How can you best prepare for your professional future while school is in session? How can you discover what your professional path might be so that you build a meaningful and fulfilling career while juggling the demands of campus life?
Complete these 11 steps at your own pace. Then you’ll be ready — #careerready!
- Create a killer résumé. It’s true: your résumé is your sales pitch. If written right, it has the power to convincingly “sell” your abilities, experiences, and skills to a future internship supervisor or employer. Review résumé samples. Identify what you like. Build your résumé to represent you.
- Search for opportunities. Check out Handshake, Linked In, Indeed.com, SimplyHired, Idealist.org, the Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, and company Web sites to learn about available opportunities and when your application for an internship, externship, or a job is due.
- Memorize your elevator pitch. So we meet at a career fair and after we exchange pleasantries about the weather and the holidays, what do we say? Where does the conversation go? If you are asked about you – your interests, your focus, your mission, your purpose – how do you reply? Write and memorize your elevator pitch, the 30-second introduction that will captivate and convince the person on the receiving end that you are a serious student with fascinating interests and tremendous value looking to build a career and contribute in meaningful ways to an organization’s mission.
- Google “common interview questions.” It might seem silly, but do it. Research the typical questions hiring managers ask during interviews and brainstorm compelling answers. Then practice your responses. Never be caught off guard again during an interview.
- Include an e-mail signature on all outgoing mail. After you sign your e-mail messages, do you include a professional signature line that directs recipients to your Twitter handle, Web site, or other relevant contact information? No? Do it moving forward. It’s like including a business card in each e-mail every time you hit “send.”
- Get a handle on Twitter (X). Yes, this social media site can be problematic. I agree. But I’m consistently surprised why so few students use Twitter (X) to not only research industries and make connections, but also to build their personal brands. Using Twitter for good allows you to converse and connect with industry professionals, keep updated on trends in public discourse, and stay current on virtually all things. Contribute to the conversations related to your emerging area of expertise by becoming active on Twitter. For tips on social media for career success in general, click here.
- Write a cover letter template. Yes, all cover letters should be customized and tailored to each opportunity to which you apply. But that doesn’t mean you need to start from scratch each time. Build a meaningful cover letter that you can revise quickly. That way, you’ll never miss an application deadline again. You’ve automated the process. Tell a story; share a meaningful anecdote. Don’t regurgitate your résumé.
- Create your Linked In profile. Perhaps you already have a Linked In profile (you’re reading this post, after all), but you haven’t visited it in months. Or maybe you don’t have a Linked in profile yet. Now’s the time to edit it or create it. And with powerful resources like these at your fingertips, there’s no good reason to say you don’t know where to start.
- Cleanse your social media presence. Increasingly, employers, hiring managers, and interviewers will Google candidates who’ve applied for positions before extending an invitation to meet. What does your public social media presence say about you? Does it convey a powerful image of a creative problem-solver, critical-thinker, and excellent communicator seeking to grow her professional career and take on the world, or does it convey an image of someone who’s been out too late at one too many parties? Remove inappropriate content. Activate the privacy settings on your Facebook page. Be smart about social media and understand its power to influence. It’s a hard truth: people will judge you without knowing you. Don’t give them any reason to judge you in an unfavorable light.
- Invest in stationery. When your thoughtful Aunt Mary sends you a lovely holiday sweater, do you thank her in writing with a courteous and warm note? No? Well, you should. Rarely am I so forceful, but when it comes to thank-you notes, I can’t help myself. I encourage all students to be the one – maybe the only one – who sends a hand-written thank-you note to someone who has helped you, encouraged you, interviewed you, gave you a cup of water while you waited for your interview to start, etc. Now, don’t go overboard and thank everyone for every common courtesy, but be smart and savvy about the power of the written word. Express gratitude appropriately. If you are the candidate who sends the note, you’ll be remembered. And in our electronic age, those hand-written notes are all the more meaningful.
- Buy a suit. Are you comfortable in your interview attire? Right now, yoga pants, jeans, and ‘Nova Nation tee-shirts are your staples, and that’s perfectly fine. But when you begin to interview for internships or jobs, you’ll need clothing that serves many purposes. You want to feel confident and comfortable in your skin. You want to send a professional message to the person across the table. For men or women, a suit that comes with the requisite component parts can help you begin to gradually build a professional wardrobe. Keep it on the conservative side. Black and navy blue are key. Boring, maybe, but time tested. Women easily can add a pop of color with an appropriate blouse, and men can add just a touch of color (again, think conservative here) with their choice of necktie. And you shouldn’t spend a lot of money here – there’s no need. Check out this quick read exploring the psychology of professionalism in college.
For the ultra-motivated and ambitious, take on these challenges:
- Write and send your first Tweet.
- Connect with someone you know on Linked In.
- Research potential internships and apply to those that most interest you.
- Buy a roll of stamps.
- Write a thank-you note and mail it. (See #4 for stamps!)
Got it? Excellent. I know you’re ready to meet any challenge that comes your way!
In the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Villanova University, and in the Office of Undergraduate Students, we teach our students – liberally educated young adults – to be adaptable, nimble, and flexible students and professionals who contribute powerfully to society.
We want our students to realize their full potential, to discover their passions and to pursue them with relentless determination. Maybe it’s through an internship. Maybe it’s through a professional development course. Maybe it’s through one of our many professional development events. Discovering who you are and what your impact can be should help define your Villanova journey.
Visit the Office for Undergraduate Students in SAC 107 often. Discover who you are and who you are meant to be. Let our office of dedicated professionals help you on your journey of discovery.
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Kate Szumanski, ’95, ’97, is the director of internships and professional development in the Office for Undergraduate Students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Villanova University. Follow her on Twitter (X) at @KateSzumanski where you’ll learn about her love of higher education, experiential education, and indoor cycling.
