Starting a search can feel overwhelming. Where do you start? What do you do first? If you’re feeling a bit behind, that can add to a desire to put off the first step. Contrary to what you may hear in the hallways of Hodge, there’s never a bad time to start a job search. Employers are hiring, the market is hot, the time to start is NOW!
Here are a few steps to get you going. Do something every day – carve out time every day to move your search forward.
1) Have your resume reviewed by a UCS peer or professional coach.
This is important especially if you have made changes and you haven’t had anyone review it recently. Your resume is a dynamic document, and you want to make sure you have made revisions since you put it together for Compass II.
2) Pinpoint what kind of role you are seeking.
What functional area of business are you interested in? Finance? Marketing? Supply Chain? Consulting? Don’t know? Read job descriptions and rule out ones you’re not interested in. Find commonalities in the ones you find interesting. Start talking to people in similar roles. You need to be ready to tell a potential employer what kind of position you are looking for and why. You might not be 100% sure about what you want to do post-graduation, but you should have some authentic & compelling reasons regarding why you are interested in the company and position.
3) Identify what companies you are interested in
Don’t know? That is okay. Here are some resources to help you get started with a target list. Once you have a list, start talking to people at your target companies.
- UCS Website – From Resources tab, click on Salary Links for companies that have hired Kelley students
- Fortune’s Blue Ribbon Companies 2022
- Fortune’s 100 Fastest Growing Companies
- The World’s Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company
- Best Places to Work 2022 by Glassdoor
- The 100 Best Companies to Work For by Entrepreneur
4) Check out Handshake
There are hundreds of opportunities that get posted on Handshake daily. This is the most comprehensive IU resource for opportunities for students and new college hires. Start date for these internship and full-time opportunities often align with the academic calendar. Use the filters and key word search to find opportunities that best align with your interests. Did you know you can use Handshake to reach out to students at other schools or at IU who have worked at employers you might be interested in? You can find this information in the employers section. Reach out to a student(s) at a company you’re interested in to get to know more about their experience.
5) Network and reach out to others.
This is probably one of the most daunting parts of conducting a search, but there is no way around it. If you keep at it, it will help crack that door open to your next opportunity. A job search is only successful if you talk to people in your desired field/organization. Need help getting started with this step? Check out step 6!
6) Make an appointment with a UCS coach
We can help you develop a step-by-step strategy no matter what stage of the search process. Talk to us! We’re here to help!
