Now is the time! Joyce’s Career Tip of the Week

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Career

Did you know that there are certain times of the year when companies send recruiters to college campuses to hire interns and new college graduates? Every year, there are two peak recruiting seasons: one in the fall (September and October), and the other in the spring (February and early March). This is not unique to ASU. This cycle applies to companies and colleges all over the United States.

What does this mean to you? It means that even though it is the first week of classes, now is the time for you to be planning and taking action to ensure your summer or post-graduation employment. If you are considering organizations that do recruit at ASU, check their websites. Most likely, their application dates will follow the same schedule.

There are seven weeks until the Spring Fulton Schools of Engineering Career Fairs, held February 20–22, 2018 on the Tempe and Polytechnic campuses for undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students.

I realize that this is a busy week. You are adjusting to a new class schedule, buying books, finding your classrooms and reconnecting with friends. Seven weeks might sound like a long time, however, in order to be a successful job applicant, you have work to do. Preparation is critical.

Make yourself an internship/job search preparation checklist. Use your planner to schedule time to complete the following activities:

  • Get familiar with and use Handshake.
  • Define your goals and focus.
  • Prepare professional attire and adjust career fair schedule conflicts.
  • Create or revise your résumé.
  • Practice your pitch.
  • Study the companies that interest you.
  • Get feedback on your resume, introduction and interviewing skills.
  • Attend an interview workshop and practice interviewing.
  • Plan strategies for connecting with companies at the career fair.

Use Handshake to schedule appointments with career coaches for in-person appointments at various campus locations or by phone. Fulton students can also use Optimal Résumé to submit résumés for review. Using Handshake, click on “Career Center” and then “Resources” to get to Optimal Résumé.

I will be writing more about more about preparing for your job/internship search over the next several weeks. In the meantime, welcome back to campus! All of us at the Fulton Schools Career Center are looking forward to working with you.

 

Joyce Donahue is a career counselor in the Fulton Schools Career Center. She is a nationally certified career counselor and holds “Master Career Counselor” membership status in the National Career Development Association.