Did you know that of graduates with a bachelor’s degree who reported having full-time employment, 30% had some type of position at their organization before graduating?
Career Services can help you find success now and in the future. Strategy is important in your job search, and it involves more than knowing where to look online for job postings. The elements of the job search also includes things like talking to people, attending events, tailoring your application documents and paying attention to trends in the job market.
Best practice is to begin searching 6-9 months before you need that next job. For students planning to graduate in May, that means beginning your search between September and November of your final year. If you haven’t started within that window, it’s not too late!
Create a plan from these recommended action steps and clarify what you want to prioritize.
Look online: Identify what job boards you’ll use. Handshake is recommended as the first place to look, and then explore other relevant job boards for your industry area. Always identify what key words and filters to find the most relevant job postings.
Talk to people: Make a list of people you know who work in the roles or industries in which you’re interested and reach out and ask to do an informational interview. Expand your network by reaching out to CU Boulder alumni.
Attend events: Choose events where you can connect with recruiters and/or people working in the roles and industries you are pursuing. See what events CU Boulder is hosting and look for opportunities outside of CU as well.
Tailor your documents: Tailor your resume and cover letter for each position that you apply to.
Join professional associations: Relevant professional associations may provide information on various career paths, opportunities for networking, or a job board.
Pay attention to trends: Request a skills report. Reports can include top employers and occupations in a specific region or industry. You can also learn about the demand and salary data for a specific occupation and top skills required for that occupation. Lightcast also provides data on career options within a specific industry, and occupations common for graduates of a specific major.
Organizing your job and internship search can be a lot to manage. Use this search tracker to streamline the process.
