How to get a job Thursday's!!

Hi everyone! Long time no see, happy new year’s~~~! I have been a bit busy catching up with my family and getting back in the work swing. It is really hard going from being hungover wrapped in a blanket like a burrito, to wearing business clothing and running reports. To welcome in the New Year, I thought I would start a new weekly series “How to get a job Thursdays!”

A little background in my personal full time job search, I secured a full time position in November of my senior year of University. I have now been on the job for about 6 months. I have worked since I was 17, so I have held numerous amounts of positions (some great some not so great). This will give you a sense if you want to take/trust my advice.

So before I start this series of course I have to put in a huge disclaimer that what I am providing is tips and tricks to facilitate the job search process. These tips and tricks in no way will 100% guarantee that you will find a job, but I do think that they can help the process! This is my personal advice if you don’t think it is helpful or good advice then please feel free not to take it. Always do what you think is best for you.

Numero Uno: Use your time spent in College/University Wisely

When you go to any system of higher education, it is with the intended purpose that you will find a better career path afterwards (or your parents forced you too which isn’t any fun). With that being said, it may be the first time a lot of people get their first taste of freedom/ability to control your schedule. It is all about balance trying new things, partying, having fun, taking trips WHILE gaining meaningful experiences to put on your resume.

Your resume will sadly (because really why should a piece of paper determine if you get a job or not?) be your most instrumental tool in getting interviews/professional opportunities. If you spend all four years of your university throwing up in into a toilet bowl, you sadly won’t have much to put on your resume outside your favorite variation of Bacardi.

You should try to find some sort of campus job that will help build your resume. For example, I worked as a Peer Advisor in one of the career offices on campus. This gave me the ability to critique resume, conduct mock interviews and assist students in the job search process which translated very nicely onto my resume (for an HR position).

It also helped me gain meaningful experience I could talk about in an interview. An interviewer would ask “Tell me about a time you had to work on a team?” I could talk about working on the Peer Advisor team and how we assisted each other answering questions, collaborating in cross function projects, filling in for each other and working as a greater overall campus career office team.

Any position can add immense value to your resume do not underestimate the power of being able to say that while you had a full schedule (or part time schedule) at university, you held down a job which required you to do X, Y and Z. It really impresses employers and lets them know that you can handle pressure/working on a schedule.

Also, make sure to utilize your summers!!! It is important to try to get your foot in the door in the industry/profession that you eventually want to be a part of. This means looking for internships were you can gain invaluable experience and make excellent connections. Internships are also a little easier to get then full time jobs because employers don’t really expect you to have that much experience (going back to my earlier point if you have jobs during the school year this can help you snag an internship more easily).Make sure to utilize your campus career office to see if there are any employers coming to your campus to recruit/internship listings you are listed in.

As a general timeline internship recruiting generally is most heavy in the spring (this is not to say that a fair share of employers also go in the fall). Plan accordingly so you have time to get your resume critiqued, participate in mock interviews and review positions you would be interested in.

On an ending note, make sure to also have fun but balance is key! Pick 1 or 2 nights you go out a week and spend the other days adding experiences to not only your resume but also your life (attend talks/events, participate in a play, commit to that workout routine etc.).

As always stay happy, safe and healthy!