What should I do in college to help me stand out when looking for a job after I graduate?

Hi Gabriella

The best thing that you can do to make yourself better prepared and more attractive than others is to take part in coop and intern programs while in college.

This will enable you to help pay for your school, but more importantly gain valuable information and experience in your course of study. When I was doing college recruiting, the most frustrating thing that I encountered was the graduate who came onto the job and then found out that it was not what he/she had thought it would be. That was very bad for hem and for me. I had to go out and try to recruit another person. And that person who did not like the job probably had to go back to school for another major.

Here is a site that will help with the above:
http://www.fastweb.com/

Starting your college experience at the local community college is a good way to start, since they have great courses at low prices (that transfer to 4 year colleges) and they have coop programs that allow you to earn and learn as you go along.

Go to the alumni relations person at your local community college to arrange to meet and talk with graduates of that school who majored in your area of interest.

Send thank you notes to those who help you. Please keep me informed. I would like to follow your progress!

Hi Gabriella -

Participate! Get involved with clubs, and meet new students and professors. Getting involved in clubs shows you can give back to the community, can communicate effectively, and work well with people. Meeting new people is a great way to get leads on potential jobs. My first job out of college was thanks to a Professor to suggested I apply for it. Don't be afraid to get involved with school activities.

Hi Gabriella,
I think making sure to do extra activities besides your studies throughout college is a very good idea and something that is, as you have pointed out, good for getting the attention of future employers once you graduate. There are a variety of things you could do which include joining societies and clubs, work-shadowing and volunteering. Each have their benefits such as making friends and connections as well as gaining vital work experience and skills such as communication skills and team work and can also help you to realise which career path you ant to go down if you don't already know or if you know and want to confirm that it is what you want to do.
Good luck with your time at college!

Hey Gabriella,

College was definitely one of the most exciting four years of my life-- there are SO many things going on that you can get involved in! That said, I know looking for a job after college can seem daunting- it certainly was for me. There are several things that you can do, like joining clubs and societies relevant for your major, volunteering with on-campus organizations, and of course, trying to do as many internships as possible. All of these things will help you make important connections and friends, and also give you skills and experiences that you can talk about when applying to jobs. In college, I was an active member of ACM (Association for Computer Machinery), a teaching assistant for 2 Computer Science courses, and did internships at Yahoo and Microsoft. All of these things helped me build up my technical skills, and I made some close friends at ACM-- one of them happened to introduce me to someone at Zynga, and well, here I am :)

Good luck and have a blast in college!