5 Things You Need To Do Before Graduation
1. Start and Finish your Resume – It is crunch time, the bottom of the 9th inning, the 4th quarter. Time to face the music and reality that college will be ending and the real world will be calling shortly. All those Professor’s and career services advisor’s that stressed the importance of building your resume as your collegiate career advanced are not sounding like the broken record you thought they were at the time. If you haven’t started your resume, it is not too late to meet with a Professor and/or career services advisor to help get off the procrastination wagon. That might not be your cup of tea, so you are still in luck because you can find countless resume templates, resume examples and even resume builders on the internet. Don’t take the one size fits all approach with your resume and resume format. Research the industry you will be entering to find out if certain sections of the resume should be listed above others or are of more importance for the recruiter or hiring manager that will view your resume for a total time of less than 10 seconds.
2. Create your Base Cover Letter – See #1 and apply the same methodology to your cover letter. The exception being that you will tailor your cover letter to each job you intend to apply to. It is important to build your base cover letter where 80 – 90% of the content will remain the same and the remaining 10-20% will change depending on the position you apply to.
3. Prepare Interview Questions and Answers – Your cover letter and resume only get you into the ballgame. Being ready to play ball and interview is what will land you the job. This is the time to research and document in your interview portfolio, some of the potential interview questions you may be posed as well as the answers you wish to respond with. Don’t list hundreds of questions and answers because that would take more time than it’s worth but DO list a page or two of questions and answers. Why? Because you want to take some of the stress out of your interview preparation after job hunting by having in one spot a handful of interview questions and answers already documented. You may not be asked all of the interview questions you prepare ahead of time, but remember that you are more likely than not going to have several interviews and I can almost guarantee that as your interview experience continues, you will be researching each company, each position and each job description prior to an interview and that any time you can save on interview preparation will be time well saved.
4. Research and Read Professional Development Books – You thought you were finished reading after college, but in fact the bulk of your reading has just begun. The difference between you now and you a year from now will be the books you read and the people that you meet. Otherwise, you will be the same person turning a year older. Reading might not rank very high on your list of things to do for enjoyment, but it is highly recommended to broaden your knowledge base to read professional development books. Do you want to give yourself the best chance in developing and advancing in your career? Or will you be happy being an entry level employee your entire professional career? A professional development book that is an easy, straight forward, no nonsense can be found here.
5. Create your Interview Portfolio – Most interviewers are not going to be satisfied with you merely answering their questions in an interview. The modern interviewer wants to see examples of what you can do, examples of how you can add value to their organization, examples of projects you lead and completed in college. Interviewers for internships and entry level positions have a keen understanding that the job candidates will not have many years of professional experience when they come in for an interview. But what they do expect is for you to bring your resume to life. So, keep those term papers, projects, charts and presentations and use them to supplement your interview. Head to Staples and purchase a portfolio or padfolio to keep those accomplishments in one place. Hey, this would also be a great place to keep updated copies of your resume and base cover letter as well. Happy job hunting and good luck!
The author of this blog is Justin Alan Hayes, architect of The House of You and the leading expert on career preparation, advancement and achievement, including how to maximize your collegiate career and inspiring others to make their dreams come true.
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