The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE)
recently announced that results from the 2016 Job Outlook survey indicate a
hiring increase for new college graduates of 11 percent over the class of 2015.
With the market primed for job search success, college seniors can do three
things before spring semester starts to prepare to take advantage of these
upcoming opportunities.
1. Know your options
Begin researching potential
employers and job titles ahead of time and learn about the company culture,
required qualifications for the job, and if/when the employer will have
representatives on campus for career fairs and interviews. Use Auburn’s job
search database, Tiger Recruiting Link (TRL) at jobs.auburn.edu to find much of
this information. You can also use the companies’ websites and glassdoor.com to
do your research. Knowing what type of job you want and the companies for which
you’d like to work will put you in the position to apply quickly when positions
are posted.
2. Prep your resume
Having a resume that is
tailored for each job description will help you stand out in a crowd of
similarly qualified graduates, but you can prepare ahead of time by having your
standard resume reviewed by a career center staff member or peer advisor. Use
the resume resources on the Auburn Career Center website to view formatting
options and gather ideas for how to highlight your skills and experiences. Cometo the Career Center during walk-in hours to have a peer advisor review your
resume and offer suggestions for improvement. Also, reach out to faculty
members and other advisors to gain additional feedback. When your ideal job is
posted, you’ll be ready to tweak the standard resume to fit the individual
specifications required by that employer.
3. Practice your interview skills
The prospect of
interviewing can send many job seekers into a state of panic. Work out the
jitters and gain confidence in your ability to nail the interview by practicing
typical questions before spring career fair and on-campus interview season
kicks off. For those with little interview experience or who are feel their
skills are rusty can use an online tool such as Interview Stream to prepare in
the comfort of their own rooms. The Career Center also offers mock interviews
when you are ready to practice in person.
Don’t be lulled into a false sense of security by an
anticipated hiring increase for 2016. College graduates will still be competing
for positions and employers aren’t lowering their standards. Adequate
preparation requires early and on-going effort but definitely pays off when you
start the career you’ve been working 4+ years for.
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