BEING CAREER-MINDED IN COLLEGE

• Visit the career center yearly. There is a misconception that graduating students have the most immediate need for career services, when in fact research suggests that students benefit from active involvement with career services throughout the entire course of their educational experience. From helping you choose a major and career direction to getting an internship to helping you understand which careers will require a graduate degree, the career center is a valuable source of guidance. Take advantage of what your institution’s career professionals have to offer. After all, your tuition is paying for it! You are the driver of your career trajectory.
• Explore the career center Web site. You’ll find listings for part- and full-time positions, internships, cooperative (co-op) programs, and seasonal employment. You’ll also find on-campus interviewing opportunities for internships and for full-time employment after graduation. Attend workshops on advanced résumé writing, internship placement, interviewing, and other job-search skills. Participate in mock interview activities to improve your interviewing skills.
• Attend your college’s career fairs. Employers in the area visit your campus to hire students. Get to know more about the employers who hire graduates in your major, and check your career center Web site for the dates of upcoming career fairs. Some career fairs may be specific to disciplines such as health care, information technology, or business.
• Take a variety of classes, and pay attention to your grades. College gives you the opportunity to get exposure to various knowledge areas. Remember, though, that employers and graduate schools want candidates with good grades. Good grades show that you have a solid knowledge base and a strong work ethic—two characteristics that all employers value. Don’t risk your chances for a great career or admission to graduate school by letting your grades slide.
• Network. Connect with instructors, family members, and friends to find contacts in your fields of interest so that you can learn more about those areas. If possible, participate in mentoring programs hosted by alumni, past graduates of your college or university. Spend the summer completing internship, service-learning, and co-op experiences.
• Discover leadership opportunities. Companies want to hire leaders, and they look for leadership experience in college students when hiring for internships or postgraduate employment. It is actually the top characteristic employers look for on a résumé, after GPA.⁵ Being active in a campus club or organization helps develop your skills in leadership and teamwork. Volunteer to be team leader when working with a group on classroom projects. Seek out campus leadership employment opportunities, such as orientation leader or resident adviser. Active involvement in these opportunities will help you exercise your inner leader.
• Build communication skills. The ability to communicate verbally with persons inside and outside an organization is an important attribute that employers seek in new graduates. Again and again, company and graduate school recruiters complain about the lack of communication skills among college graduates. You should take every available opportunity to practice communicating, whether through classroom presentations, group work, leadership, or employment opportunities.
• Develop computer skills. Today’s college students have never been more technologically savvy, but not all technology experience is equal. Just because you hold the record for sending the fastest text message or have conquered the highest level on your favorite video game does not mean that you are proficient in the right kinds of technology. As you begin to make decisions about your career path, explore and become familiar with technologies used in your field. Take advantage of the computer courses and workshops your college offers, or learn by experimenting with different software packages on your own. It is also helpful to develop your own Web page or Web-based portfolio. Many Web-design software tools make this easy. Contact your college’s information technology department for information on how to get started.
• Create and monitor your digital footprint. Have you Googled yourself lately? Do you like what you see online? Would an employer? Your online representation matters, and it can influence how others see you and what they think of you. Make sure nothing inappropriate is posted about you on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or other social media sites. Over 50 percent of employers use social networks in recruiting. However, fewer college students use social networks as part of their job search.⁶ This discrepancy indicates that college students still do not realize the effect of social networks as a resource for researching career possibilities, connecting to employers, searching for opportunities, and applying for positions. For more on your digital footprint, turn to the “Relationships” chapter to review both the Tech Tip on Building a Digital Persona and the section on Communicating in a Digital Age.