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'Tis the Season (to Start a Job Hunt!)

by Annette Clemens, Assistant Director

If you are reading this, then I assume the title above has gotten your attention either because of bewilderment or anxiety.  The anxiety could of course be due to the overtones of Christmas holiday cheer being expressed obviously much too early (heck, the stores won’t even be stocking Christmas items until October at least!).  The bewilderment, I assume, would be attributed to the parenthetical clause – to start a job hunt.  Granted, there are fewer jobs now than there were even a year ago, but that is exactly why you need to begin your job search now.  And there’s no better time for students to look for jobs than the fall semester.

Let me begin by saying that incoming freshmen can prepare for their job hunt by getting acclimated to the UIC environment, establishing a good GPA, and developing solid study habits.  Remember that productive study habits will transfer into good work habits once you leave the hallowed halls of UIC.  That is the best way for freshmen to prepare themselves for the work force at this point of their college careers.

My major emphasis here is for sophomores, juniors, and seniors.  The sophomore year is not too early to begin working an internship and will make you more marketable once you graduate.  But juniors and seniors shouldn’t think that their time is growing too short.  Even just before entering his/her last semester, a student should be working diligently to land an internship.  Remember that your resume should be stocked with solid transferable skills and (hopefully) major-related experience before you graduate.

Now before you write off this article as a lot of Business Career Center propaganda, let me explain why the fall semester is the best time to look for a position – even in a dismal job market.

The months between September and December of any given year are generally a company’s busiest recruiting season.  Many businesses seek candidates for full-time jobs and internships in this period because their new budget years begin January 1, thus enabling them to begin forecasting their hiring needs.  This is the reason why there are so many job fairs held in the fall.  Whether it’s the Accounting Club’s Meet the Firms or the biggest job fair in Chicago land, Diversity, there are plenty of employers looking to connect with students.

It is true that past job fairs may had fewer companies looking for candidates.  In a bad job market, many companies come merely to retain visibility on campus and to collect resumes for future openings.  Remember, if you find out from the company representative that there are fewer openings than you’d hoped or they are not hiring in your major, don’t be discouraged!  A job fair’s real worth is not just finding a job that fits your background, but in networking.  Company recruiters don’t like to go to job fairs just to fill their time.  They really are looking for candidates, if not right away then sometime in the near future.

The other reason why the fall semester is a good time to look for a job is because most students looking for internships are looking solely for a summer position.  Did you know that the Business Career Center posts internships year round?  Did you also know that we sometimes have difficulty sending enough resumes in the fall because most students wait until the spring semester to even apply?  If you are motivated to get work in your major, then contact the Business Career Center about landing an internship – sooner rather than later.

It is wise to use the benefits of the fall semester to your advantage.  You could get the slight edge that you need in this tough job market.  Take advantage of the job fairs and fewer applicants for internships this fall.

Remember that there’s no time like the present to go out there and find a job!  So what are you waiting for?  Christmas?