As a senior, I kicked it into high gear at the beginning of the year. I went to career advising to get my resume looked at, worked on my cover letter, and began applying to paid internships that I hoped would lead to a full-time position afterward. I had a phone interview that turned into an in-person interview. I was so excited about my future, everything was going well until it wasn’t. When the coronavirus pandemic began my chance at an amazing marketing and communications internship ended because the company canceled the program. I will admit I cried, but I told myself I had to push on. With graduation a few weeks away, I am taking time out of each day to apply to internships and entry-level jobs. Here are a few tips that I found useful in the all-important but totally intimidating job search.
1. Resume
Evaluate your skills, aspirations, and previous experience by making a draft of your resume. I started out using a website called Canva to design a resume, but the colors and icons I used were distracting from my skills and experience. I took some advice from my roommate, who said simplicity is best when crafting a resume. She got this advice when she applied to the Washington Program last year. I would recommend using Microsoft Word to make a resume that includes:
- Current position (it could be “Student”)
- Contact information: LinkedIn, phone number, city/area, and email
- Education (College only)
- Work experience from present to past with the tasks and skills you learned. If you are a sophomore or above, do not include high school experience.
- Skills listed as bullet points
- Projects or publications if you have any.
2. Career Advising
After making your first draft of a resume, visit a career advisor at the Internship and Career Center. It was helpful to talk out my experiences and get advice. You can visit this site to schedule an appointment!
3. LinkedIn
If you haven’t already, create a LinkedIn account to begin virtually networking and peruse the job board.
4. Helpful Sites
Visit sites that can help you find position titles, average salaries, and career options. Here are some that might be helpful:
These websites are valuable to gauge your interests, research job market trends, and explore career options. At California Career Zone, you can complete career assessments if you need extra help to guide your search.
5. Search Job boards
6. Apply!
It was helpful to me to make a spreadsheet with information like due dates, job titles, links to postings, and locations. You can always go back to get advice from the career counselor on your cover letter. Remember, you are not alone!