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Your Career Starts.Now!

by Annette Clemens, Assistant Director

It always seems to begin about one month before commencement when graduating seniors tell me their fears about what will come next.  “So have you lined up a full-time offer yet?”  I ask.  “Oh God, I haven’t even started looking yet!” they reply.  “I’ve been so busy studying for finals, finishing projects, partying with my friends …”  And on the list goes.  The Office of Career Services is fond of the expression, “Don’t wait until graduation to begin looking for a job.”  I couldn’t agree more with that statement.  More importantly though, there are many things you could, and should, be doing throughout your time at UIC to lay the groundwork for your career.  In fact, your career begins now -- while you are still a student.

You’re probably thinking that I’m going to spend the rest of this article carping about how you should get a major-related internship before you graduate.  Well, I’m not.  Not because it isn’t true, but because we would all agree that doing so is obvious.  What I’m talking about are the other places where you invest your time now that will pay off later.

Many of you have probably seen the “Career Planning Timeline” in the Business Career Center’s Preview publication (updated copies are available in 1123 University Hall).  It would be a very good idea to check the list to see how many of these activities you are accomplishing.  Are you keeping up with it from year to year?

One item listed in the Preview that not enough students take advantage of is joining a CBA student organization.  Every major has at least one club (contact information is available on the 11th floor of University Hall).  I can’t stress enough how beneficial joining a club can be for your career.  The most obvious benefit is that you will be meeting employers who may be hiring, either for internships or full-time.  Even if you’re not looking for a full-time job yet or don’t need an internship until summer, go to the meetings!  Meet the employers while they are on campus.  Let’s face it, you can post your resume on 100 web sites, but there is no substitute for meeting people face-to-face.  Networking will do for your career what those 100 web sites can’t.

Another benefit of joining a student organization is the networking you can do with other students as well.  You may learn a few things from members about your industry that they won’t teach you in the classroom.  For all of you naysayers out there, keep in mind that I’m not saying you have to become an officer or spend every minute of your spare time wrapped up in this organization.  Just join, go to at least a few meetings, put the organization’s name on your resume.  Employers like to see this because joining a student club is equivalent to joining a professional organization at your first entry-level position.  At the very least, it shows employers that you have the initiative and desire to learn more about the field.

Besides joining an organization, research is something you should be doing on a constant basis until you graduate.  Research the majors, research careers, research companies—research, research, research!  Researching will help you process information about your future career and keep you well informed about the trends going on in a particular industry.  This knowledge will help you know what to expect when you start interviewing for entry-level positions.  It will also prevent the biggest faux pas in any job search—choosing a career from a knee-jerk response to what’s currently being discussed in the media.  The Internet is a good place to begin your research, but again don’t overlook the power of networking and gathering information in the form of informational interviews as well.

Lastly, going to job fairs is a solid exercise in developing your professional polish.  Even if you’re not graduating for another two to three years, you should be visiting job fairs and talking with professionals.  It doesn’t hurt to start going to these fairs as early as your sophomore year.  By the time you reach senior status, job fairs won’t be the overwhelming and intimidating event it can be if you were going for the first time.  Your one-minute introduction will come naturally and you’ll feel more comfortable interacting with employers.  Try not to be discouraged if you don’t get immediate results from every job fair you attend.  Remember that the real trick is to meet many people and to network as much as possible.

The only real moral to this story is that one day, you are hopefully not one of those graduating seniors who has gotten so caught up in school and your social life that your career plans get pushed to the back burner.  Thinking of your academic life as the beginning of your professional life will get your career off to a much better start.  Just as you time manage your day-to-day routine, don’t leave career plans out of the mix.  Because the smart student knows that his/her future literally starts now.