CLICK ME FOR AN AWESOME CAREER HANDBOOK FROM MSU! Finding a Job So, you need a job. Whether you're already in college or have just graduated, it's best to be prepared. It's better for your resume to have experience related to your career path, so find opportunities there first! Worst comes to worst, you can work part-time anywhere. Use websites like LinkedIn, Indeed, and Handshake to see what's available!
Use your networks for finding jobs. You know a lot of people - contact professors, advisors, old teachers, old bosses, colleagues, friends, et cetera! They know people who know people. This will help you a ton!
Resumes & Cover letters Resumes are there to organize all of your education, work experience, achievements, and skills in one place! It's always a good idea to update it at least twice a year; more often if you change jobs quite often. When you're young, resumes should be one piece of paper, maximum.
Some formatting tips:
Use serif fonts, such as Times New Roman, Georgia, or Courier, for headers.
Use sans serif fonts, such as Arial, Helvetica, or Calibri for content.
Until you have a full-time job in your career, your resume should follow this order: Education, Employment Experience, Student Involvement/Volunteerism/Honors and Awards (whichever is more applicable to your career/more valuable), then Skills Profile.
If you need to create a cover letter, make sure it matches your resume. A simple way to do this is to use the same header!
Other tips:
Make sure your contact information is updated!
Have a mature email address.
Use reverse chronological order (newest info at the top).
Use action verbs wherever possible.
Tie achievements with honors and awards. Ex: "Voted Student of the Month for 30 community service hours" is better than "October Student of the Month"
Add numbers & details! Ex: "5% increase in sales" is better than "sales lead".
Have someone your trust proofread your resume!
Interviewing Congratulations on being selected for a job interview! Remember to look nice (check the Professionalism page for tips), and have copies of your cover letter and resume available to hand to the interviewer(s). It's also helpful to have a few questions ready for you to ask them. I always asked about daily dress code, what time I'm expected at work in the morning, and what they expect from me on a day-to-day basis. Be confident! Practice before the big day. PRO TIP: Bring a thank-you card and leave it at the front desk when you are leaving from your interview!