Getting the Career Connection

Getting into the career of your dreams can be difficult, and even having all the job skills and competencies in the world might not even get you a seat at an interview. Take these tips and get yourself the right connections for the career you always wanted!

University Career Center

A great starting point for your career, of course, is your very own university career center. Dan Schawbel, who consults clients, such as Monster, NBC Universal, and American Express, finds it of great importance for college students to turn to career centers. Corporations that are looking for up and coming talent as well as a fresh pool of applicants will take advantage of the local university as a resource, so you definitely should too.

The Professor

Consider your professors experts on the subjects they teach because they are. They have earned the degree, they have read the book (some have even written the book), and they have gotten the job. Think about the first day of class when your teacher introduces his or herself, they usually declare all their credentials (i.e. where they graduated from, previous careers, experience, etc.). Forbes cites Schawbel, who recommends that students not only develop a relationship with professors, but maintain it even after the semester is over for this connection. The moral of this story is it’s not so bad to be the teacher’s pet.

Professional Associations/Org.’s

Many professions have an association or organization and even a student organization that you should absolutely take advantage of. The Career and Internship Services of the University of Minnesota say professional associations have a purpose of “individual professional development and advancement, promoting the field as well as educating the public on issues related to the industry, networking and collaborating, sharing new ideas and practices that set standards for the industry and workplace, and representing interests of industry before federal, state and local governments.” These sort of memberships look great on a resume and as the University of Minnesota notes, expose members to conferences and events that Schawbel recommends for networking opportunities.

Classmates

Making friends is great and when your friends have friends in high places, it can be even better. You never know if the kid sitting next to you in that major elective class has a connection to a desirable internship or job that could get you a foot in the door. Let’s be honest, success often belongs to people who know people.

Apps, Apps, and more Apps

Living in a world of technology can do wonderful things for your rising career. Downloading an app like Indeed job search that will search for jobs and store your searches to update you on current listings, puts internships/job at your fingertips.

The Social Network

Social Networks are more than a way to keep up with friends; they are your presentation to the job world. Use your social network profile to display your expertise and stay up to date with corporations that you have your eye on. LinkedIn particularly should be your bff over all the other social networking sites. Of LinkedIn, Forbes says, “Once you’ve found a listing and applied through a company website, it’s time to find a direct connection to someone at the company. Go ahead and use LinkedIn, as Schawbel suggests, but make your goal an in-person meeting.”

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• HC Kean
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