Getting Ready to Apply
Whether you are planning to apply for your first job out of college or if you are planning to apply to graduate school, planning is an important first step. In either circumstance, you need to gather information and language to make yourself a strong applicant.
Know Yourself
As you begin the process of finding and applying for employment in your chosen field, it is important to take stock of your education, technical skills, and the experiences and characteristics that make you an ideal employee and co-worker. This self-assessment is the foundation for building strong job materials.
Beyond evaluating your skill set, this is also an opportunity to take stock of the types of environments you will thrive in:
- What are your skills, attributes, and accomplishments?
- What are you passionate about?
- Do you work better independently or in groups?
- Have you always imagined working for a large company, with the structure and perks that offers? Or do you see yourself working on a smaller team, perhaps taking risks for a project you believe in personally?
- Do you like developing new ideas and planning? Do you like seeing through a complex project to the finish?
- How do your qualifications meet the position (or graduate program)?
Use this information as you search for potential jobs, evaluate potential employers and/or to help you find the best graduate program for you. Seeking out a work or educational environment that suits your strengths and preferences will give you an advantage in the job or college search and in your future career.
Know Your Field
Use the resources available to you (such as career services, job websites, networking events) to find positions. Go to career fairs and make connections. Even before you are truly “on the market,” career fairs and networking events are great ways to build your confidence and become comfortable in professional environments.
Keep yourself informed and up to date on the projects and initiatives happening within your chosen field and especially of those employers that most interest you. This is not something you only do the night before a career fair or an interview – expose yourself to these ideas and discussions over a long period of time. These types of resources are a great place to get started:
Organizations and Conferences
Connecting with and simply being aware of the national organizations will expose you to current ideas and developments in the field. Most host conferences on a regular basis and even just reading the call for presentations or the titles and abstracts from a recent conference will introduce you to new terms and concepts, laying groundwork for future learning or research.
Company Blogs or White Papers
Most companies “talk to” the public or the industry in some way to manage public perception, promote accomplishments, and (often) recruit employees. These might be highly technical or more casual or promotional in tone, depending on the company culture, industry, and their goals – any of these provide invaluable insights.
Social Media
Following both companies and individual professionals will introduce you to their work, concerns, and developments in the industry. It also might make it easy for you to get exposed to these ideas as part of your regular online habits.
Local Networking or Meetup Groups
Professionals often hold events at a local level to meet each other and then learn about what other companies in the area are doing. These might be purely social, or they might include learning opportunities in the form of talks and presentations. On campus, you will also find a variety of discipline-specific groups and student organizations that can also expose you to new ideas, resources, note to mention, great professional connections.
Additionally, when researching specific positions with any company, you need to be well versed in what that position is likely to do. Some questions to consider:
- What are the position responsibilities?
- What is the typical salary for this type of position?
- What is the expected growth opportunity over the next few years for this type of position?
These questions help you better understand whether you will be a good ‘fit’ for a potential employer or even if you’ll be a good ‘fit’ as a graduate school candidate. The more you know, the better you can make a clear decision that is best for you.
Language Matters
Vocabulary is important any time, and absolutely essential when you are preparing yourself to enter the job market or apply to graduate school. Whether it’s using strong verbs (see the table below), having to articulate your “soft skills”, or highlight “transferable skills” (see the table below), using the most appropriate language for your field or discipline is necessary.
| Communication/ People Skills | Creative Skills | Management/ Leadership Skills | Helping Skills | Organizational Skills |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Collaborated | Combined | Assigned | Aided | Arranged |
| Communicated | Created | Coordinated | Arranged | Categorized |
| Developed | Developed | Decided | Assisted | Distributed |
| Edited | Drew | Improved | Contributed | Organized |
| Incorporated | Illustrated | Led | Cooperated | Recorded |
| Proposed | Planned | Managed | Encouraged | Responded |
| Suggested | Revised | Oversaw | Helped | Updated |
| Synthesized | Shaped | Recommended | Motivated | Tracked |
| Translated | Crafted | Reviewed | Supported | Monitored |
| Facilitated | Conceived | Supervised | Prepared | Synthesized |
| Mediated | Established | Delegated | Bolstered | Adapted |
| Organization, Management and Leadership | Research and Planning | Communication | Interpersonal | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initiating new ideas | Forecasting or coming up with ideas | Speaking effectively | Being sensitive to feelings and moods of others | Managing time effectively |
| Coordinating tasks | Identifying problems and developing solutions | Writing concisely | Developing rapport | Setting and meeting goals |
| Being detail oriented | Imaging alternative scenarios | Listening attentively | Providing support | Being a self- starter |
| Managing or directing teams | Gathering information | Facilitating group discussion | Motivating others | Working independently |
| Coaching | Analyzing and evaluating information | Providing appropriate feedback | Negotiating compromise | Enlisting help when needed |
| Selling ideas or products | Setting Goals | Being tactful in difficult situations | Sharing credit | Being diligent |
