| Six
top job search tips |
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Your individual job search
strategy needs to be tailored to your individual situation. The
following tips apply to everyone, whether you are seeking an internship,
co-op or permanent position, whether you are an undergraduate or
graduate student. |
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| 1. |
Don't put all your
eggs in one basket. |
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If you limit your job search
to just one method, you will limit your options. Use a mix of methods. |
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| 2. |
No one job search
method will reveal all of the jobs out there. |
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Not every kind of job or
industry is represented in every job search method. For example
there are many jobs you will not find through the On-Campus Interviewing
Program, and there are many jobs you will not find posted on Internet
sites. If you want to maximize your options, you will need to use
multiple methods. (See pros and cons of the
ways to look for jobs.) |
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| 3. |
Start early. |
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That means at the beginning of your
final year if you're completing your degree, and it means in fall
if you're looking for a summer internship. Some employers look for
hires and recruit many months in advance of the anticipated work-start
date. If you don't start early, you can still find opportunity,
but you will have missed out on some of the options. |
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| 4. |
Learn how others
pursuing your career field or industry have been successful. |
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Notice the plural on "others."
Don't limit yourself to one source.
Talk to faculty in your department.
Talk to students who will graduate (or have graduated) ahead of
you.
Talk to members of your professional associations and student chapters
of professional organizations.
Talk to alumni volunteers you find in VT CareerLink.
Go to the Post-Graduation Report. Look at the full report; select to view your major; look under "employment" at "job / employer source." That will tell you how past graduates of your major connected with the employers who hired them. You'll usually notice that referrals/contacts, a.k.a. networking, is one of the effective methods. |
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| 5. |
Learn to think
beyond major. |
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Some of you have a major
that equals a job title. Most of you don't. Learn to think about
occupations, industries, kinds of businesses, job skills and career
fields. The real world is not organized by major. A couple of good resources you'll find at researching careers and industries are Vault and WetFeet. |
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| 6. |
Don't expect your
job search to be quick and easy. |
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A job search is hard work.
Your motivation and attitude are the keys to your success. Expect
to put in as much work, for two semesters, as a really tough 3-credit-hour
class in which you want to get an A. It's worth that to you. |
