Wildcat Careers is about to become your best friend. No, seriously though… if you are trying to do anything with yourself after college, you’re going to need this tool that Career Services has graciously provided for UNH students. People who know about Wildcat Careers typically know about the job and internship postings, but not many people know that the site teaches you how to make a resume and cover letter, and even has a huge database of UNH Alumni mentors! This “How To Guide” is going to help you land your first job or internship and get you on the path of networking your way to the top!
Before you start looking for a job or an internship you better get your resume down pat. Your resume and cover letter is basically you on a sheet of paper. It is your personal brand, your most powerful asset, and your best sales tool. After making your login for Wildcat Careers using your Blackboard username, go straight to the career handouts section and get cracking. If you have never made a resume make your way to the “Writing a Resume/Cover Letter” handout. Start circling verbs on the page titled “Skills Checklist for your Resume.” These action verbs will be used in your resume to explain your accomplishments and experience. All of the handouts will provide lots of examples to get you going. Once your resume and cover letter is done, please, pleaseeee just go to one resume review day at Hood House and have a professional look at it. The Career Handouts section has a lot of other resources revolving around interviewing tips, Linked-In and networking, so just take a look.
Next step, start browsing the internship and job postings. That is your ultimate goal right, to get a job or internship? Browsing jobs and internships can be done by searching by state, keyword or industry. The job postings will give you direct contact information so you know exactly who to send your resume and cover letter to. Honestly… I know that you know exactly what to do in this category. If you know how to search for things on Google, you will be able to use this search engine too. Once you have found that dream posting, apply away! You are especially prepared because you have a fresh resume and a cover letter template. Remember! Your cover letter is a TEMPLATE! Always customize your cover letter and make it as personal as you can. This letter is your way of complimenting the person/company who will be hiring you and it is your voice. Try your absolute best never to write “To Whom It May Concern.” Find that person who is going to be hiring you. Be personable and professional and make them want you!
Alright, I know many of you have gotten to this step on your own and still can’t find anything! Am I right? Yeah, I know. I was right there with you. This is when we have to really step out of our comfort zone. It’s time to reach out to people and use the UNH Mentor Database. Now this may seem scary, but this is your networking system, and honestly, you NEED a mentor. We will focus on the importance of having a mentor another time, but for now let’s use this database for networking.
Step 1: Decide on your ultimate dream career. Yes, I know a lot of us want to be professional fashionistas, socialites, athletes, and if you’re like me, a professional jetsetter, but lets just focus on another dream career. You will get to your socialite status, and I will most definitely travel the world, but for now I am going to focus on a “real” job… which I am still convinced is not for me.
Step 2: Search the database for someone who has already achieved your career goals. Use lots of keywords and be open to people that may not have the exact job title you want. You will be really surprised at how many people that graduated from good ‘ole UNH actually have the job that you want!
Step 3: Found a few you really liked? Good. Now it is time to contact them. You have to actually click the person to have their contact information show up, so don’t give up and think that you got out of this that easy. Your email to them is basically going to be asking for an informational interview. An informational interview is an extremely useful tool while climbing up the working latter. It is basically time for you to talk to a professional and learn from the pros. You can ask them millions of questions about what path they took to get to where they are today, what they like/dislike about their jobs, advice they might have, and the best part… you can ask them about internships and jobs. That is what you really want to know about, so go for it! When you explain to them what you have been doing in your search for a position, and ask for advice on where else to look, they might just have an opening themselves, or they will probably give you some other contacts who might have an opening. This does sound scary and you might have to talk to a few people before you actually find something, but trust me it works! This is exactly what I did, and it wasn’t easy, but it came through for me. Persistence is key.
Now that you have all of these tools at your fingertips and you know how to use them, get going! You are unstoppable, and why wouldn’t someone want to hire you, right?! Have confidence in yourself and don’t give up when you don’t get that job/internship that you really wanted. All that means is there is something better for you out there, and you’re so close to finding it! So get off Facebook and go to https://www.wildcatcareers.unh.edu and GET STARTED! Good Luck!