Simple Steps to Prepare for Post-Graduation

Graduation may seem far away, but Commencement will be here before you know it. We are here to empower you to pursue your path, whether you are planning to go to graduate/professional school, exploring fellowship or one-year options or working to land your first job. You can work with us after graduation, too. Here are some recommendations for senior year.

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Connect College to Your Career Goals

Review your activities and update your resume.

Make note of the experiences and skills you’ve had over the past 3 years and think about how you can describe them in your resumes, cover letters or job interviews. Focus on your accomplishments and the common themes that tie your experiences together.

Plan for graduate school.

If you’re thinking about graduate school, you’ll need to start preparing. The graduate school section of this website offers a complete timeline and resources for writing personal statements.

Find your Career and Life Vision.

A critical component of Career Services’ mission focusing on the value of self-exploration and meaningful work, the Career and Life Vision workshop is designed to help you answer the question, “What matters most to me and why?” The program will help you clarify your interests and goals and determine what you want to do next.

Meet with us to create a personalized strategy.

Whether you are just getting started on your career planning or have already begun, we can help you and develop a solid plan.

Scan the Career Landscape

Search HireTigers and other online resources.

If you are looking for a job, many deadlines are in the early fall. Be sure to search HireTigers for on-campus interviews frequently. Also, make use of the wide variety of general job search and industry-specific resources available on our site.

Meet with potential employers at Meetups and information sessions.

Gain a competitive advantage by meeting as many employer representatives as possible. Personal connections can go a long way.

Consider How You Market Yourself

Practice telling your story.

At this stage, all of the hard work you have done to date should be crafted into a concise, compelling story that you can share with potential employers. Make an appointment with us early in the year for help developing this narrative, sometimes referred to as an elevator pitch. It will be an important tool when it comes time to interview for positions.

Practice your interview skills.

Sharpen those interview skills. We offer workshops on interviewing, and you can even schedule a mock interview session with a career counselor or employer (when available).

Manage your online image.

When using social media or other online networking tools, your online persona will shape others’ opinions and perceptions of you — personally and professionally. Search for yourself online and see what comes up. Delete anything negative that you have control over, and think of the long-term ramifications when sharing new information online.

Create a LinkedIn profile, if you haven’t.

LinkedIn is a major networking and job-search tool, and can connect you with professionals and organizations. Don’t know where to start? Your profile is similar to your resume, so you can use that as a guide.

Cultivate your online brand.

Be strategic about what and where you post to showcase your knowledge, abilities and accomplishments — further cultivating your online brand. Develop an online portfolio of your projects and achievements and have all profiles link to it. Follow organizations and thought leaders in the field to keep up on trends and participate in social media conversations via comments on blogs or posts.

Make Career Connections

Network with alumni and other professionals.

Networking is the number-one way to land a job. Whether you have made contacts over the past three years or are just starting, now is the time to share post-graduation goals with as many individuals as possible. This includes alumni, faculty, friends, family and others. The more people who know what you are looking for, the better your chances are of finding opportunities.

Attend our education programs and events.

Check out our events calendar for workshops, alumni guest speakers and panels and networking events. Note that we offer a variety of special programs for seniors in early fall.