After graduating in May and enduring four months of frozen dinners and frequent interviews, it hit me that I should have done a few things differently during my time in college. Now is not exactly the best time to be exiting an undergrad career, but since you cannot just put your career on hold until a brighter day, take advantage of the “down” time and start your journey now.
I majored in business management with a concentration in finance and tacked on a minor in accounting for the fun of it. I was confident in my interview skills and was proud of all of my extracurricular accomplishments. However, I let my summers pass me by and had nothing to show for myself as a soon-to-be graduate. Speaking from experience, or actually lack thereof, I encourage you to use every opportunity you can to build your resume, especially the “experience” section. We all know that the job market is beginning to gain the upper hand on us and that it is extremely trying out there. Companies are cutting costs in many ways and are less willing to invest the time or money into training an inexperienced intellectual. With that in mind, start taking the time to get some real-world experience. Use some of your free time to make a few connections. You can still spend your summers at the beach. Just donate some of that time to the aquarium or the administrative department at the fun park.
As a previously exhausted job hunter, I want to remind you not to become overwhelmed. Be sure to narrow the breadth of your search and extend the depth. In other words, zone in on the type of work you want to do and then look in every place possible to find it. Use the internet, the Career Center, your parents, your dentist and even your second grade teacher. Believe it or not, most everyone wants to see you succeed, and of course feel as though their assistance is indispensable!
The last few pieces of advice relate to the interviewing process. If you are anything like me, interviews equate to a night of panic, a morning without breakfast and a very sweaty steering wheel. I found that neither partying nor pleading would resolve these problems. Not even practice seemed to help. I eventually learned that the only medicine for my interview insomnia was preparation. When you are called in for an interview, consider it a once in a lifetime opportunity – especially these days. Make sure you know as much as you can about the company, its history, the employees or anything else that may give you an edge during an awkwardly quiet moment. Study for your interviews as you do your final exams and sit down with confidence. Then if you start feeling shaky, use that knowledge to ask your interviewer the questions and take the spotlight off of you for a few minutes. You will never believe the composure you can regain while pretending to listen to their response. Lastly, and at the risk of sounding like your mother, make sure you write your thank you notes in a timely fashion.
We grow up hearing that high school prepares us for college and that college sets the stage for life as a responsible adult. Well, we all know that those cliché statements we hear during childhood are not always true. Seriously, did anybody tell you in high school that you would have to wake yourself up from a comfortable wooden cubicle for your 8 a.m. history exam after a night of studying at the library? You have to take hold of your own future now and believe that your hard work and charisma will get you exactly where you want to go. If you spend your summers sleeping and reapplying sunscreen as I did, you will find the transition to be a tough one.
