With a new calendar year upon us, many are making new year's resolutions of things they would like to accomplish in the coming year. For college Freshmen, Sophomores and Juniors, one of those resolutions may be to find an internship. For a college Senior or recent grad, one of those resolutions may be to find an entry level job. These are great resolutions to have and vitally important for kickstarting your future career. Yet if you don't break this goal down into the initial steps, it may fall by the wayside, like many other resolutions. And you could end up unemployed and living in your parents' basement.
So this is one resolution that you do not want to let slip. It is vitally important to not only be committed to your resolution, but also put a plan of action in place.
To help you get off to a fast start, here are your 6 Job Search Resolutions for the New Year:
1. Start now.
The biggest obstacle to job search success is inertia. It's far easier to do nothing (or perpetually delay until tomorrow) rather than take action. Your job search is dependent on your personal action. No one will find a job for you. You own your job search.
2. Know what you want to do before you try to find it.
If your job search has a specific focus, it will be much easier for you to move forward. Know what job type(s), industries and geographies you are open to exploring. The interviewer is not your career counselor. If you haven't visited the career center on campus, now is a good time to do so. You can also explore hundreds of potential careers online at CollegeGrad.com.
3. Finish your resume.
Many job searches are stuck in unfinished resume mode. You may not be taking action because your resume is perpetually almost finished. Get it done and move forward in your job search. If you need a winning format, use one of the Quickstart Resume Templates at CollegeGrad.com. They are online, free and work for majors from Accounting to Zoology.
4. Network.
Plug into the events taking place both on campus and off campus. If you are a member of a professional association, use that network to locate hiring employers. If not, now is a great time to join at student rates. It's not who you know, it's who they know.
5. Apply.
Don't just be a window shopper, get out there and apply for jobs. If what you're looking for isn't available on campus, check out the internships and entry level jobs at CollegeGrad.com. We have a job search filter that can show you only internships or only entry level jobs so that you can quickly find who is hiring and for what.
6. Prep for the interview.
If you haven't yet done a mock interview, now is the time to get it done. And get it on video so that you can see yourself as an employer would see you. Don't like what you see? Change it, restart, rerun. Not ready for the questions? Review the interview questions (and great example answers) at CollegeGrad.com.
Does this sound like a lot? Actually, you can complete all six steps above in January, getting you fully ready for interviewing and offers for internships and entry level jobs starting in May and June. But you have to take step #1 and get started now. Don't delay. Get a head start on your competition.
