Tools and tips for entering the job market from a graduating senior

I can’t believe it’s the spring semester of my last year at Miami. There are so many things I want to do and accomplish before my time here is over. Add career and job search to all those things, and I become overwhelmed with responsibilities and expectations.

My first piece of advice: Don’t panic. Whether you’re a senior who doesn’t know what your plans are after graduation or a junior worried about a summer internship, take a deep breath and think about the end goal of securing a job that fulfills you.

Different companies hire at different points in the year and in different ways. The more active you are on job boards, connecting with alumni in your field and researching career paths, the more you can learn about where you could be in the next six months.

More importantly, you also need balance. Looking for a job can be a full-time job itself, but you have to remember that you’re a student. The courses you’re taking need your attention, and so do your friends.

Once you stretch yourself too thin, you’ll wind up sick and tired come spring break. Trust me, I’ve been there, and I know you have too.

My second piece of advice: Don’t get overwhelmed by options. Miami offers a plethora of career resources, research opportunities, interview help and more. You name it, it’s here.

Even as a senior, I feel drowned in options when it comes to the Career Center. It’s become difficult to decide whether workshops will be helpful or if mock interviews will actually improve my skills. Ask yourself what you need to know to succeed after graduation or even in this semester. If it’ll help, you should do it.

You could go to a workshop and realize the experience wasn’t as useful for your search. Maybe a one-on-one appointment would suit you better. The hard truth is that everyone will have their own job or internship path — and that’s OK.

My third piece of advice: Don’t believe what you read on the internet. Shocking, right?

I’ve come across a lot of business influencers since I started my job search (thanks, Instagram), and they all have their own tagline claiming that their product can make you stand out in the job field. I’ve clicked links and subscribed to email lists just out of curiosity to see if these people might be legit.

I have yet to find an influencer who gives out free advice. Often, they use case studies to promote their career program for $500 or more. But wait, there’s more! You can get this training at a reduced price just because you signed up on this date!

Right.

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Little do they know that I’ve seen too many infomercials to fall for the “special treatment” line. There are too many free resources out there for you to learn about the career you want, so use those. Don’t fall for the cash grabs.

And if you feel like you’re applying without any responses or interviews, there may be a whole other reason. In recent years, companies have started posting “ghost jobs.”

According to Business Insider, ghost jobs are posted for a variety of reasons. Companies may want to artificially boost their growth by posting more jobs, others may keep their postings open all the time just to see if people are interested.

While being ghosted by an employer is hard — especially if you liked the position — you can still combat endless application burnout.

Start cold emailing. This can be through email or your LinkedIn page. Give them your name, your educational background and what you want out of the connection. This could be job search help, career advice or informal interviewing that could lead to a job — the choice is yours.

Don’t overthink the job description. If there’s mismanagement with job postings, can you imagine how many descriptions are recycled over and over? Pull out a few keywords, throw them into your resume or CV where relevant, and keep going.

Apply for jobs on company sites, not LinkedIn or other job boards. This may not prevent companies from ghosting you, but there’s a chance they manage their company job site better than LinkedIn, which can sometimes take months or years to be updated.

As a senior, going into the post-COVID job market with all these options of remote, hybrid and flexible work schedules can add to the stress of getting a job offer. I believe in the seniors and every other class here at Miami because we’re resilient.

Once summer comes, regardless of what your plans are, know that you invested time in your future and the friends you made along the way. Despite the stress, it will work out.

Abbey Elizondo is a senior double-majoring in professional and creative writing, with a minor in digital marketing. She has been with The Student for a little more than two years and is a senior staff writer.

@earlgreyincense

elizonar@miamioh.edu