Tips for Improving your Job Search
This post was written by Jacob Vick ’15, CCD Peer Career Ambassador
Some of these items might seem like common sense to most, but in my experience students just seem not to follow through and execute. It is not enough that you set goals for yourself and lay out a game plan, in the end it will mean nothing if you don’t execute.
Getting Involved
It is just as simple as it sounds. There are tons of events either on campus, at other schools, online, etc. that must be of some interest to you. Don’t fall into the trap of writing them off and assuming what they are going to be like without actually attending. Sometimes you may get lost in the crowd, but undoubtedly there will be an opportunity for you to really stand out as the person who made the effort to physically be there and learn. Go to speaker events, participate in competitions; we just are not as busy as we try to make ourselves believe and you have a great opportunity to learn so much.
Reaching Out
There are certain alumni and firms that are always going to emails from students trying to network, but you’d be surprised how dramatically the activity falls off once you branch out from the #1 or #2 on everyone’s list. It only takes a little more research and effort to find those who work in exceptional positions but seemed to get missed.
Time Management
This isn’t directly career search related, but just a life skill you have to learn. You have to keep yourself organized and professional when it comes to keeping your schedule and delivering on your commitments. Don’t sign up for something or set up a meeting if you are not sure you will be able to make it right on time. Show up five minutes early for everything and you’ll be able to use that spare time to completely organize your thoughts and hit the ground running in your meetings. Please stop using upcoming exams as an excuse to drop the ball on your commitments.
Everyone is busy, but what is critical is setting the correct priorities on how you properly manage and allocate your time. Execute on these well-known areas and you could dramatically improve your results.