You spent four years at university studying hard and working toward your degree in hopes of getting a good job after graduation. But when the time comes that you have to apply for jobs where do you even begin? I’m currently in this situation. I just started my very last semester at Winona State and the one thing on my mind is jobs. How soon is too soon to begin applying? Should I have been applying all summer? How do I even approach an organization this early regarding jobs after graduation? Now, I’m no expert on this topic. Like I said, I’m currently in my last semester so this is all so new to me. But I wanted to share a few actions I’ve taken so far and found helpful, and hopefully these tips could help you as well. 

Start With The Basics

When I say start with the basics, I mean your cover letter and resume. Before you begin applying for jobs you need these things to be in good shape. I’m going to provide you with my biggest resume secret… use Canva. Especially if you’re going into a creative field like I am it is important that your resume stands out. Canva has hundreds of templates to help you get your resume exactly how you want it.

After you have your resume ready, make sure to perfect your cover letter. Your cover letter doesn’t need to be a novel about how great you are. Just highlight the most important experiences you’ve had that makes you the best fit for the position. I created my cover letter on InDesign so that it could complement my resume. My favorite thing about my resume, cover letter and personal website it that it is all color coded.

Mail Your Cover Letter and Resume in Hopes of Standing Out

Because of who I am as a person, I decided to do some research on the places I’d love to work for post graduation and print off my cover letter and resume off for each place to mail. Guess how many places I send my cover letter and resume to? 75 places. Yes, 75. And I am nowhere near done applying for jobs. This is just the beginning. I plan on applying for the rest online throughout the semester. The reason I mailed it is because a family friend told me a story of someone they knew mailing their cover letter and resume to multiple places and they received seven job offers. I was motivated by this story to send all of mine out. I just sent them out in the past week, so I haven’t heard back from anywhere yet. Fingers crossed I do though. 

Utilize All of Your Resources

Throughout my time at Winona State, I have grown close to two of my professors, Dr. Jennifer Ma and Dr. Muriel Scott. I look up to both of them, and feel comfortable talking to them regarding any questions I may have. I already know that I will be in and out of their offices this semester with questions about classes, graduation, job searching and life in general. Long story short, TALK TO YOUR PROFESSORS. Not only professors, but utilize the career services on campus. My university does free mock interviews and resume reviews that I will be taking advantage of this semester. Make sure to look into these services at your campus too. 

LinkedIn, Indeed, Google… KEEP SEARCHING!

I’ve been looking at entry level PR jobs on LinkedIn, Indeed and Google for almost a year now. It has been really helpful in my search process because I’ve been able to determine what kind of jobs I want to apply for once the time is right. Looking up jobs online is a great way to get familiar with what opportunities are out there. A lot of job listings also have contact information, so if you have any further questions or concerns you can email them. This is something I’ve definitely taken advantage of. 

With all of this being said, remember I am no expert. I’m simply just a college student trying to find employment myself. But if you read this and take what I said into consideration for your own job search I wish you nothing but the best of luck. Let me know if any of my tips helped you to land an interview or job. Happy job searching everyone!