in May. This, however, will place you behind your schoolmates who have started already, placing you at a significant disadvantage. Similarly, there are some who believe you start in January because this gives you the opportunity (in theory) to time your job offer with your graduation. Unfortunately, the timing rarely works out so nicely.
Rather, now (as in this Fall) is the ideal time to start your job search. This is because there is a lot of preparation work that needs to be done. Let’s list some of the tasks you should be doing now and not wait until the spring semester.
• Documents Ready: You want to have your core cover letter and resume template completed now. While it is important to customize each for the position that you are seeking, starting with a pre-written template is critical. By completing now, you will have time to have people review it for you and have it ready for applying.
• Determine Your Path: While someone who is just graduating from school can’t be the choosiest person, it does help to know what you are most interested in doing. This provides you with some direction regarding what positions to pursue. Keep in mind that you don’t just want to land a job after you graduate. You want to find a job that will assist in your development and allow you to build up your resume.
• Research: Now is the time that you should be researching companies of interest to you. This will assist you in determining which companies to place your focus on while also preparing you for any future interaction with them. It is relatively easy, via online search and business social media, to obtain a pretty valid feel for an organization. If they are a publicly traded company, then you can also review the Annual Report for detailed information.
• Start Networking: Productive networking takes time. It is a process of slowly building contact after contact via in-person introductions at school or industry events or connecting with people online. There is a compounding element to networking, as connecting with people opens you up to their connections and so on. So, it is important to get yourself out there as early as you can, especially since you want to reach out to key people before your graduate competition does.
• Practice Makes Perfect: Career position interviews are much different than the type of employer discussions you may have participated in the past. While some schools have career preparation courses that allow you to practice interviewing, there still is a need for more repetitions. Prepare your answers to the most frequently asked interview questions (please see the Articles section at www.RochesterJobs.com for several examples), so that you answer confidently and concisely.
College seniors have a pretty full plate, as they finish one stage of their lives and plan for another. It is tempting to look at this year as a last opportunity to really enjoy yourself prior to entering the “real world.” For those who are career focused, or perhaps need the compensation or benefits, getting started on your job search ASAP is critical to success. Getting a time advantage on the competition may be the edge that leads you to a great first position!
As always, best of luck in your job search.
The following has been prepared for the general information of RochesterJobs readers. It is not meant to provide advice with respect to any specific legal or policy matter and should not be acted upon without verification by the reader.
Joe Stein
WNY Human Resources Professional
Feel free to contact Joe Stein regarding questions or comments at:
Joe Stein
