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Career Building starts before getting the first job
While I would offer similar recommendations to anyone, regardless of career stage, for the purpose of this article, let’s assume you are in school and will graduate with a specific college degree. You know what you enjoy doing, and which type of role and general industry you are interested in (that visibility usually start to develop during the two last years in college).
Early career is about exploration and experimentation (see “Navigating Early Career Choices“), so don’t feel pressure to know everything as what you want will change over time.
Continuous Awareness
Starting before you enter the job market and continuing throughout your career, one should periodically reflect, maintain and adjust awareness of professional branding, positioning, and intention. Be consistent and practice how you introduce or present yourself in a professional setting, telling other what your plans are, writing cover letters for job applications, or answering questions in a job interview. You will be surprised at the effect when relatives get a confident answer when asking you about it over the next holiday dinner. That intentionality will also help you to prioritize and focus learning and experimentation as well.
- Start telling your story – We all develop a personal brand, a set of attributes we cultivate and that becomes part of both our self-identity and reputation we project. Think about your strengths and personal attributes that are useful to support your positioning, regardless of professional experience. For example, say you want to emphasize the ability to organize and plan complex projects. You could say “I have a passion for cooking and, before joining college, I run a small baking business with restaurants as customers. Not only I developed basic budgeting and accounting skills, but also learned how to manage multi-step projects from resource management, to planning, to execution tracking, to delivery and presentation”. If you are applying for a job that requires project management skills (most do), and your competitors cannot articulate anything beyond “I am graduating from college and need a job”, that story will make a difference.
- Define Positioning – A career is result of the interaction between what you want to pursue with the opportunities that come your way. Always be open to adapt and change, but articulate your next-step goals. For example “Looking for roles B2B Marketing or Business Development where I can leverage my social and project management skills” or “Pursuing a challenging front-end software development role, where I can build user experiences in consumer-facing applications.”
- Keep a Resume and Nurture Relationships – It is easy to forget things we did that are relevant to a hiring manager. Develop the habit of documenting your relevant activities (i.e. keep an up-to-date resume) and start developing a professional network (influencers or a connectors in your professional future). Most people do both today using social networking tools (see CarrerZ Cast “Professional Networking for early career professionals“). When writing your resume or interacting with others, keep your positioning in mind and use your story to convey both your intentions and capabilities. Don’t hesitate connecting with professors, relatives, peers that can have an input or open doors to future professional opportunities.
Internships
If you work plans possibly involves becoming an employee of a established company, consider applying for summer internships while still in school. Large Tech companies offer paid internships and often assist with temporary relocation. A successful internships, besides being a great learning experience, can virtually ensure a job offer once you graduate and it is a great way to bridge the transition from being a student to getting your first foothold in the industry.
Internships can be offered by any company at any time, but large technology companies usually post opportunities around September for internships in the following Summer. Check my “Guide to Google Internships” (applicable to any Tech company) for more information and recommendations.
If the future might involve working at or creating a startup, reach out to your network, attend local startup events. Volunteering, family business, university jobs are other avenues you can use to explore the world of work before you graduate with a degree.
Getting your first job out of college
If you have adopted the recommendations in this article in advance of graduation time, getting your first job out of college should not be too challenging. By now you have a directional idea of what you are looking for, you have connected with people in the industry and communicated your intentions and capabilities. Perhaps you did a summer internship and have already secured a job offer for after graduation.
If you are graduating soon and have not done much, it is now time to catch up. Articulate your positioning (what you want in an ideal world), list companies and types of roles, your brand (your top skills/attributes you want to highlight), write your resume, put together a portfolio of projects and go job hunting.
Most colleges and universities offer assistance, job fairs, etc. Get informed and use the resources available.
Getting a job will involve interviewing. Job interviews do not evaluate your ability to do a job, but your ability to talk about what you can do, it is a communication exercise. It is a subtle but important difference and it is your responsibility as a job applicant to make sure you can convey your capabilities effectively. For interview preparation, check my “Guide to Job Interviewing“.
Going to company websites and applying for listed jobs through webforms might be your last resort, but it is not a very effective way of getting a response. Even if you have not done the homework, always look for a reference that can help with an introduction or referral before you submit that webform.
Conclusion and Call to Action
In conclusion, like other important things in life, developing a professional career requires setting goals, preparation, networking, dedication, communication, learning. This article gives you a few things to do to before entering the job market while still in college. Because your journey is unique, take this and other advice with grain of salt. Regardless, be pro-active and intentional as earning a college degree alone does not create a career.
If you found this article useful, please take the time to share this post with a couple of friends who might be in a similar context as you are. Exploring and exchanging notes with peers when starting a career opens more opportunities. You might also want to check and support the CareerZ Cast Podcast.
About the author
Marcio has had a 35 year career, mostly in product development., starting as an Electrical Engineer, transitioning to Engineering and Product Management, to CTO roles both in small and established companies. Marcio provides career coaching, with focus on early career choices and senior leadership roles in Technology.
Marcio Saito 