Career Advice

Every college student has fallen prey to procrastination at some point. But some things – like your job search – shouldn’t be put off. Even if you don’t feel ready to start applying to jobs, you shouldn’t wait until you start to feel the pressure of approaching graduation to begin your search.

When it comes to landing that first job, the most powerful method a candidate can use is networking. In fact, some research has found that up to 85% of all jobs are filled through networking, as opposed to job postings and other recruitment channels. While in-person networking events such as those hosted at colleges or companies are popular, online networking through LinkedIn is an ideal way to connect with professionals who you otherwise might not have the chance to meet. However, a lot of students are unsure of how to actually use LinkedIn filters to find the right professionals at companies, and how to reach out properly to a “cold contact.” To help bring your networking skills to the next level, here are some top tips for utilizing LinkedIn to connect with professionals you have never met before.

This past summer, I interned at 23andMe in Mountain View, California as a Communications & Data Analytics Intern. 23andMe is a direct-to-consumer personal genomics and biotechnology company that uses a customer’s spit sample to provide them with 125+ personalized reports about their ancestry, health, traits, and more. I split my time mostly between doing communications and content work and a few data collection and analysis projects. I wrote media pitches, helped answer questions from reporters, created internal and external blog posts, and contributed to communications materials for the release of various trait reports. On the data side, I tracked their media presence and metrics such as amplifications, sales, and potential customers to draw insights about the impact of different articles.

Let’s face it: Applying to jobs is stressful, and it can seem like a never-ending process — which means applying to jobs can seem like an actual full-time job in itself.

The thought of beginning your job search is intimidating, but even more so if you don’t have what’s typically considered ‘professional experience.’ Maybe instead of interning you spent your summers working a part-time job, doing volunteer work, helping out your family, or focusing on a dedicated hobby. Whatever your reason, it’s OK – you can still position yourself competitively in your job search, even if you don’t have any traditional professional experience. What matters is your ability to frame the experiences and transferable skills you do have when searching for and applying to jobs.

One of the most important parts of your LinkedIn profile is your headshot. This is the first photo recruiters see of you when they click on your profile, so it should showcase you at your best. But how do you choose the right photo?

As a software engineer beginning your job search, you might be the most concerned with memorizing CS fundamentals, perfecting your whiteboarding technique, and organizing your GitHub portfolio. Going through multiple rounds of technical screens when interviewing for a new job can be pretty daunting, but it’s important to remember that people hire people, not resumes or code assessments.

The finance industry is expansive and there are plenty of options to choose from. In fact, there are so many directions you could take it may be hard to narrow down a specific career path. If you’re majoring in finance you might know you like working with numbers and making data-driven decisions, but maybe you’re not sure what career that translates into. Finance majors gain valuable skills throughout their education including budgeting, credit analysis, investing, project management, and problem solving among others. A finance major is very versatile and gives you a strong background for many different positions. We’ve rounded up 11 career path examples that a finance major could choose to follow.

When I received my offer for a summer internship with Lowe’s, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Sure, I knew what was in the job description and understood the objectives that came along with my offer, but when it came to working at a Fortune 50 company, I had no idea what a day-to-day workload would be like.