Job Search for College Students

When you are about to graduate from college - or even if you are looking for an internship during the summer months - you will need to do some preparatory work in advance of the actual search. I know, it sounds like schoolwork, right?

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The truth is that you are likely going to be in direct competition with people who have experience in the field you are about to start working in, so you have to do a little more ahead of time to make sure you at least equal other job candidates if not beat them out.

What does all of this entail?

Your first step should be to go to your Career Counseling Center at your college. This office is often overlooked, but having worked there when I was in college, I know the resources they have are tremendous. Not only that, but those resources are only for the students who attend your school, so you have a lot of information at your fingertips and a staff that will do whatever they can to assist you.

This is true if you need help with your resume or if you are having trouble deciding on a specific career path. These folks get paid to help you succeed. Give them a chance to do their jobs. You're already paying for it, right?

Now, whether you start this next step at the Career Center on campus, at the library or on the internet isn't important. What is important is that you don't skip it. Research the company or companies with which you intend to interview. If you want to be effective and make a good impression, you need to know what the company does, how well they do it, who their competitors are, what their plans are for growth, who their key officers are and most of all - how you would fit into their organization and make a contribution.

The next step is to search for jobs within those organizations or other organizations where you believe your skills are a good match. When you find the right position(s), tailor your credentials (resume and cover letter) to match the needs of the employer. Each employer should have a resume and cover letter that fits their specific needs. Yes, this takes a bit of time, but it is well worth the effort. There are a lot of job candidates who don't do this and their resumes and/or cover letters are weeded out almost immediately. You don't want to be one of those.

Finally, when it comes time to interview, practice, practice, practice. I remember writing down my answers to interview questions and then working on saying them aloud. I wanted to hear how my voice sounded. I wanted to gain more confidence. I wanted to know that I could answer the question without faltering. It wasn't about memorization. It was about being sure of myself and the answer I was providing. This works. It works if you are standing in your bathroom facing a mirror. It works if you are in your bedroom talking to a wall. It doesn't work as well if you are reclined on your bed or sitting in your car.

If you need a good resource for interview questions, take a look at this page: Writing a Resume

If you want a more definitive guide, this ebook is it:

Additional Job Interview Q&A; Info

For even more information about job interview questions and how to answer them, consider the "Job Interview Success System."

One of the 5 key components of this system is a 31-page report entitled "How to Give Job-Winning Answers to Interview Questions." In addition to giving more tips and strategies on general answering techniques, it lists 45 of the easiest, toughest, silliest and most common job interview questions as well as how to respond to them.

This book has truly helped a lot of people.

There are a lot of other pages on this site that can help you with this process. Make use of them, too. I really want to encourage you to give this your best effort. You may not get a grade like you would in one of your classes, but if you make a "C" effort, you will probably end up with an average job. If you make an "A" effort... well... you get the idea.