For the past couple of weeks, I have been on the hunt for a job for after graduation. No, I am not graduating this semester, but I am trying to get a bit ahead of the game. For those of you who are thinking about doing the same, my heart goes out to you. My experience with job hunting earlier on in my final year of college is very stressful. I have been getting a bunch of rejection letters saying “we need someone to fill the position within one month, so the timing wouldn’t work out” or “we are looking for someone with a degree, not someone who will be getting a degree within a year”. Also, why are entry level jobs requiring 2+ years of experience? As someone who did 2 co-ops and a bunch of internships, I have about 1 year and a half of experience in the field of Sales & Marketing Operations. I would say anyone from Northeastern University is on the more experienced side of recent graduates. But we need more?
My advice for you would be creating a completely new window just for jobs and applying for jobs. This gives a sense of separation between schoolwork, entertainment, and job searching. I don’t know about you, but just by looking at job search website logos on Google Chrome while browsing through Netflix gives me a sense of a lazy job seeker. However, when I am at the point where I watch Netflix, I have already applied to 5 jobs. So, to avoid spending every second of your free time obsessing over finding a job, separate your spaces.
Secondly, keep a list of all the positions you have applied for. Honestly, before I started doing this, I would forget the companies I applied to. This caused so much confusion when I got an email or a phone call from companies and people that I don’t remember. This leads to my third advice: create a new email for job applications. I cannot tell you how many times I would click into an email thinking it is from the headquarters, only to find out it was a marketing email. Also, the overflow of emails makes it very hard to find the emails that are related to your job searches.
All in all, I wish everyone best of luck in their job search. Don’t get anxious because you haven’t found a job yet. You will get a job, don’t worry. Be prepared during your interviews. Don’t forget what the co-op classes have taught you about resumes, cover letters, LinkedIns, and interviews. And you will be fine!
