Thinking of a job as a student in the first or the second year of college might seem a little far fetched. I’m not talking about busing tables at the local pub or selling t-shirts on the beach. Having a summer job is great and teaches you responsibility, but today I want to talk about jobs that the college you’re going to is going to help you land. A well-payed job, where you can learn and grow and where you can also use the most out of your skills might seem impossible to get right after graduation, but I’m here to give you some tips to get as close as possible to your expectations. You might have to make some sacrifices during your las years in college, but trust me, it will be worth it!
Career Advice for Students
1. Taking extra classes or optional courses teaching you about the field you want to work in, is a starting point. College is about finding out what you want to do for the rest of your life. The first and second year, in my experience, are about figuring that out. Getting relevant knowledge about various fields of activity is very good, but in the final years, you should focus on your studies. For you to specialize in an area, will make your future employer unable to ignore you E.g. you can find a good overview of the most trending IT Skills on Jobtensor. Besides your degree, this will also be important for your skills in the field. A theory says that if you do one thing, for 1000 times, you’ll become an expert at it, without having any talent. So the sooner you start focusing on your future, the better.
2. Look for internships In every field of work, companies, big or small, are usually willing to take interns in. If you find a job at a company like this, don’t think that you will change the world, or make the biggest profits. Interns usually make small tasks. But that’s the point in the end. Starting from the bottom, you will learn skills, meet the right people and get more and more responsibilities. Your work might not always get the credit you deserve. If you’ll get paid, it probably won’t be much. But the beauty of it is that you can see first hand how working in a certain industry feels like. The most accurate representation of a company is the one you get as an intern.
3. Make sure your CV is on point. The CV or Curriculum Vitae is the best representation of your skills and knowledge. There, you should list your education, relevant exams and academic achievements you are proud of and could help you in the field of your choosing. If you’re applying for a job at Microsoft, please don’t emphasize the skills that made you win the hot dog eating contest in 10th grade. Try to keep it related to the job you’re applying to. You should also write about your past work experience. Internships, relevant projects, and even volunteering. Many employers look for people with great communication skills, who can work in a team but don’t mind training them and honing their skills for the job itself. Many human resources departments focus on the social skills of the applicants rather than their technical ones because usually, the company can teach them that. But good communication skills cannot be taught in a meeting. You should always be honest in your resume. It would be very awkward for you to write in your CV that you speak Russian, get the job and asked to speak to someone in Russian. Being honest doesn’t mean that you can’t use pretty words when describing your achievements.
Get your resume on LinkedIn. If you don’t know what that is, LinkedIn is a platform, very much like Facebook, but job-oriented. Professionals post content there, hiring and looking for bright minds. If you upload your resume there, make a few online connections(that’s how LinkedIn friend requests are called) and you will appear on some radars. Using technology to your advantage when looking for a job is perfectly fine. We live in a world where if I need help, I can get someone online to write my report for me. As long as you’re honest and do your best, you will be noticed.
4. My last career advice for students will be this: don’t look for a serious, full-time job until you’ve finished college. As I said before, you should focus on your career in the last years of college. This doesn’t mean that you should get a full-time job that will keep you too busy to study. Graduating should always be a priority because that’s the most important and closest goal to the present you have right now. What you must realize is that college only lasts a few years. This is the time for you to have fun, make friends, make mistakes and find out who you are and what you want to do with your life. Just make sure you won’t rush it just to get a job that you will eventually get in one or two years anyway.
CONCLUSION:
You should start thinking about your professional life when you’re in college. After all, this is one of the reasons you’re there. Make sure you study relevant subjects for your future career. Maybe even take extra classes. Make your resume look good, professional and relevant. After that, apply for internships at companies that are relevant in the field you want to work in. Go there, get to work and understand that you won’t do what you’ve always wanted until you’ve worked hard for it. And the most important piece of advice is that you should not rush to do anything. Enjoy the process and be proud of your progress so far, in what’s going to be your amazing career.