11 answers
Madelynne
Student
United States
2
Questions
Asked
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What are some tips for preparing for a future career while in college?
I am a college student and wondering what are some practical steps I can take right now to prepare for my future and my career after I graduate. What are some ways that I can build my resume and gain experience while still managing and doing well in school? #career #prepared #JULY #JULY20 #career-development
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11 answers
Doc Frick
Career Coach and Mentor
1343
Answers
California, CA
Updated
Doc’s Answer
Madelynne show prospective employers you’re not just a degree — that you’ve got the skills they’re looking for. Impress your future employer with a fantastic extracurricular activities resume. Including extracurricular activities on a resume is exactly how you can make your resume stand out among the crowd of prospects.
1.) CAREER RELATED INTERNSHIPS
One of the best things you can do to make your resume stand out is to include an internship — especially if you can land one that is in your chosen field. Beyond providing the obvious benefit of relevant work experience, they also show hiring managers that you’re looking to take your career seriously. An internship also indicates that you’ll know the basics of what it means to work for a company – being punctual, following company policies, and getting along with coworkers, to name a few.
2.) LEADERSHIP ROLES
If you’re involved in any clubs, fraternities or sororities, consider running for a leadership position. If you previously held one such position, and you’ve recently graduated, include those on your resume too. Not only does this prove to hiring managers that you have the ability to lead and manage people, you’re showing that you take initiative, can handle responsibility, and you’re appreciated by your peers.
3.) COMMUNICATION
This one may seem obvious, but don’t let that prevent you from including it on your resume. If you have the ability to get your point across in a clear and concise way, you may be ahead of the curve when it comes to interacting with a potential employer. A great communicator is not only excellent at explaining their own ideas but is a patient listener as well, which is crucial for success at any job. This is a good soft skill to put on a resume because it is one of the few that can be clearly demonstrated during an interview.
4.) ORGANIZATION
Organization doesn’t just mean keeping things tidy. This soft skill actually encompasses a few different positive skills, such as time-management and an ability to meet deadlines. If your schedule and workspace are organized, you are naturally much more likely to deliver satisfactory results in a timely manner. Expressing to a potential employer that you are organized indicates to them that you are also dependable.
5.) PROBLEM SOLVING
You may be able to create a spreadsheet, but what do you do when things at work don’t go as planned? Problems happen all the time, and you want to establish yourself as someone who can approach issues calmly and effectively. If you can solve problems, it is likely that you can also adapt well to change, which alone is another great soft skill. Problem-solving can also be listed as critical thinking, and the best skill to write on your resume is one that you are very comfortable defending. An interviewer may ask you about a time you effectively solved a problem at another job, so be sure to come up with an example or two.
Hope this was Helpful Madelynne
1.) CAREER RELATED INTERNSHIPS
One of the best things you can do to make your resume stand out is to include an internship — especially if you can land one that is in your chosen field. Beyond providing the obvious benefit of relevant work experience, they also show hiring managers that you’re looking to take your career seriously. An internship also indicates that you’ll know the basics of what it means to work for a company – being punctual, following company policies, and getting along with coworkers, to name a few.
2.) LEADERSHIP ROLES
If you’re involved in any clubs, fraternities or sororities, consider running for a leadership position. If you previously held one such position, and you’ve recently graduated, include those on your resume too. Not only does this prove to hiring managers that you have the ability to lead and manage people, you’re showing that you take initiative, can handle responsibility, and you’re appreciated by your peers.
3.) COMMUNICATION
This one may seem obvious, but don’t let that prevent you from including it on your resume. If you have the ability to get your point across in a clear and concise way, you may be ahead of the curve when it comes to interacting with a potential employer. A great communicator is not only excellent at explaining their own ideas but is a patient listener as well, which is crucial for success at any job. This is a good soft skill to put on a resume because it is one of the few that can be clearly demonstrated during an interview.
4.) ORGANIZATION
Organization doesn’t just mean keeping things tidy. This soft skill actually encompasses a few different positive skills, such as time-management and an ability to meet deadlines. If your schedule and workspace are organized, you are naturally much more likely to deliver satisfactory results in a timely manner. Expressing to a potential employer that you are organized indicates to them that you are also dependable.
5.) PROBLEM SOLVING
You may be able to create a spreadsheet, but what do you do when things at work don’t go as planned? Problems happen all the time, and you want to establish yourself as someone who can approach issues calmly and effectively. If you can solve problems, it is likely that you can also adapt well to change, which alone is another great soft skill. Problem-solving can also be listed as critical thinking, and the best skill to write on your resume is one that you are very comfortable defending. An interviewer may ask you about a time you effectively solved a problem at another job, so be sure to come up with an example or two.
Hope this was Helpful Madelynne
Thank You Dexter for your continue support. We don't need super powers to help someone all we need do is give back the knowledge we've learned to the next generation.
Doc Frick
Thank You Paula for your continue support. “Our generation has the ability and the responsibility to make our ever-more connected world a more hopeful, stable and peaceful place.” — Natalie Portman
Doc Frick
Corinne Casebeer
Marketing Consultant
8
Answers
Redding, California
Updated
Corinne’s Answer
Great question. I recommend seeking internships. You can hold them while in school, as long as they are not too demanding. I recommend doing as many as you can. Even if you’re a freshman you can do internships, which is something I didn’t really realize when I was in school. You can also look for summer internships where you can work more hours and really focus on the internship, versus school.
Another idea is to apply for a temp job or basic hourly job in the field you want to do. The purpose of this isn’t to make money, but rather give you experience on the ground level of the industry you’re interested in. For example, if you are interested in working at an advertising agency, look for temp jobs like filing, answering phones, or assistant work. You will get to see how the agency runs, what the company culture is, and what it is like to work there. Or, if you are interested in business, get a job at a large local retailer so you can understand the experience of being a business, from the ground up. Many of them have a training and you can even work your way up into a lower management position.
Personal Story: when I was young I worked in a restaurant bussing tables and hostessing. While I didn’t go to school for restaurant business or restaurant marketing, I knew, from that time working in a restaurant , that I loved it. So when a couple years into my career a restaurant marketing job came up, I applied. And one of the required qualifications was that applicants had worked in a restaurant. They had this qualification because they want people who understand what it’s like to actually work, run, and deal with the restaurant industry day to day. Working in a corporate environment can make one become very detached from the stores, and therefore, make decisions that are not good for the restaurants on the ground level. They learned that the best way to combat this is to hire people who have experience on the ground floor. Even with my limited experience, that qualified me for the position (in addition to my college degree and other marketing jobs). That job then launched my career in restaurant marketing.
Visit the career center at your university and look for internships and paid jobs
Google internship websites
Another idea is to apply for a temp job or basic hourly job in the field you want to do. The purpose of this isn’t to make money, but rather give you experience on the ground level of the industry you’re interested in. For example, if you are interested in working at an advertising agency, look for temp jobs like filing, answering phones, or assistant work. You will get to see how the agency runs, what the company culture is, and what it is like to work there. Or, if you are interested in business, get a job at a large local retailer so you can understand the experience of being a business, from the ground up. Many of them have a training and you can even work your way up into a lower management position.
Personal Story: when I was young I worked in a restaurant bussing tables and hostessing. While I didn’t go to school for restaurant business or restaurant marketing, I knew, from that time working in a restaurant , that I loved it. So when a couple years into my career a restaurant marketing job came up, I applied. And one of the required qualifications was that applicants had worked in a restaurant. They had this qualification because they want people who understand what it’s like to actually work, run, and deal with the restaurant industry day to day. Working in a corporate environment can make one become very detached from the stores, and therefore, make decisions that are not good for the restaurants on the ground level. They learned that the best way to combat this is to hire people who have experience on the ground floor. Even with my limited experience, that qualified me for the position (in addition to my college degree and other marketing jobs). That job then launched my career in restaurant marketing.
Corinne recommends the following next steps:
Jessica Boyd (She/Her)
Talent Acquisition Manager
12
Answers
San Francisco, California
Updated
Jessica’s Answer
You're already doing the right things by asking this question! Any communication skills you can work on will continue to serve you for the rest of your life. get comfortable with presenting to different audiences (big and small) and sharing concise information effectively. Another great skill that not many possess is to be a good storyteller - if you can tell a great story and get your point across, you will be able to influence decision makers
Vikram Manikantan Prathap
Employed
20
Answers
Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Updated
Vikram’s Answer
It's always better to plan early than wait for things to happen. The current era has all the potential tools to be future ready. You make your careers in many ways, you specialize in the core area that you are learning at college, build upon on the core skills and what are your opportunities and how you could explore learning some newer skills in that area. Example if you are into General management course at college, you do additional trainings on project management, learn MS office to be ready to handle any kind of office automation needs, etc. One advise is get a mentor either in your college or anyone that you already know who is a working or business professional who can guide in real time. Hope this helps.
Simeon Snow
Risk Assurance
1792
Answers
Houston, Texas
Updated
Simeon’s Answer
In addition to networking and trying to land an internship, I'd recommend upskilling. Go to places like SkillShare or Coursera to acquire software skills connected to your field. Look up jobs you're interested in and see if any software proficiencies are mentioned by name. Work on becoming proficient in those softwares and able to speak about that skill in an interview setting as well.
Sendil Kumar
Technical support
49
Answers
Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Updated
Sendil’s Answer
Need to know strength and skills, If so, seek to sharpen your existing skills. Also, seek to learn new skills. If you haven’t done this already, make a journal of the skills you have. As you’re working, record in your journal the skills you’re learning so you can put them in your resume.
You can think about taking part time jobs which will suit your skills. This is a lead in building your network and could lead to future opportunities down the road. Work to make a positive impact. A positive impact means you made something better for the business or organization for which you are employed. The positive impact will allow your supervisors to write about it in a future reference letter.
Think about future employment with the business or organization. Even if you’re at an entry-level position, once you receive your degree, investigate how you can transfer or transition to another department for employment where you can use your degree.
You can think about taking part time jobs which will suit your skills. This is a lead in building your network and could lead to future opportunities down the road. Work to make a positive impact. A positive impact means you made something better for the business or organization for which you are employed. The positive impact will allow your supervisors to write about it in a future reference letter.
Think about future employment with the business or organization. Even if you’re at an entry-level position, once you receive your degree, investigate how you can transfer or transition to another department for employment where you can use your degree.
JR Fujita
Senior Program Specialist at AARP
4
Answers
Updated
JR’s Answer
Another tip I'd like to suggest is volunteering in the area(s) of your interest - becoming familiar in your area will allow you to see first-hand what it may be like after your studies. Volunteering also helps you build people skills, networking skills, and may help open the doors for you when you're ready to start your career.
Professionally, I have also had the opportunity to attend several conferences, allowing me to expand my network even further. Although I may have only met a contact once in person, I have been able to stay connected thanks to LinkedIn and other social media networks. Staying connected helps - you never know when one of your connections might be able to help you with a referral, lead, or perhaps even serve as a mentor.
You may also find some help looking on sites like glassdoor.com or salary.com to get an idea of a company's reputation, likely salary, and an idea of the work culture. You might be surprised what you learn from people who have worked at a company! It was eye-opening for me and a great resource!
Good luck!
Volunteering
Internship
Research - glassdoor and salary
Network
Professionally, I have also had the opportunity to attend several conferences, allowing me to expand my network even further. Although I may have only met a contact once in person, I have been able to stay connected thanks to LinkedIn and other social media networks. Staying connected helps - you never know when one of your connections might be able to help you with a referral, lead, or perhaps even serve as a mentor.
You may also find some help looking on sites like glassdoor.com or salary.com to get an idea of a company's reputation, likely salary, and an idea of the work culture. You might be surprised what you learn from people who have worked at a company! It was eye-opening for me and a great resource!
Good luck!
JR recommends the following next steps:
Anthony Hayes
Account Executive
1
Answer
Detroit, Michigan
Updated
Anthony’s Answer
Talk with anyone and everyone, build your network while you are still in school. The potential network you have at school could be one of the best advantages you have going as a current student. If you aren't already building relationships with teachers outside of normal class time, you are missing a great opportunities for internships, networking and valuable guidance.
Spend time asking yourself what is important to you, what are you good at, and what engages you? You've spent four year in college - spend some time asking yourself what you enjoyed learning and try to research jobs that tie common threads to the subjects/topics you find most engaging.
You may not know what you want to do for the rest of your life today, but I'm sure you have identified a few subjects/topics that had outsized impacts on your time in school...dive as deep as you possibly can into those subjects and see what career opportunities, internships, projects exists that you can explore.
Ask questions, be naturally curious.
Spend time asking yourself what is important to you, what are you good at, and what engages you? You've spent four year in college - spend some time asking yourself what you enjoyed learning and try to research jobs that tie common threads to the subjects/topics you find most engaging.
You may not know what you want to do for the rest of your life today, but I'm sure you have identified a few subjects/topics that had outsized impacts on your time in school...dive as deep as you possibly can into those subjects and see what career opportunities, internships, projects exists that you can explore.
Ask questions, be naturally curious.
Adam Pena
Medical Device Sales
5
Answers
San Antonio, Texas
Updated
Adam’s Answer
Network and build relationships that will lead to growth in career opportunities.
You can get started with internships (paid/unpaid) , volunteering, or shadowing in areas that you are studying or interested in building a career in. With those mentoring opportunities, it can also be pretty flexible with your education day to day too.
It will help you understand what the jobs entail and if its something you want to continue to pursue. You will also find about how many departments/areas there can be in that field of work, so can then target more specific to your liking. All in all, you will build a resume and opportunities that will leverage yourself to a full time position after proving yourself through what you've done before.
You can get started with internships (paid/unpaid) , volunteering, or shadowing in areas that you are studying or interested in building a career in. With those mentoring opportunities, it can also be pretty flexible with your education day to day too.
It will help you understand what the jobs entail and if its something you want to continue to pursue. You will also find about how many departments/areas there can be in that field of work, so can then target more specific to your liking. All in all, you will build a resume and opportunities that will leverage yourself to a full time position after proving yourself through what you've done before.
Priscilla Cardoso
Product Manager
37
Answers
Cooper City, Florida
Updated
Priscilla’s Answer
Hello!
Volunteer if you can, even if it's just during the weekends. That will help you Network, and you will have more experience to include in your resume. Also, learn a new language, lots of good positions need that.
Volunteer if you can, even if it's just during the weekends. That will help you Network, and you will have more experience to include in your resume. Also, learn a new language, lots of good positions need that.
Melanie Abril
Recruiting - Talent Brand
4
Answers
Vallejo, California
Updated
Melanie’s Answer
Be brave enough to put yourself out there and reach out to professionals who are doing roles that you're potentially interested in. Request even just a few minutes of their time - coffee or a virtual chat to better understand the role's day-to-day as well as its challenges.