I overhear this question everywhere, and my friends ask me for advice so often that I decided to write this article. While my tips for getting a job are pretty straightforward, I think it’s also important to consider what happens after you’ve accepted a job— in college or elsewhere. As someone with experience as both a manager and a staff member, I’ve done, seen, heard, and experienced all sides of a job in college. I believe knowing how to professionally handle your responsibilities is just as important as finding a job, no matter what that job might be.
But let’s take it back, I’ll start by answering that first question. Short answer— get googling. If you’re looking for any job and don’t have a particular interest or career-oriented motivation, start by looking for jobs near you, the closer the better. You don’t want to waste your money on gas for a long commute. It’s also important to cast as wide a net as you can, and apply to as many places as possible so you’ll have the most options to choose from when you hear back. However, if you’re looking for something to spice up your resume, check your school-specific job listing website. At UConn that would be JobX. Here you can find options right on your campus that will be major or interest-specific (and they probably pay pretty well). Plus, if your dream career falls within the traditional American corporate world, they will probably give you work experience that will be fairly close to real-world office experience; including the interview process.
To nail the interview process, I’d say practice makes perfect. For more practical advice, the Career Center has a truly great virtual seminar that prepares you for all the kinds of questions asked in an interview, and how to conduct yourself to make a good, professional impression. And, aside from general practice with a friend or family member, the best things to prepare before an interview are a two-minute answer to the “tell me about yourself” question and five or more questions to ask the interviewer that show your interest and preparation for this job.
Once you’ve nailed all that and accepted your job offer, it’s time for the real work to begin.
These are my tips for how to be the best employee of the month every month and score the respect and admiration of your boss (even after you leave your position). First off, no matter the job or the person, always be respectful. If you find yourself in a disrespectful work environment, just quit gracefully— it’s not worth staying there, you can find another job. Terrible jobs aside, respect is the key to a boss’s heart, and to back that up, always complete your work on time (with exceptions for dire circumstances). When you’re respectful and reliable and talented, there’s no better combination a boss could ask for. As a boss, when I know I can count on an employee to deliver quality work by or before a deadline consistently, it means I can dream big and deliver a high-quality final product. As an employee, the better I am at my job means the more my bosses will trust and favor me. It’s a win-win. The employee gets recognized for quality work and has more autonomy and responsibilities, while the boss can trust that the work will always appear on time and will exceed their expectations.
Likewise, going beyond the basic instructions of your job and communicating effectively are cherries on top for you and your boss. When you take initiative, go beyond the basics, and use other resources to answer low-level questions instead of clogging up your boss’s inbox or taking up their time, it reassures them that you can handle whatever they assign you. This reinforces their trust in you to deliver on a high, reliable level. Communication, though, is equally as important as your ability to work independently. While it’s helpful and impressive to have you complete a project or task on your own, when you need help it’s much better to ask than to struggle alone and return with inaccurate work. Nothing is more frustrating than nagging. Irresponsibility and bad communication will get you nowhere but the bottom of the favorites list.
Be open to critiques, especially from your bosses.
Working hand-in-hand with strong communication is taking criticism. You need to accept criticism and apply it effectively. This is no place to let your ego roar. Check it at the office door and pick it up on your way out. Yes, you should be proud of your final product, but throughout the process of making it, you should be open to critiques— especially from your bosses. In fact, you should expect it. More than once, I’ve been told to restart a project or reimagine large components when they didn’t fit the overarching goal or the boss’s vision. At first, it’s a hard pill to swallow, but if you take a few steps back and look at the big picture, you’ll realize it’s not personal. And if it is, you should probably find a new place to work, that sounds toxic! Nine times out of ten, the negative feedback is about creating a cohesive final product and not a personal attack. This is especially true of places with extremely specific branding or bosses with a precise vision. You can’t fight either and you shouldn’t, that’s not what you were hired to do. The time and place to offer new ideas will come, but after you prove yourself to be a trustworthy, reliable, and talented worker.
Never ghost your employer.
My last bit of advice is about quitting. Never ghost your employer. Whether your reason for moving on is simply graduating or something more pressing like leaving a toxic work environment, at its most basic level you should always give as much notice as you can and finish any in-progress work. If you do it right, your goodbye letter should leave your employer hoping you’ll change your mind and stick around. This should be your goal when parting ways professionally. It means you’ve created a strong professional relationship and you’ll be able to utilize it in the future if you need a connection for a future job.
And that’s my advice from a college student who’s seen both sides of the spectrum: always be respectful, complete your work on time, and communicate! Expect and accept criticism, and bring a little something extra to the table, then viola! You’ll rock any workplace you are a part of.