With winter break in the offing, a frequent question many of you ask is whether or not it is too early to begin a job search. The truth is, it is never too early to begin a job search, and whether or not you know it, your search started on your first day of graduate school, if not before.
When you made the decision to pursue a graduate degree, you chose a career path in alignment with your interests. So when you think about it, it should be easy to make connections with people who are working in the field are hoping to enter. And that is an essential first step to job search – to make connections with professionals in your field. It is never too early to begin that process. Winter break can be an ideal time to make personal connections, particularly if you are traveling to the geographic region where you hope to be working. Target a few organizations of interest, use LinkedIn or the alumni network to find people within those organizations, and introduce yourself.
You can also use this time to fine-tune your resume. One idea to consider is to read all kinds of position descriptions – no matter what the job title. You will get a sense of the keywords to use in your resume, and also probably begin to notice a theme of the kinds of responsibilities and tasks you hope to assume when you are hired. Then you can think about how the skills your education and experiences you have had can transfer into those responsibilities. Many, many skills are transferable to multiple jobs – think about communication skills, problem solving, leadership and time management, taking initiative and being adaptable.
As you develop your resume, you can simultaneously think about how you would explain your accomplishments and achievements in an interview situation. Remember, it is important to provide the interviewer with specific examples of your experience, and especially the results or outcomes of your efforts. We in Career Services are often asked if it okay to go on an interview if you are not necessarily interested in the position, and we almost always encourage you to do so. First, the job may be different that it appears in the description. Second, think of it as another networking opportunity – even if you don’t get the offer or if you don’t accept the offer, you have established another connection. And of course, the more you interview, the more confident you will be.
Fellowships offer a great alternative to a permanent full-time position upon graduation, and many of them have application deadlines looming, so winter break is a good time to review the application requirements and get started on that process.
In short, it is never too early to think about your job search, and winter break is a perfect time to think about how you want to organize your search and to begin moving forward. It is also a time for rest and relaxation, so do give yourself permission to enjoy some downtime! Just know that job search is a labor and time-intensive endeavor, so once you are rejuvenated, get started and you will be able to return spring semester refreshed and confident!
Happy Holidays!
