How To Get Your Dream Job (7 Steps to Take in College)
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Gone are the days when simply having a degree can guarantee an attractive job offer after graduation. There are a lot more graduates these days than there used to be, and every one of their resumes shows they spent at least four years at a university. So how are you different? When the time comes for you to put the finishing touches on your resume and start sending it to recruiters, how can you stand out from the rest of the college-educated crowd? In this article, we’ll cover 7 things you can do in college to become an irresistible candidate to hiring managers. It boils down to three main points:
Enthusiasm
Experience
Networking
A few years ago I had a friend who majored in Computer Science but never pursued a job in the field. At this point, it had been seven years since graduation and I asked him why he was working a job that barely paid him enough to get by when he had a valuable degree with such great potential. He said he never thought he would be a competitive applicant for computer science jobs because there was nothing that made him stand out. He had no internship experience. He didn’t know anyone who worked in the field. He didn’t have a portfolio of projects to show his coding abilities or enthusiasm. His GPA was average and he had done the bare minimum to complete his degree. That’s how he felt immediately after graduation, and even more so seven years later with still no experience.
Although this friend admittedly suffered from confidence issues, there are important lessons to learn from his story. It is easier to be confident in your application (as well as an interview) if you know that it’s impressive. If you are confident in your value as a professional, companies will recognize it, too.
Enough rambling…here are the 7 things you should be doing in college to help you land your dream job!
1. Create a LinkedIn Profile
The easiest thing you can do as soon as you begin your freshman year is create a LinkedIn profile. The funny part is I don’t think most high schoolers even know that LinkedIn exists! LinkedIn is essentially a social media site for professional networking. Unlike TikTok, Instagram, or Facebook, LinkedIn is a place to present your professional image to the world, display your accomplishments, and network with other professionals. LinkedIn is not a place to post pictures of your cat, talk about a party, or go on a political rant (although this one does happen sometimes). Instead, consider posting your most impressive projects, sharing a part of your educational/professional journey, or sharing your thoughts on trending job market, education, or workplace issues.
Why should you create a LinkedIn? As a college student, establishing and maintaining an online professional presence can be integral to networking and landing a job offer after graduation. Many times have I received a private message on LinkedIn from a recruiter contacting me about an open position. Think about this - recruiters will contact you about available jobs if you have spent time staying active on LinkedIn and updating your profile with your latest accomplishments. In short, joining LinkedIn helps you:
Establish an online professional presence
Stay connected with important contacts you meet at job fairs or networking events
Find thousands of jobs that companies post every day
Receive messages from recruiters with possible job opportunities
I can’t think of an easier way to find a job!
2. Get to Know Your Professors
Many professors used to work in industry, so they have plenty of rich experiences to share. Plus, they have loads of contacts. Building a relationship with your professors can greatly increase your chances of connecting with a great job opportunity. For an enthusiastic student, professors are often willing to write an introduction email to an old friend in the industry who has a job opening on their team. You’d be surprised what can happen because of an email! One of my professors literally wrote the book on becoming a SAS Certified Specialist (SAS is a coding language). John, another student in the class, built a relationship with this professor by attending office hours, requesting advice on projects, and discussing current coding hot-topics. Eventually, this professor used his influence to help John land an internship at SAS, the company he had worked at for over 20 years!
3. Get Involved in Research
Speaking of networking with professors, ask them about their research! Professors love to discuss their research, and are often looking for undergraduate assistants to work in their labs or help with surveys, depending on the discipline. Working in a research setting can provide valuable experience. It can also help you discover if you actually like to work in your chosen field. In addition, you also have the opportunity to be a part of fascinating discoveries that you can turn into snazzy bullet points on your resume and discuss in interviews!
Related: “12 High Paying Careers That Only Require a Bachelor’s Degree (2022)”
4. Go to Department Networking Events
We all know it’s not what you know…it’s who you know. That couldn’t be more true. My husband got a job straight out of college that pays $30k more than what he was expecting. It was all because a friend reached out to a friend who offered him a job three days after the first interview. If someone powerful likes you, you’re golden.
A great way to find professionals in your field is by attending department networking events. Here you can meet professors as well as other students pursuing your degree. This is a great time to find out what research professors are involved in, which internships your fellow students are getting, and just make friends! Remember that these students will also be team leads, managers, and CEO’s one day. Building professional and personal relationships with them is investing in possible job opportunities and referrals in the future!
5. Attend Job Fairs BEFORE You Need a Job
It’s common for universities to hold annual or semi-annual job fairs where local companies come to recruit new hires. The obvious decision is to attend as a senior looking for a job, but did you know it can be highly beneficial to attend as an underclassman as well? Attending job fairs can help you identify companies you may want to work for in the future, as well as speak with hiring managers you can keep in touch with on LinkedIn until you need a job. Also, job fairs are a great place to learn about internship opportunities. Finally, speaking with recruiters and hiring managers in a low stakes situation will prepare you to be confident and well-spoken when the stakes are high. When the hiring manager for your dream job says, “Tell me about yourself,” you won’t skip a beat because you will have been through this before. Build your professional confidence when you have nothing to lose so that you can be prepared when it really matters.
Related: “25 Best Part Time Jobs for College Students (High Paying)”
6. Get an Internship (at least one)
An internship is one of the best resume-builders an undergraduate can have! In a saturated job market, companies have a pool of many applicants to choose from, and the best way to show you’re the one for the job is to prove it with experience. A job is very unlike college - don’t even get me started on tearing apart the education system - so companies want candidates that they don’t have to spend time explaining everything to. They have a bottom line and they want a new hire that can keep up with an industry-level team.
In addition to proving to a company that you can integrate will with their team, having internship experience is also a huge confidence-booster. Since interning, I am a lot more collected during an interview and confident in my abilities to perform job functions.
It’s much easier to talk about something you’ve done than something you have the potential to do.
Also, new hires with internship experience warrant a higher salary!
7. Build a Portfolio
Building a portfolio of projects is also a great way to display your expertise and enthusiasm, whether you have work experience or not! If you haven’t had the chance to intern or be a research assistant, collecting a portfolio of your best work can be a great way to prove your abilities. It doesn’t take much to set up an affordable website and display your accomplishments. Include the projects you’re most proud of from your courses. An even better addition is a project you completed because of your own interest and enthusiasm. Often, these are the most interesting because they reflect passion for the subject. Hiring managers want to hire someone who’s passionate about the work they’re doing, and the best way to show that is to make your amazing pet projects accessible!
When a job application provides an optional website field, enter the URL to your portfolio. Consider including it somewhere on your resume as well! Your portfolio allows the hiring manager to get to know you past the Times New Roman text-heavy document they see first.
Related: “Where to Find College Textbooks for Cheap”
Related: “How I Cut My College Living Expenses IN HALF”
The job market of today is competitive, and having a degree is no longer enough to compete. Today’s college student needs to prepare for their future by networking and gaining valuable hands-on experience that shows their competency and enthusiasm.
There is no perfect formula, but taking some of the smart steps above during your college career can greatly improve your prospects after graduation. I wish you the best of luck and hard work!
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