The Art Of Being Proactive

In May, I will graduate alongside about 3,000 of my peers. Add that 3,000 to the graduating classes of the other 11 SEC schools, and you’ve got an influx of about 36,000 students flooding the job market of the southeast. Good old fashioned SEC rivalry competition at its finest.

I’d like to think that we are the products of some of the best learning institutions in America. We’re educated and proactive. At least I thought I knew what proactive meant until I discussed the art of being proactive with several of my friends and found that there are differing views on how to be proactive. So I collected what I thought were some of the best and compiled a list for upcoming graduates.

1. Attend specialty fairs hosted by professionals
One of my best friends is a Public Relations major here at Auburn. She told me about an upcoming PCRA state conference hosted at the Auburn Hotel and Conference Center. Public Relations students from across the state can attend daily seminars with guest speakers from several of the major television networks. The speakers will discuss their chosen career paths and offer guidance to students looking to enter into a similar field. This is a perfect networking opportunity if you’re willing to be proactive by signing up and getting out there. For more info, go to http://eaprca.com/.

2. Put the major job search engines on the backburner…for now.
Another friend mentioned how she keeps an ongoing list of the positions she applies for. She used to apply for at least one job a week using some of the major job search engines. However, she found that she never received a response, even if she had nearly every qualification being sought. So she turned to an often forgotten source: her peers. Recently she was a bridesmaid in a wedding and mentioned to another bridesmaid that she was seeking employment as an event planner. The other bridesmaid happened to have a friend from home with an event planning business. Plans for an interview are in the making.

Lesson learned: personal contacts can go further than some shot in the dark search engines; we just have to invest the time!

3. Set up a LinkedIn account.
Social networking is, to say the least, absolutely booming. However, many students today stick with the social networking they are accustomed to rather than branching out to more professional sites that can help with job leads. LinkedIn is a professional social networking site for just that. A profile can be as basic or detailed as you prefer. Former employers can post recommendations right on your page for others to see. LinkedIn is one of the best ways to promote yourself without being over the top about it.

Hope these proactive tips help. Happy job hunting.

Job Search Jenna '10