Career fairs are an avenue for networking with potential employers, meeting people with ties to your prospective career path, and ultimately landing a job. First impressions matter -- especially at a job fair where this may be your first time meeting someone in your chosen field and without a recommendation from someone to vouch for your skills.
It’s easy to claim you’re great at working with others, but what does that really mean? Even if an employer is willing to assume you’re telling the truth, it’s a claim that communicates almost nothing and does little to separate you from others who also say they work well with others or are great at generating ideas.
Understanding how to ask for an informational interview is essentially asking for a favor -- and asking a stranger for a favor is hard. Yes, it’s a daunting task, but the rewards it can yield are incredible. Learning how to make an informational interview request isn’t that complicated. In most cases, it involves little more than effective formatting, following appropriate etiquette, differentiating yourself from others, and coming off as genuine.
Rest is important. However, there’s a middle ground between binge-watching Netflix for three weeks straight and working yourself to death with 16-hour days. You don’t want to set a pace you can’t maintain because that’s just paving the path to burnout. Yet, you don’t want to waste time, either. You want to find useful, productive things to do during your college winter break.
Finding your next job can be as simple as having lunch. Seriously. The simple act of networking increases your visibility among the right people -- including recruiters and HR managers who are scouring their personal and professional networks to find the right candidate for an open position.
Humans are biological machines -- and machines need maintenance. When you don’t change the oil in your car, wear-and-tear causes the engine to seize and stall. People are little different. We have basic physiological needs for things like food and shelter, but we also have psychological needs. We need friendship, family, and a sense of belonging. We want to feel in control of our lives. And when we don’t have those things, we run like an engine without oil.
For those pursuing an internship or a job fresh out of college, an empty resume doesn’t provide prospective employers much to work with or a good sense of your experience. What information do they have to tell you apart from another candidate? Wouldn’t it be better if you could sit down and explain your case? A cover letter is precisely that: an opportunity to explain why you should be chosen for the internship above other candidates - even when you have no experience.
Starting is the hardest part of any career. The job market is all about competition, and many recent graduates lack the experience necessary to help them stand out.
Finding your dream job is a journey of self-discovery. Although there’s no guaranteed route for finding your passion, a proactive search can speed you towards your destination. You only need to know how to direct your unique personality and interests into finding a job you love.
Changing jobs can be a great way to develop your career and find fulfilling work you love. It can also be a terrible mistake. Quitting can have implications concerning your resume, your professional reputation, and, ultimately, how employable you are. So, how can you be confident it's the right reason to change jobs?