About Career Blog

I’m Going to Graduate… Now What?

Your college days are quickly coming to an end. You are about to face the real world for the first time. In other words, you’re going to need a real job— pretty scary, huh? If you’re wondering what to do next, you’re not alone. Millions of new grads have been faced with this same exact situation. They survived, and I promise, you will too! Nonetheless, there are things that can be done in preparation to help make your transition into the working world a little less jolting.

Like most grads, I’m sure you’re thinking that a great resume is going to take you places. While that’s true for the most part, it’s the substance (not the fluff) that determines the greatness of a resume. These days the job market is intense, so you’ll need to pull out all of the stops in order to land the job of your dreams, or at least one that’s worth bragging about. But, before you even think about writing your resume, make it your ambition to get as much experience as possible. That way, you’ll have something impressive to put on that fresh new resume of yours.

Internships, temp jobs and volunteer work are all great ways to rack up experience. Plus, you’ll gain an insider perspective in the field that you want to work in—something invaluable to finding career happiness. It also gives you the opportunity to network with other professionals in your prospective field. Networking is critical. It means getting your name out there and making connections with people who can assist or influence your job search. The right contact could be your golden ticket to a sought-after career opportunity that may otherwise not exist.

As you gain experience, you’ll find out what you like to do and what you’d rather do without. This is an important part of determining what career path will suit you best. While your degree will set you in a definite direction, don’t overlook jobs that play to your natural talents, interests and abilities. A 40-hour work week is tough enough, so make sure it’s a job you that you don’t mind doing or better yet, that you actually like.

Once you’ve got some experience and a grip on what jobs appeal to you, it’s time to write your resume. Unlike those lengthy research papers you’ve become so familiar with, a good resume should be short, sweet and to the point. It should provide an employer a brief synopsis of your education, work experience, skills and achievements. Since you are new to the workforce, it should not exceed one page in length, unless your experience merits it.

Next, you’ll want to write a smooth cover letter. Your cover letter functions as a prelude to your resume, offering you a platform to pitch yourself to prospective employers. It should include a personal introduction, indicate the position you’re applying for, express interest in the company, and expand upon (not just repeat) the skills and experience that make you the best candidate for the job. Finally, your cover letter should fit nicely on one page with ample margin space.

Once your resume and cover letter are complete, it’s time to make your debut to the job market. There are a number of ways to do that—from uploading your resume to job boards and applying to online job postings, to targeting specific employer Web sites and applying to posted positions or e-mailing your resume to their HR department. While it may be tempting to send out a blanket distribution of your resume, it’s not wise. Instead, research each company and job description. Then, modify your resume and cover letter to appeal to each position.

Now that you are faced with the quickly approaching end to your college career, it’s time to apply what you learned to the workplace. Make it count. Your career is a blank slate. It can be everything you want it to be, it’s all up to you. So, take this information and get experience, network, write your resume, prepare a cover letter, post it to job boards and e-mail it to employers. Go out there and make it happen! Good luck!

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Posted by Seymour Jobs on 11/21/2008 09:53:00 AM
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Academic Life

It's funny how you change during school. This time last year, the idea of having two papers due the same day as two back-to-back finals would have had me so stressed that I would not have slept for days, and I would have procrastinated everything until the last minute as a result. Now, the evening before my day of doom (as I affectionately call it) I am blogging between studying for classes. And I think it's more effective because my brain does not feel like mush.

Back to studying! Good luck everyone!

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Posted by Christina on 12/10/2007 11:16:00 PM
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Elections.

Ugh, electing officers in my sorority is an extremely long and tedious process. It took us two Sundays-- 5 hours each Sunday! On the first Sunday we broke into caucuses. Your caucus is dependent upon the grade you are in at school. After breaking into caucuses we began election process.

There were at least 30 positions that needed to be filled for the next year, and we had to go through each position listing three pros and cons for each of the candidates. If there was a tie, we had to start the process all over. Each of the individual caucuses did this and by analyzing each of the caucuses slates the first final slate was formed.

The next Sunday, we voted on whether or not we wanted to pass the slate as is, but it did not pass. So we did the whole election process over with the entire sorority, rather than caucuses, making a completely new FINAL slate.

Before we even began elections all of the potential candidates had to fill out pref sheets, which are basically like resumés. They list what positions the girls would like in order of preference and all of their qualifications. We used the pref sheets to help us make our decisions. It was long and tedious but in the end I'm really happy about our newly elected officers.

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Posted by Jen on 11/20/2007 08:57:00 AM
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I'm sick and so is everyone else.

I have recently realized how easy it is to get sick while living on a college campus. When one of my roommates becomes sick, more likely than not, one of my other roommates will also get sick. There are more opportunities to pass along illness. I feel that the dormitories are the problem. They are festering with germs and bacteria.

There is ridiculously old carpeting with tons of dried up grossness underneath something that one might think was clean, but actually is not. Imagine how many people have walked on the carpet with their dirty and sweaty feet. Imagine all the sick people that must of lived in my room before me and how many sick people are in my building right now. The air conditioners carrying germs from one room to the next.

There's no escaping being sick in college. The only thing you can do to prepare your body for what will inevitably happen would be taking your vitamins everyday and hoping for the best.

Ok so this all better pay off one day-- when I have a great career and have enough money not to have old carpeting....

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Posted by Jen on 10/14/2007 12:35:00 PM
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Productivity

So I am very glad for my random surge of productivity in the beginning of the semester because I have somehow damaged my shoulder. In case you are wondering, there is nothing like excrutiating pain paired with physical therapy to throw you off your game.

Fortunately I completed my study guide for one of my classes, and because I have had this teacher before, I nitpicked the whole thing. As a result I am about two weeks ahead of myself so I can take it easy.

One thing my PR classes emphasize is always have a crisis plan. I guess I inadvertantly created one for myself.

Now if only I could ween myself off blogging and facebook to finish the last page of this paper...

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Posted by Christina on 9/19/2007 08:52:00 PM
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Dealing with Un-enthusiasm

I understand that not all professors have to be entirely peppy and upbeat, but when a teacher's bad attitude is clearly apparent, there is something wrong. I am sure the working world is the same, that I over the course of my career-- I will have co-workers and bosses that are overworked, don't like their job-- or just aren't happy.

The difference between school and work, is as a student we are paying an unbelievable amount of money to get a worthy and unique experience from each class. So an unenthusiastic tone throughout a class, from the teacher nonetheless, is completely unacceptable in my opinion. There really isn't all that much time spent in one individual class over the course of a semester.

So, as a teacher, I would think that engaging the students in a heartfelt and exciting way is the main priority. To do otherwise will never allow students to learn the material so that it will stick with us even after college is over. Certainly not all teachers are like this. I'm very happy to have had a great deal of teachers that have gone above and beyond to make us eager to go to class. It may be a lesson in itself to deal with those teachers who we don't agree with. I'm certain that I'll have to do so throughout a professional career--but the difference is if I really don't like a boss or my co-workers, I can always change jobs......

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Posted by jeff on 9/13/2007 07:22:00 PM
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Year-Long Project

The first week of my final year of college is done.

I got very lucky with my schedule considering I have class two days a week. One of the classes that I'm taking is one that will last the entire year and focuses on one short animation. It may seem like a year is a long time for only one project, especially considering that the final length of the animation will probably be no longer than two minutes. It is almost the opposite, however.

Ten seconds of animation could very well take up to a full week to complete. So, with this class I'm sure I'll be staying very busy, which is why I'm happy that my schedule will allow me to have the time to work on it. I'm eager to start the pre-production planning and even more excited to start up on the actual animation of it. It's a good class and project to transition student work to that of the professional world.

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Posted by jeff on 9/13/2007 07:21:00 PM
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So, Why College?

Throughout high school, college was always the next step. Not attending college was definitely an option I never allowed myself to have. It is a necessary part of life. Well, it is a necessary part of my life anyway. One of the dreams that I hold dearest in my heart is, to eventually support a mentally and physically, happy and healthy family.

I feel that supporting a family takes a good education and financial stability. Financial stability cannot be had without a good academic foundation; which can act as a gateway to well paying, financially stable jobs. Going away to college is also a great way for a young adult to take more control of their lives and learn the decision making skills that can help in all of their future endeavors. Making these decisions are a vital part of moving into adulthood and the job community at large.

Right now, I'm undecided as to how I want to achieve that academic foundation or job stability. So, I'm taking my general education courses and hopefully, slowly narrowing down my career options. Within the two weeks I've been here, college has already proven that it's going to be the most crucial and confusing time of my life. Hopefully, soon, all the pieces of the large convoluted puzzle called my life, will start to fit.

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Posted by Jen on 9/06/2007 12:32:00 PM
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First week in college

My first week in college was nothing short of fantastic. Sharing my living space with 7 other people was shocking to say the least. Despite the fact that, for the last 18 years, I have lived with all the luxuries of an only child, having a roommate isn't all bad.

For the past week I have been participating in sorority recruitment. Recruitment has been one of the most hectic and fun times I have ever been through. It was a lot like an interview for a job, except you were being interviewed to become a part of their Greek family. I am now a pledge for a great group of girls.

No less than one day after recruitment ended I found myself running through a maze of buildings and offices in order to find my classes. Every student was more than willing to point out where I needed to go or where I could find help. I love all of my classes and I can't wait to embark on this wonderful journey.

As I sit here typing I can't help but think about what the future holds or even what to expect tomorrow.

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Posted by Jen on 8/29/2007 09:00:00 PM
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Moving In

Here I am a sophomore in college finally moving into my first apartment. As opposed to last year, I had to share a room with another girl and a bathroom with 4 other girls, which was not easy adjusting to. With a brand new room, closet and bathroom to myself, I couldnt be more excited to be back in college.

Now, with 3 other girls as my roommates and beginning a new semester, having a job is the last things on our minds. As a bunch of guys as our neighbors and a porch looking over the pool, we are more concerned with having fun, going to classes and going out. My freshman year was a lot less distracting, but this year i have more freedom which I hope wont affect my grades.

Next semester I will be accepted into the elementary program at my school. After this semester I think that my classes will be more focused on teaching as opposed to required classes such as science, math, English, history. With our first week of classes starting I don't have too many expectations, however my course load is definitely going to be more difficult...

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Posted by Kelly on 8/29/2007 08:51:00 PM
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