How to Find Your Dream Job or Internship – Your Job Search Checklist

Whether you’re an incoming college freshman looking for an internship or a recent graduate on the hunt for that first job offer, here’s our checklist on how to find your dream job or internship. Watch the video below or continue reading.

If you aren’t sure what specific industry or field you want to enter after graduation, then take the time to apply to various types of internships that align with your major. By experiencing different companies and job opportunities, you can ultimately define and solidify what you want to do. For example, if you are a marketing major, several areas you can focus on include content marketing, market research, social media marketing, product marketing, or search engine marketing.

Your professors may know of certain companies or individuals looking to hire, but it is unlikely that they are going to recommend just any student. Most likely, they’ll be willing to recommend the students that not only did well in their class, but that also showed the tenacity to regularly attend their office hours and establish a personal connection as well.

According to The Balance Careers, 37% of applicants learn about jobs from professional networks. A career portal from your school is another form of a professional network that hiring managers may post on if they are an alumnus from that university or if that specific university is within proximity to the company office.

Additionally, posting your status on LinkedIn and other appropriate social channels is a great way to put out your goals into the universe. Let your professional network know that you are in search of your first internship or first job post-graduation!

These platforms can seem overwhelming at first with thousands of postings daily, but it is essential to play with the filters and settings to search for jobs that best fit your needs. Professional platforms make research easy with data on the companies you are interested in by sharing news, articles, and campaigns.

If there are currently no open positions in a company you want to work for, then reach out to the individual currently holding that position via LinkedIn and see if you can ask them a few questions about their role and maybe what the interview process was like for that position.

Searching for a job might be stressful, but as a rule, there are always some companies that are hiring! So put in the time and effort and do your research as part of your job or internship search.

Your resume should demonstrate your core competencies and skills concisely so that employers can quickly learn a little bit more about your professional career goals and understand who you might be as a future employee. Think to yourself, “How do I sell myself on a single sheet of paper?” Unlike a resume, a cover letter should highlight your core values and professional milestones, and ultimately illustrate how they relate to the specific role and company you’re applying for. Although not all positions or companies require a cover letter, including one that is well-constructed can help you land an interview over another candidate.

Once those are updated, have your mentor, professor, or anyone else you trust for professional advice look over them. It never hurts to have a fresh pair of eyes review and give you feedback.

Being strategic in your job search is essential to the future of your professional success. The job hunt may not be as fun as watching Netflix, but it will help ensure you get an internship during college and a full-time position after graduation!

For more tips on how to find your dream job, read our blog Getting Ready for Your First Job Out of College.