Finding a job post-grad can be stressful and a little scary. But... it does not have to be! Building strong relationships with your professors along with building and maintaining a network of professionals will give you a solid foundation to start your search before crossing the big stage.

Faculty connections can be helpful when you begin to navigate the job-seeking process. Starting the process by applying early and conversing with professionals in your network makes it much more manageable. You might be surprised at the number of people who would be happy to have a 10-minute phone call to help you learn more about a job opportunity and/or prepare for the interview. Taking the small extra steps along the way can genuinely help alleviate your stress in the job search and increase your chances of receiving more offers to choose from.

Along with starting early, an important step in the job search process is starting wide! Beginning your job search as early as possible allows you to have the most time to explore opportunities and go through interview processes without feeling rushed or desperate for an offer. Now, what do I mean by starting off wide? In simple terms, do not be closed off to opportunities even if you may not have considered working in a certain industry or place. Some of the best opportunities that come about are unexpected.

You probably hear this all the time, but it’s very true. Connections create opportunities! Take advantage of the relationships you have spent the last 4 years developing to help you find opportunities. Reach out to your professors for interview advice and speak to the professionals in your network to learn more about working in that industry and what it takes. As a general tip aside from the job search, be sure to connect with the people you meet, even if you only had a brief conversation with them, because you never know what rooms you might be trying to walk into that these people are already in.

For example, when I was applying for my dream job, I went on LinkedIn and noticed that someone I had briefly met through an internship I did the previous summer now works at the company I was applying to. I reached out to him to let him know I was interviewing and to see if he had some time to chat so I could learn about how his experience has been at this company; thankfully, I had already started a conversation with him on LinkedIn that past summer to thank him for taking the time to chat with us interns. Since we had already messaged, he remembered me and offered his time and advice, which ultimately helped me land the role. I’m so grateful that I met him that summer and took the time to connect with him and thank him.

The job search can be stressful and scary, but it does not have to be. You can never be too early in your job search; just be sure that you are applying for jobs with start dates that align with what you are looking for. Getting started ahead of time and utilizing the relationships you have created will help you immensely, and you never know— it might help you land your dream job!

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