What are the best steps to take during college to secure and prepare for jobs after college?

• SELF-STUDY


• VOLUNTEER


• INTERN

Doing the three points i've listed above will greatly increase your chances of finding a good opportunity after your schooling. The experience that you gain during your volunteering and interning will carry a ton of weight on your resume. Educations is vital to landing your dream job but so is experience. Sometimes, internships can be rough (at other times they can also be amazing) but they are completely worth it. You get to list real-world experience on your resume.

Hi Nathan,

Just wanted to add to Jay's answer. Most colleges and universities also have career centers and career counselors that you may turn to for more guidance utilizing the school's connections and resources. It's not just good for the students, it's great for the schools for their graduates to be able to pay back their loans and to become donors later on down the line.

And of course if your future career is in academics then look into working with professors or graduate students in labs and offices to get more exposure to what it is that they are doing. Some undergraduate researchers might also get acknowledgement or co-authorship on published research papers.

Hi Nathan,

To reiterate, internships, volunteering, and possibly work with school organizations.

Colleges host intern, hiring, and career guidance workshops and events.

Other avenues to find internships are directly through corporate career web sites (especially late-winter / early spring for summer work), online job boards, and through career-specific sites, for ex: www.journalism.com, for writing-related internships.

Regardless of your specific jobs, you can always highlight transferrable skills such as communication, problem-solving, initiative, customer service.

All the best!