Choosing the degree you wished to pursue is challenging enough, but that doesn’t mean you should only focus on scoring good grades! Your long career journey starts from the beginning of freshman year, so you should consider being prepared for your job-search even if you’re not looking for a job yet.
Getting a headstart to your job application process will also help keep you from being overwhelmed when the time comes and to ensure you’ve put in enough preparation on all fronts. So then, how do you prepare for your job-search before actually looking for a job?
Clean up your social media presence
If you don’t have the time to audit your social media right now, at least spend the next few minutes checking your privacy settings to make sure you know who can see your posts and photos.
Sure, photos of a fun night out make great memories when Facebook reminds you about them year after year, but it might give the wrong impression to your future employers. The next step is to update your bios, such as with the right email address, and be active in professional groups.
Start an “All-About-Me” document
An “All-About-Me" document is an unfiltered and unedited document with everything about you jotted down, which you use to craft your resumes and cover letters.
This means that when your time comes to apply for an internship or a job, you don’t have to dig through your earlier transcripts or scratch your head to describe the volunteer experience you gained last year. Here’s an earlier article we’ve written to help you to start!
Prepare your Letters of Recommendation
So you’ve managed to snag an internship or a part-time job in your sophomore year. Great, but don’t forget to ask for a Letter of Recommendation at the end of the job!
Don’t wait until you’ve graduated two years later before trying to connect with your previous boss or supervisor. In all fairness, they may not be able to remember the excellent work that you did. Remember to also keep in contact with them, and ask if they mind being on your reference list.
Network, network, network
Building up your network doesn’t happen overnight. It takes times to get yourself out there, and even more to make connections and stay in touch; so if you wait until your senior year before thinking of building a network, you may be starting behind your peers.
Take time out of your schedule to attend school events and make sure you continue to stay in touch with your ex-colleagues and avoid burning bridges. You never know when they might introduce to you just the sort of job you’re looking for when you graduate.
