The Final Year of College

In just days I will be entering my final year of college. I have been going to school since I was five and cannot imagine how it will be to not go to school next fall. With this thought comes a minor panic attack. Am I ready for the work force? How do I apply for a real job? Is there anything else I can do in my senior year to prepare me?

As I was asking myself these questions, I found a great article on quintcareers.com, a website dedicated to empowering job-seekers. On this site they gave a few suggestions I found incredibly helpful and comforting. Here some of my favorites.

1. Start your job search early. My first impression of this advice was that I have nine months to find a job, why start now? The article advised that your senior year flies by, and it's always best to prepare ahead of time instead of scrambling to get things done at the very end. “We can almost guarantee that the earlier you start, the more job-search success you'll have,” the site stated.

2. Gain work experience. This takes sacrifice. I experienced the battle of taking the internship that barely pays the bills, versus working the part-time job to have a little extra. The article emphasizes that “it's especially vital to gain experience at this point if you've neglected to obtain any before your senior year,” and once you have the experience to “then articulate the key transferable skills you acquired.”

3. Consider developing a job-search portfolio. I had not really thought about this, but rather than just mentioning amazing projects or articles you’ve done, consider compiling your projects and job-search documents into a career portfolio.

4. Use all available job-search resources. This article mentioned again and again how important networking can be. It also advised to make a list of employers you wish to work for and go directly to those companies' career centers and search available openings. And while it’s good to post your resume on sites such as careerbuilder.com or collegerecruiter.com, the old-fashioned method in which you send targeted cover letters and resumes to a select group of employers can be very beneficial.

5. Follow up all leads. Once you have submitted a resume and application, the process has just started. “Following-up with employers shows your continued interest in the position and the organization,” the article reads.

This article gave me great insight on what I can be to prepare today. I hope these words of advice will help you and me both, receive our dream job in nine months. Good luck seniors.

Klydi Heywood