Opportunity Knocks: Wisdom from Recent Grads on Jobs & Internships
During this webinar, recent grads provided insight on their first 5 years on the job. Each individual graduate gave out tips such as keeping your resume constantly updated, finding a mentor and utilizing their resources, attending career fairs early on and to keep an open mind on the companies you would like to work for. I gained insight on how to rank your priorities for what you want in your job search. These recent grads gave advice on personalizing your resume to be more specific for the field you’re applying to. Another great tip I learned was to stay in touch with employers you speak with at career fairs by connecting with them on sites such as LinkedIn, and keep them updated on the stuff you’re learning and constantly asking them questions. All recent grads spoke about how soft skills for internships and entry level jobs go a long way and how they are easily transferrable, and how good soft skills can help you stand out as a candidate. As a student constantly craving advice for entering the professional world, these recent grads provided a lot of insight, and the biggest takeaway I got was to always show up to every opportunity you have to connect/network, and to not be afraid to fail.
Hearing from Troy Kelly, an employee from United States Liability Insurance, he talked about his rough upbringing and how it cause him to have imposter syndrome. His biggest point was that failure isn’t actually failure if you keep trying. His major takeaways was to find something that you will love, and that can sustain your lifestyle. Troy gave me that motivational boost to keep striving towards my degree and to continue to show up at events and make connections with my peers.