How to Get Job Preparation During College

Finding a job after college should be a huge moment in your life. The first job you have will usually be the one that you gain the most experience from, something that will teach you many lessons that you cannot learn elsewhere. So the question is, does going to college prepare you enough for making that impression on the CEO? It may not. If you really want to find your niche and land that first job that you will really enjoy, you need to start doing research early. Nothing can substitute being well prepared.

As you go through your first year of college, you might find that the current subject you are studying is not really right for you. This is the first thing that you must deal with. Your college major will really help you broaden your interests (although 1/3 of college graduates find themselves doing something unrelated to their college major). Even if you don't end up working in your Major's Industry. College can be a time for you to explore different opportunities and find out what you excel at. For some, it's Physics, and for others it may be History. Whatever the reason, make sure that you are comfortable with what you are learning. You will be studying that subject matter for a number of years. For your freshman year, concentrate on doing well in school. This should be a trend as you go throughout college; good study habits should not be broken.

For your sophomore year, you should be able to identify which aspect of your major you would like to continue your education with (management, repair, research, etc.). If you would like to, you can Co-op as well. A Co-op student will usually be set up with a company early on (like your sophomore year), and they will work for one semester in the company, getting used to company policies and whatnot. As a Co-op, the student will experience alternating periods of work and study, (i.e. he/she will work for a semester and then study, and then work again) usually with the same company if you do well.

An internship on the other hand, stresses more of flexibility. There is no difference between Co-oping or interning, other than the fact that interns have the flexibility to choose scope of where they would like to work at. Co-ops are usually arranged sophomore year as an agreement between the institution, the employer, and the student. So for your sophomore year, you should be looking into your school's career services. All schools have a Division of Professional Practice (DOPP) that links employers and students. If you would like to Co-op (for instance if you need the money), then you should contact your school's DOPP as early as possible so they can set you up with a steady company to stay with your entire college career, and maybe after graduation. The major downside of Co-oping is that your graduation is usually delayed. As opposed to a student who only does internships during the summer, Co-ops usually will work in the Fall or Spring, pushing their graduation dates back later.

Make sure you have at least interned once by your senior year. In our society of today, employers really put a lot of emphasis on work experience. No matter how well you studied in school, your GPA can only measure so much. Really becoming part of a business is tough work; it doesn't just involve crunching numbers. This is why companies prefer you have an image of yourself by the time you graduate, something that can better

their image.

Something you will also want to do during your college years is attend career fairs. Attend all employer presentations that interest you, as well as workshops that strike your fancy. Workshops are a good way to learn how to better your resume, cover letter, and how to prepare for interviews. Employer Presentations will give you a good idea of how different companies, because not all are the same. They will send a representative to give a presentation usually followed by questions (and free lunch!). Careers Fairs are also rather important. They usually only happen once a semester, involving different kinds of companies coming and setting up booths all in one place (similar to a convention). Students have the freedom of walking around booth to booth and dropping off their resume, chatting with the representatives, and obtaining more info about the company. When you go to a career fair, make sure you dress like you are going to a professional interview. Students wear suits, ties and formal wear. If they like what they see, they will invite you back to another interview, or they will have scheduled sessions during which they will interview people who's resumes they obtained.

When you go to an interview (all internships and Co-ops will require them), make sure you have a crisp, clean look, and that you have everything prepared that you need to have. They will ask you questions that will put you in uncomfortable positions to see how you react. The interviewer's job is to gauge how suitable a candidate you are for this company.

Calculate when you are about to graduate, and make sure you set up interviews and have job offers before you graduate. You will probably go through a lot of trouble while going to classes and interviewing, but it is the best way to hook yourself up so you don't have any downtime after you graduate. The company will take you and you can start work immediately, or if you had a good relationship with a previous company you interned or co-oped at, make sure to contact them about starting at entry level.

Unless you want to have a continuing education and go to get your Master's or Ph.D, you should obtain valuable work experience throughout your college life. MBA's also like it when you have at least 5+ years of work experience. These are all steps to help you get the head start you need. Getting a job is especially difficult because you should have some good work experience. When you apply to be an intern or co-op student, employers understand that you are new to the business world, and they will provide you with very valuable training, something that other companies might expect of you to have already. So start early, and make sure you network a lot!