To Whom It May Concern,
Emerging into the job market today is scary for anybody. This is especially the case for college seniors. In the next few months, these people will experience nervousness due to finals, term papers and theses; all of which are compounded by their respective job searches.
I had the good fortune to be able to finish my college career after the fall term of 2010. I am finished with classes, I have secured a job from a prior internship, and I have a bit more time to job search for the career that is right for me, due to my distance from the classroom. As I go through the motions of an undergrad emerging into the workforce, I will continue to keep the ONEin3 Boston community informed of my progress, as well as provide tips and tricks that I learn during my job searching journey.
The best piece of advice I can provide at this point is to keep an open mind. It is sure that by now, many college seniors are considering something very specific in their job search. There are majors which afford this kind of specificity, but for most of us, it is important to consider all options in the working world before pinning ourselves down into only one field.
Personally, I would like to take a position as a paralegal or legal assistant en route to law school. This idea has become clear to me after much soul searching and practical questioning of professionals and of paraprofessionals. I have created a network of people who may lead me straight to the career I covet.
At the same time, I have kept my mind open to all possibilities. Later this week I will be interviewing at a medical school for a research assistant position and early next week, I have lined up an interview for a job as a file clerk. I am also looking (less actively) at part time jobs in retail and food service. I know that none of these four are exactly what I have mentioned as my career choice, but it is important to me to have a fallback. I would rather be employed and constantly learning than not employed and simply moving through life.
I have it on good authority that employers think the same way. It is important to employers that you remain active. It is important that you have a history which you can refer to during your employment so that you may grow as a professional. And, like Finding Nemo, keep swimming, keep swimming, keep swimming.
Your activity is a testament to your character. It is for sure a component of how a company will consider you as a candidate for a position. Definitively, related work and skills lead the breakdown of factors which employers use to evaluate prospective employees. However, it is important, now more than ever, to maintain activity and interests in a variety of disciplines.
The Vitruvian Man is coveted in this society and in this economy. Do not get discouraged should you not settle into the exact career of your choice early after graduation, but instead maintain an open mind and embrace your many skills. Emerging into the workforce for the first time can be unnerving, and it can even be frustrating, but in keeping with the philosophies of flexibility and of hard work and diligence, a job search can become not only fruitful, but also enlightening.
