Job Search Tips for Students

Canada’s jobless rate of 6.4% is at its lowest point in over 30 years with full-time jobs being added in all sectors of the Canadian economy. This is very good news for individuals thinking of making a job or career change and students who are completely full-time university and college programs.

To improve your chances as a college or university student for obtaining a full-time position, your individual job search strategy needs to be tailored to your individual situation. Here are some tips to help you get your job search off to a positive start:

Take advantage of career assessments. It can be helpful to explore your interests, skills, personality and values before embarking upon your job search or interviews with prospective employers. Your college or university career centre offers many types of assessments ranging from Experience Inventory, Personal Qualities Inventory, Skills Exercises, Values Exercises, Strong Interest Inventory and more traditional assessments like Myers-Briggs. These assessments can also help you answer interview questions such as “Can you identify your greatest strengths or weaknesses?”

Think beyond your major. Many graduating college or university students have a major that equals a job title (e.g. Accounting, Engineering, Computer Science). Most of you don't. Learn to think about occupations, industries, kinds of businesses, job skills and career fields. The real world is all about position titles. For a better understanding check out Monster.com’s Major to Career Converter for job titles and get ideas.

Envision the possibilities. Don’t put all your eggs into one basket and limit yourself to one job search method. For example if your degree is in the technical or IT area, go beyond posting your resume on online job boards and specialty IT job boards. Use a mix of methods from networking, internships to job fairs and referrals.

Consider internships, part-time and contract opportunities. An internship or a short-term contract is like a job interview that lasts three months. Nothing looks better on a resume than "been there, done that." Companies pluck employees from their pool of summer interns. In fact, firms often design internships as a recruiting method, while also helping students develop marketable skills. Freshmen and sophomores should pursue internship possibilities with the same aggressiveness as seniors pursue employment. Apply just as you would for a job, with a resume and cover letter tailored to the company's needs.

Start early. Many students begin their job search in the month immediately preceeding or shortly after their graduation date. Some employers look for hires and recruit many months in advance of the anticipated work-start date. If you don't start early, you can still find opportunity, but you will have missed out on some of the options.

Find out how others in your career or discipline have been successful. Talk to faculty in your department, students who have graduated ahead of you, members of your professional associations, student chapters of professional organizations and your alumni association.

Be organized and persistent. A job search is hard work. Your motivation and attitude are the keys to your success. It also helps to be organized. Keep track of all your formal applications, the companies where you’ve submitted your resume, contact names of who you’ve spoken to, the job boards you have registered for along with your user IDs and passwords plus, whether or not you had a telephone or face-to-face interview.

© Sales Resource Centre, Canadian Professional Sales Association, 2005.