As a wise man, Justin Timberlake once said, “I think the first half of my twenties, I felt I had to achieve, achieve, achieve. A lot of men do this. I’m looking around now and I’m like, where am I running?”
So where are we running? And why are we all running so fast?
Because if we don’t sprint, we might lose out on a chance to be hired in today’s dog eat dog job market. Also, it has been drilled into our brains that we need to have a job lined up for us right out of college and a career path set in place.
As a senior, it feels like just yesterday that I received my letter of acceptance from the University, welcoming me to my home away from home and promising me an exciting four years.
Freshman and sophomore year seem like a blur, and junior year was over in a hot second. That summer, I realized senior year was here and that it would end quicker than I can eat a taco. I also learned that whenever you tell someone you’re a senior in college, they suddenly are so interested in what you plan to do with the rest of your life and what job interviews you have lined up.
The second senior year started, all everyone kept talking about was which job application they just finished submitting.
A common theme on most job applications is the question of whether or not you have any family members or friends working there and if you have any previous relationship to the company. This relationship is called an internship.
With an internship comes networking, and with networking a job opportunity could appear. These job opportunities may only appear because of who you know. Without this internship experience, how else would someone get their foot in the door at a company?
Mallory Majsa, a senior communication student, said, “It seems like online applications get lost in the Internet Human Resource files unless you personally know someone who can walk your resume to the right person.”
A job posting online can receive hundreds of applicants, but how do you make yours stand out among the rest? The easiest way is to network.
Jeff Mass, Assistant Director of Career Services at the University, said, “Networking is the number one way to secure a job after graduation. Whether you have made contacts over the past few years or are just starting, now is the time to share post-graduation goals with as many individuals as possible.”
For the student who did not get involved on campus or did not partake in an internship experience, what is the future for him or her? The answer is good luck, because today’s world is all about who you know, how you know them, and what their impression of you is.
Mass offered his advice by saying, “It is never too late to work on one’s marketability. For example, researching an employer on the web, then writing an effective cover letter to that employer asking for an informational interview, using the knowledge they’ve researched, is one way a student can move their job search forward.”
Deanna Getty, a senior health studies student, said, “I think the job market is competitive because more people are qualified for positions. It’s a blessing and a curse. There are more hard working people who are smart and motivated yet because of that, the jobs are harder to find.”
But a job position is not going to land is someone’s lap just because they know the CEO of a company. With these connections comes the responsibility of creating an intriguing resume, having professional interview skills and showing the confidence needed to fulfill the position. Knowing the CEO will get you in the door, but it will not promise a seat on the floor.
IMAGE TAKEN from mklongblogs.wordpress.com
