5 Things Every College Student Must Do Before Graduating
Get yourself together before it’s too late, please….
Listen, I know you think you have enough time before you should step into your career journey, but the reality is that you DO NOT! Your post-grad experience will be more stressful than it needs to be if you fail to put in the work while you are still in school. As someone who is an early MBA student currently interning at Princeton University Press, I’d like to think I am on the right track, and I want you to be too. Do your future self a favor and read more for the top 5 things that you NEED to do before you graduate!
Make a linkedin
Why do you have an account on every social media platform except for LinkedIn? By the way, that account you made after graduating high school with a blank profile picture and 3 connections does NOT count! As a college student, LinkedIn is the perfect place to showcase all of your accolades related to academia and connect with your professors & peers. Even if you do not have professional headshots or tons of experience to add to your profile, creating an account is the first step in reaching those other goals. LinkedIn is filled with mentors, employers, and various groups for people with similar interests as you. Not to mention, the opportunities available to network with people who work in your desired career field. Those Instagram followers are NOT hiring you after graduation, so get your priorities straight and create your LinkedIn profile… then connect with me, of course!
2. Network
As an extrovert, networking is my favorite career-related activity because you get to interact with new people while expanding your professional connections! I know that not everyone reading this is a people-person but honestly, you just need to get out of your head and introduce yourself. Unintentional networking happens all of the time. You NEVER know who you are speaking to, so it is important to carry yourself with confidence and respect wherever you go. Intentional networking can happen at various campus events and clubs. To prepare, you can develop your elevator pitch and make sure it captures who you are and your abilities in a concise manner. Once you make yourself known, you will be on the radar for future opportunities!
LinkedIn is also an amazing place to network with people around the world, especially for all of my introverts. An example of a message I sent that successfully let me network with someone who works in my ideal career field can be seen below:
Hi [their name]! My name is [your name] and I am currently a college [your year] at [your school]. I have a growing interest in [career field], especially at [ideal company], and would love to connect so I could learn more about your career & the steps you took when/if you have time. Hope to talk soon, thank you so much!
Do not get discouraged if a person does not respond to your message, as they are busy and likely not ignoring you out of spite. If you really want to talk to them, wait a few weeks to a month and then send them another message.
3. Get an internship
Internships are a vital step in your career journey because this is where you apply what you learn in the classroom, and discover all of your career likes and dislikes. I am in my third year of college and started my fourth internship in September. Each one has taught me something different about myself, and has helped narrow down the specific job I want to pursue post-graduation. I understand that sometimes internships do not pay well (or at all) and you’d rather work a regular job to make more money, but this is where you must weigh the pros and cons. Balancing a regular job and an internship is also an option, although that is dependent upon many other factors. As an intern, not only will you develop the skills necessary for your future career, but the experience on your resume will stand out to potential employers. Internships can also lead to full-time employment after graduation.
In the future, I will write about how to land an internship, but my simple advice for now is to APPLY, APPLY, APPLY. Platforms like Handshake and LinkedIn have great internship opportunities posted daily. Just apply, I promise you will get hired eventually
4. Seek resume help
Most colleges and universities have career centers with advisors available to help you build your resume. You pay for these services in your tuition, so USE THEM! Even if you think you have an exemplary resume, please get it reviewed by a professional. YouTube is packed with videos to help you build your resume, however, you cannot receive live feedback that is catered to you.
I learned that hiring managers view resumes for an average of 6 to 7 seconds, so it is important to make sure yours is in the best condition possible to catch their attention. Once you perfect your resume, you will feel more confident in applying for internships and creating cover letters (I hate those but they are necessary sometimes).
5. Establish a personal brand
Last but certainly not least is the most exciting tip, building your personal brand! This process will take you months to define and will continue to evolve as you grow. A personal brand is the unique characteristics, skills, experience, and knowledge that only YOU can offer. The point is to communicate your unique identity while remaining authentic & transparent. Developing a brand does not mean you have to be a full-blown influencer & post everyday (although that’s cool too!!). It can be as simple as making all of your social media profiles correlate with each other or creating a portfolio website to showcase your work for employers. The best part about this is that however you portray your identity is up to you. Your brand is all yours, so have fun and be creative with it! Just remember to stay original as you are trying to stand OUT from everyone else.
When I first started to build my personal brand in March 2023 I was completely lost, so I will definitely write a more in-depth post about how I found my groove. This is the beginning of my journey as I launched my site on October 3rd, and relaunched on March 30th. I hope my journey can be an inspiration to everyone reading!
If you found this helpful, comment your thoughts below, send me a message on Instagram/LinkedIn, or share with someone else who may need it! I plan on making separate posts for all 5 tips where I do a deep dive and explain them in more detail, so stay tuned as these will be coming very soon. Till next time,
~ ASW
