Finding a Job 101: How to Identify Opportunities and Position Yourself Competitively in Your Search

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You go to college hoping that by the time you graduate, you’ll know exactly what you want to do and your dream job will be waiting for you. Unfortunately, that’s not always how it works out. Maybe you’ve spent your college career acquiring specific skills and you know exactly what you want to do, but you’re having trouble getting responses from employers. Maybe you’re unsure exactly what you want to do after graduation, so your job search is stalled.

The good news: if you aren’t hearing back from employers or you’re having trouble identifying which jobs you have the skills for, RippleMatch can help. When you create an account on RippleMatch, we’ll match you with interested employers and reach out to you with relevant job opportunities, significantly cutting down on the amount of applications you’re sending out to no response and increasing your chances of getting an interview.

However, there is more to the job search than just getting to the interview. From exploring your interests, to creating a standout resume and cover letter, to networking, there’s a lot to navigate before even getting to the interview stage. In this guide, we’ll take you through everything you need to know in the early stages of your job search.

What to Do if You Don’t Know What You Want to Do

While every major is valuable, some majors have more structured career paths. If you majored in civil engineering or agriculture, for example, there’s a good chance you’re going to enter one of those fields. But if your major gave you the freedom to explore different career paths – maybe you majored in business management, english, or general studies – you might be left feeling unsure exactly where you fit and what you want to do after graduation.

It’s OK – here are some ways to explore some fields and roles that could be a good fit:

• Before deciding which position to apply for, make a list of all your skills and strengths, as well as previous experiences you enjoyed. From that list, you should get an idea of the kinds of tasks you would prefer to do in a job as well as your top skills.
• In addition to your own self-reflection, it might be valuable to take a few of the quizzes created to help people determine their ideal job. Sokanu Career Test, Truity Career Tests, Princeton Review Career Quiz are all free to take and can help you continue the research and discovery phase of your job search. Just be sure to take the results with a grain of salt – this can give you some ideas, but shouldn’t be the main driver of what you do next. 
• After you’ve identified your strengths, look through a number of entry-level positions and see if any of the skills you listed out are present in the role description. You should treat this as research, so don’t feel discouraged if you come across several jobs that wouldn’t be a great fit. Most companies are hiring entry-level candidates for their potential – they’re more likely looking for certain attributes like “fast learner and detail-oriented” rather than expecting you to be an expert in something already.

By researching what you’re interested in before jumping into applications, you can make sure you feel comfortable with the role and find something that best aligns with your skills. For more guidance on how to choose a career path, check out our full article on the topic here.

How to Create a Standout Resume, Cover Letter, and LinkedIn Profile

Nearly every job application is going to require a resume and oftentimes, it’s the first thing an employer sees before deciding if they want to move forward with your application. To make a good impression right away – and to increase your chances of getting called for an interview – be sure that your resume includes your most relevant experience and is easy to navigate. When preparing your resume for the job search, here some tips to keep in mind:

• Keep your resume to one page.
• Make sure your name and contact info are prominently displayed.
• List the experiences that are relevant to the job you’re applying for (Your high school babysitting gig may or may not be relevant).
• List the responsibilities from previous jobs and internships as accomplishments, instead of just tasks (Example: Say “Set up 50 sales calls” instead of “Responsible for sending out sales emails”).
• Before you apply for a job, read the job description and add in any key skills that you have that are also mentioned in the job description. Many companies use technology to scan resumes for keywords, so including the right terminology (especially if you’re applying for technical roles) is really important.
• If you’re applying within industries that place a heavy emphasis on academics (consulting, engineering, finance), place your education and GPA near the top of your resume.

For tips on improving your resume design, check out our article “5 Ideas for Revamping Your Resume Design.”

In addition to your resume, some companies may ask you to submit a cover letter. While this isn’t very common if you’re applying for a quantitative role – think finance, tech, and engineering – if you’re applying for a position in consulting, marketing, media, or sales, you’ll probably be asked to submit a cover letter as a way to show off your communication skills. To create a standout cover letter, follow this advice and check out our full article on cover letters for more tips.

• Don’t copy and paste. While you can have a loose template, approach each cover letter as something new and show a potential employer why you’re the right fit for the company.
• Start with a good introduction – you want to draw the reader in and convince them to read through the whole letter.
• Keep your cover letter to one page. You want to show off your ability to write concisely and effectively.
• Research the company and make connections between what they do and your relevant experience.
• Don’t be afraid to say if this company is your dream company – just keep it professional and don’t come off as a superfan.
• Proofread thoroughly. A cover letter is your chance to show off your writing skills, so you don’t want to send the wrong message if you have any typos or grammar mistakes. Read through your cover letter out loud to make sure there are no missing words, and ask a friend or family member to proofread it as well.

Besides your cover letter and resume, your LinkedIn profile can show off your professional identity to employers and can even help you get discovered by recruiters. Read our full guide on creating an awesome LinkedIn profile here and a guide to building your brand on LinkedIn here, but check out the highlights below:

• Choose a professional photo as your profile picture. Avoid things like hats, sunglasses, or anything else that covers up your face.
• Customize your LinkedIn headline – use your previous internship, or a current position you hold on campus.
• Personalize your LinkedIn URL so it’s your first and last name, instead of an assortment of random letters.
• Write an engaging profile summary. You can think of this sort of like a cover letter, except it’s not personalized to any specific position you’re applying for.
• Just like your resume, you should only include relevant work experience on your LinkedIn page. While you have more space than on a resume, you should only include what is professionally relevant to you.
• Be sure to include your educational details and your GPA if it’s above a 3.0.
• Fill out the “accomplishments” section on LinkedIn, and upload anything that doesn’t fall under Work Experience (like your senior capstone).
• Add in your skills and choose your strongest ones to highlight on the page.
• Build your professional network. Connect with classmates, supervisors, coworkers, and anyone else you may have connected with through networking.

How to Navigate Networking Both In-Person and Virtually

Introducing yourself to someone new, whether you are face-to-face or online, is always nerve-wracking. When you’re trying to impress a professional contact that might be able to help you get a job, it’s even scarier. How do you introduce yourself? What if you run out things to say? The good news, most people you’ll meet through networking events are happy to meet new people and as long as you’re friendly and curious, there’s a good chance you’ll have a great conversation. The same holds true for a virtual networking event, which many kick off with a presentation about the companies attending and then lead you into breakout rooms with different organization heads depending on your interests. If you’re still worried, here are some tips to guide you through your next networking opportunity:

• If you’re going to an in-person or virtual networking event, try to research beforehand who will be attending so you can strategize where to field your questions. If you know the companies and the backgrounds of the recruiters/employees they have sent, you can create targeted questions to get the most out of your networking experience.
• Craft a personal “elevator pitch” to describe yourself. Your elevator pitch should include your name, what you do, and what makes you stand out. Keep it concise, and practice it ahead of time so you aren’t rambling when you meet someone for the first time or asked to share a little about yourself in a chat box or breakout room.
• Keep the conversation going and be active in the chat box. If you’re stuck and not sure what to say next while speaking with a professional either in-person or virtually, ask about their college experience, connect the topic of conversation to a class you’re taking, or bring up a past internship you found valuable, and explain why. Be sure to also contribute to conversations via the chat box to show your interest.
• Remember to listen. If you’ve been talking for 2-3 minutes straight, be sure you pause and ask the person you’re talking to a question – and remember to listen to what they’re saying. This is an opportunity to learn from someone in the professional field, so make sure you take advantage of it. If you realize you haven’t done any of the talking or distinguished yourself during a virtual event, make sure you’re actively listening, asking smart questions, and weighing in where you can.
• Make a connection for the future. Ask the person you’re talking with what is the best way to contact them, whether that’s connecting with them on LinkedIn or sending them a follow-up email. This connection won’t be as useful if you leave the conversation without establishing the opportunity for future conversation.

For more tips on networking, check out “Networking 101: The Most Effective Ways to Introduce Yourself and Stand Out When Networking” and “4 Talking Points to Fall Back on When Networking.”

How To Stand Out at an In-Person or Virtual Career Fair

When it comes to navigating career fairs and other recruiting events, you probably hear the same set of advice – bring your resume, dress professionally, and be friendly. But standing out among the crowd of your business-casual, eager peers can prove to be a challenge. Here are our top tips for impressing the recruiters from your dream company:

• Research the company beforehand so you have appropriate context. You should optimize the time you have in front of a recruiter, or in a breakout room with that recruiter, so don’t spend it asking questions that are easily answered by Google.
• Know what you want to get out of the conversation. It helps to have a plan when you approach a company booth or join a virtual event instead of expecting the recruiter to fill you in on every company position. Be able to articulate the roles you’re looking for or ask what roles are available based on your skill set.
• Ask smart questions and actively listen. It’s great to come prepared with questions beforehand, but be sure you’re listening closely to what a recruiter is saying so you can ask intelligent follow-up questions and learn as much as you can about open positions.
• If you can, attend other in-person and virtual events put on by the company – it shows you’re interested.
• Send a short follow-up email to the recruiter you talked to after the event, reiterating your interest in the company and referencing something you spoke about during your conversation to help them remember you.

Check out our full guide to navigating career fairs both in-person and virtually here!

How to Approach Informational Interviews

Consider informational interviews as the happy medium between networking events and career fairs. With an informational interview, you have the chance to learn more about an industry and a particular role before you apply. Unlike a career fair, there might not be a specific position available but you still have the chance to get on the radar of a company. And unlike networking, you don’t have to worry about asking too many questions – this interview is intended to provide you with specific information and help you get on the company’s radar.

If you have the chance to set up an informational interview, be sure you research the company ahead of time and prepare some specific questions. You don’t want to use the time you have to find out public information on the company, so make sure your questions are geared toward the responsibilities of the job and what it’s like working for the company. Here are some smart questions to ask to get the conversation going, and to provide some insight into this person’s career:

• What about this career path interested you?
• What’s something about your everyday tasks that might surprise people?
• What skills would someone need to do your job successfully?
• Are there any skills you wish you had learned before starting this job?
• Do you typically work with others or individually?
• Does your position work with other departments? If so, how?
• What’s the most challenging part of your job?
• What’s the most exciting part of your job?
• Is there someone else you recommend I talk with?

For more ideas, check out our full article on informational interviews.

The Importance of Building and Maintaining Professional Relationships

While having a great resume and strong networking skills can help you in the job search, utilizing the professional relationships you’ve built through networking, past internships, and college classes can help you find exciting opportunities as well as teach you a lot about the professional world. If you’re still a year out from your job search, here are some tips for building and maintaining relationships with people who can help you grow professionally:

A former internship supervisor

• Connect with this person on LinkedIn and any other appropriate social media sites, like Twitter. It’s safe to say you should avoid connecting with your former supervisor on Facebook.
• Make sure you’re engaging with the content they post! Don’t be concerned you’re bothering them if you leave a comment on something they posted, especially if you’re really interested in the topic.
• Feel free to send them an email or LinkedIn message if you see them post about a big accomplishment like a new promotion or the launch of a special project or initiative. Everyone likes to be recognized for their work.
• If you find yourself in the same city as them three or more months after your internship, ask to grab coffee. Or ask to chat over a cup of coffee virtually if a significant amount of time has passed since you’ve interacted last. Just make sure you come prepared with talking points and you set the agenda of why you’re interested in meeting up with them.
• Circle back when you’re beginning your job search. They may not have a job opening for you, but they might be willing to connect you to others who can be helpful in your search.

Someone you met through networking

• Whether you met someone at a networking event or were introduced by another professional contact, be sure you have a solid way of contacting them again. Connecting on LinkedIn can be a great way to stay in contact, as you can interact with their posts or casually send them a message if they’ve shared something interesting.
• Depending on your connection to this person, periodically check in or ask them to grab coffee, or set up a brief phone or Zoom call. If this person is currently in the professional field you want to be in, there’s a chance they’ll give you some ideas of the kinds of skills you need to learn or give you perspective about their own job search.
• If you’ve built a relationship with this person beyond just a few emails, it could be appropriate to ask if they know of any job or internship opportunities once you start your search. They might not know of any specific opportunities, but they can potentially connect you to someone who does.
• Always be considerate and appreciative of someone’s time. Whether it’s a phone call, emails exchanged back and forth, or a coffee meeting, always thank this person for their advice and time, and use discretion on how often to contact them.

Past and present professors

• Show up to class and participate. If you want to build any kind of relationship with your professor, respect what they do and pay attention and contribute to class. Even if you don’t end up with the highest grade in the class, putting in the effort and showing that you care is the first step in building a professional relationship outside of the classroom.
• Attend your professor’s office hours. Whether it’s to go over course material you’re struggling with, or to discuss certain themes of the class you find interesting, it can help you forge a professional relationship.
• Stay in touch after the class ends. Send emails every few months letting them know if anything new happens with you, if you get an internship or award, or if you’re taking an interesting class. Visit their office every now and then and ask how things are going on their end, too.

Past professors, supervisors, or networking contacts may know people in the industry they can connect you with for an informational interview or job opportunity. They can also serve as a valuable professional reference, providing you with a letter of recommendation or reference call. For more information on building professional relationships, read “How to Connect with your Professor and (Eventually Turn That Relationship into a Professional Reference” and “How to Maintain a Relationship with your internship Supervisor.”

Hopefully all the work you put into networking, relationship-building, career fairs, and perfecting your resume and cover letter will lead to that next step: The Interview. To navigate the interview process (another extremely stressful part of finding a job!) head to our comprehensive guide: Interviewing 101: How to Navigate the Process from Start to Finish.

Are you a student looking for awesome entry-level jobs and internships? Sign up for a RippleMatch account here and get matched with exciting opportunities from top companies.

Please click here if you’d like to return to RippleMatch’s Career Discovery Fair.