5 Career Tips for College Seniors - Workology

5 Career Tips for College Seniors - Workology 5 Career Tips for College Seniors Are you a college senior getting ready to take on the professional world in 2015? As  your summer break wraps up this month and you head back to campus, I would like to  share 5 tips to help you make the most of your final year as an undergraduate and  be best prepared for the next step in your career path. 5 Career Tips for College Seniors Create your personal brand. Whether you have a bachelor’s degree in business or English, want to pursue a  career in IT or healthcare, use your senior year to reflect on everything you’ve  learned about yourself so far and define your personal brand.  Know your values, strengths and weaknesses, what you’re passionate about,  and what you can bring to any work environment.  Defining your personal brand  at the beginning of the year will give you a jump-start on creating the professional  materials and experiences you need once you start searching for career  opportunities. You can then use the rest of your time to improve upon anything  you would like to change. Need more concrete examples of leadership skills?  Now is the time to find â€" or create â€" those opportunities for yourself so you can  showcase them to your future employer. This is also an ideal time to clean up your social media sites and rebrand them  for your professional aspirations. Build your LinkedIn profile and start networking  as soon as you’re ready. Expanding your network â€" both real world and digital â€"  can help you with your short and long-term career goals. Join meaningful groups and/or volunteer. It’s not too late this year to carve out time in your schedule to get involved or  take your involvement to the next level in a campus or young professional  organization.  If you don’t have a lot of work experience from your high school or college years,  your participation in clubs, groups, and organizations will help your first “serious”  employer know more about you. Not only are you building up your resume, but  you’ll also be contributing to a good cause and making new friends. Talk to your  career counselors about groups like Enactus USA or Habitat for Humanity to see  how you can get involved this year. Research companies you’d like to work for based on culture and values  that match yours.  When you’re ready to start applying to your first “out-of-college” job, narrow down  your options based on companies that match your values. Rather than focus on  who is hiring, focus on for whom you would like to work. Most people leave jobs  because of a cultural mismatch. And while there’s nothing wrong with changing  jobs in the beginning of your career, it would be ideal to stay for at least 3 years  before making your next move.  Write down a list of what you need to secure an interview (even if informational)  or internship and start reaching out sooner than later. Some hiring processes  are quick, while others can take up to 3-6 months. Get on their radar before you  graduate! Apply for internships, co-ops, and fellowships as soon as possible. Go to all the career fairs and free workshops that you can this year to meet,  greet, network and get your elevator pitch and resume ready! If you take these  opportunities seriously, you will be in great shape to hit the job market after  graduation day. Our Management Fellowship team is already recruiting for next  year’s Fellows, for example, and we’re not the only ones out there! Don’t wait until  the last minute. Many of these programs interview and hire 6 months â€" 1 year in  advance. .ai-rotate {position: relative;} .ai-rotate-hidden {visibility: hidden;} .ai-rotate-hidden-2 {position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;} .ai-list-data, .ai-ip-data, .ai-fallback, .ai-list-block {visibility: hidden; position: absolute; width: 50%; height: 1px; z-index: -9999;}  Stay positive. There’s a lot of coverage about the job market being challenging, especially for  Millennials and recent graduates. Don’t get caught up in the negative talk, which  can decrease your drive and spark. Focus your time and energy on preparing  yourself and how you will approach your ideal companies.