Welcome to 2017! It’s a new year and a fresh start. We always think of New Year’s resolutions that usually consist of getting back in shape (an excellent choice, by the way). But have you considered what you might do this year to get ahead in your career? Sometimes I see students who come in towards the end of the spring semester right before graduation, and leave wishing they would have come sooner. So, I have created a menu of actions for you to choose from to make your own career resolutions. Or better yet, challenge yourself to complete ALL 7.
•Join a professional organization at the student rate before you graduate. Professional associations allow you to learn more about career paths in your field, access salary data, attend conferences, but most importantly- get you connected to professionals in your field. What better way to stand out among your peers than to get involved in a professional association now and develop relationships with your future colleagues?
• Educate yourself on salary information and job outlook in your field. Get up-to-date with salary, companies that have hired Purdue grads, and where Purdue students are going in each major and college with our interactive Data Dashboard.
• Update your Linkedin profile. Add in projects, awards, clubs, organizations. Make a goal to connect and follow up with 10 new contacts each month (at MINIMUM). Want to skip the career fairs? Get your networking on NOW. Ask them to coffee or phone meeting to do an informational interview. By May, you will have 40+ new contacts.
• Drop-in to the CCO Monday-Friday for a 15 minute session with a career professional to discuss individualized next steps to help you to get to where you want to be in your career. You can also set up an appointment with a career counselor to discuss job search or career options.
• Update your resume with new activities and find ways to gear your skills to the field you are going into. You never know when someone might ask for your resume. ALSO: Upload it to your myCCO account. We have companies ask frequently for student resumes for various majors. Why not reap the benefits of a company reaching out to YOU for an opportunity?
• Plan to come to one of many career fairs happening this spring on-campus and virtually. To see the recruitment schedule, view our CCO Calendar.
• Try SOMETHING. It can be related to your career path, but it doesn’t have to be. For example, an aerospace engineering student came to the CCO and said that he had a marketing internship in the ticket office and realized he is really good with talking to people and might do consulting. You never know where your experiences might lead or who you might meet along the way.
Good luck with your 2017. Make this year YOUR year!
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