Job Search Prep!

Hello! We understand job search can be intimidating, and we want to help! Here are some tips we prepare for you, we wish the best of luck for your career 🙂

• Interview tips
  • Maybe you have got some interview opportunities (hooray!), maybe you are nervous even thinking about them, or maybe you already finished some interviews and wanted to reflect on what to do next. Here are some questions to think about.
  • Before the interview
    • Research: Where to look besides the official website?
    • Review: What to keep in mind from the job description, and from your job application? 
    • Connect: Who is the interviewer? Do I know anyone working there or has worked there?
  • For the interview
    • Appearance: What to wear to your interview? If it is online, having a clean (or sometimes, fun and individualized) background could be helpful. 
    • Self-introduction: How to open the interview with a concise introduction that highlights your strengths?
    • Questions: What kind of experiences should you prepare to answer the questions? Did you prepare your own questions?
  • After the interview
    • Follow up: Via email, via text, via Linkedin, etc. This could be a thank-you note, and/or another chance to ask more questions.
    • Document: Do you have a job tracker? You can document the prompts and reflect your performance, to benefit your future interviews.
• Profile/CV building
  • This is also a great time to refine your profile, CV, and resume! Here are some things to consider.
  • What to add
    • Link to your profile website
    • Link to your Linkedin profile
    • Coursework
    • Skill sets (technical, soft skills, etc.)
    • Past job experiences
    • Certifications
  • What to do
    • You can consider preparing a few different versions of your resume or CV, if you know the general types of jobs you will be applying for
    • Schedule a meeting with your mentor, school counselor, professor, peers. Ask them to help you review your profile.
    • Check job descriptions, see what the employers wish to see in your profile
• Job Search To-do list 
  • No matter which stage you are on right now, it is always beneficial to have a to-do list. You can check what you could be doing, what you should do more on, and what you can do next. Here are some things to consider when building your to-do list.
  • Job search
    • Where to search: Handshake, Linkedin, etc.
    • What to put in the search bar when searching: keywords, location, etc.
    • What to look for in the job description
      • Internship, full time job, part-time, contract?
      • Certificates preferred
      • Skill sets: language, technology, etc.
      • Years of experience: is it absolutely required.
      • Salary range.
      • Sponsorship for visa: sometimes they list this.
  • Profile/CV building
  • Networking
    • Online: Linkedin, email, text, zoom calls. You can also attend webinars to meet more people.
    • Offline: with your professor, counselor, peers, alums. Attend in-person events to get to know more people.
  • Online presence
    • Linkedin: update your profile. Update the events you attended. Stay connected. 
    • Handshake: update your profile. See what events are happening.
  • Summer plan
    • What can I do before school ends?
    • What can I do before next semester starts?
      • Review the dream jobs/companies, and their hiring description. 
      • Online courses? Online certificates?
      • Exams I can take?
      • Part-time work, volunteer
      • Self-initiated projects
      • Talk with your professors. Ask for their advice.
  • *CPT/OPT/visa consideration if applicable