Baby Steps to Your Dream Job

Drawing up a plan ahead of time is key to hitting the ground running when applying for jobs after graduation.

When you try to craf a dozen well-thought-out applicatons for prospectve employers while also submitng assignments on tme, do you fnd yourself all over the place?

It’s not surprising if you do. But while balancing your tme in school and planning ahead for your career isn’t easy, it’s not impossible to achieve.

So instead of running everywhere all at once, start with a solid plan of acton – though you’ll stll need to put in the efort to follow through – to beter manage your tme and priorites to reach your goals.

Here are some things you should put into your acton plan to beter prepare yourself when it comes to creatng job applicatons! STEP 1

Prepare an “All-About-Me” document

This is a simple, useful document that holds informaton about you. The concept’s more like an idea bank – a place you can revisit afer crafing your resume and cover leters. Even beter, there’s no need to kick up a fuss about making this document pleasing to the eye – it’s for your reference only. You can even keep it unformated if you like!

Here are some things you should jot down on this document: • Your skills, both technical and sof • Your qualifcatons and grades • Your experiences (both professional and extracurricular) • Your school and/or personal projects • Your career goals • Any other skills and courses taken up • Your volunteer experience, if any

It’s best to review this document every few weeks to keep your details up-to-date.

How do I use it? For a basic applicaton template: • Add in your qualifcatons, grades and work experience For customised applicatons: • Add in experiences that are relevant to the job applied • Emphasise the points in your document that will highlight your strengths STEP 2 Update often

Never stop polishing your various forms of writen applicatons so you won’t be lef panicking when the tme comes to submit them. Although many ofen leave applicatons to the last minute, if you rush through, you’re not very likely to shine!

If you have 10 minutes:

• Make a priority list • Read over your All-About-Me document; you may have something new to add

If you have 20 minutes:

• Update your resume with your All-

About-Me document right next to you • Proofread and fne-tune an existng applicaton if you have already started on one • Start with employer research, which will not only be useful at the applicaton stage, but will also help later when you get called in for an interview. Take note that it is reasonable enough to start with employers who provide the most informaton about themselves

If you have 30 minutes:

• Draf a cover leter, but try not to copy a generic template – employers can spot these leters a mile away. Write a new one for each positon, and your applicaton will be received positvely • Take tme to read up about your chosen career sector in the news. Understanding more about the industry will help you get the hang of tailoring your applicatons to ft a desired positon • Use the tme to thoroughly proofread your resume as well

If you have an hour:

• Visit your career services centre and atend a session with your advisor that can help you increase your employability • Begin an applicaton from scratch. If you do not have the tme to fnish it, save it to complete later. Avoid trying to rush through it as you’ll be more prone to making mistakes or leaving out something important STEP 3 Be positive and keep applying

Remain upbeat when applying for jobs as you stand a very high chance of facing rejecton – you aren’t the only one applying! Do your best in any interview session, and remember there’s no need to feel disappointed if it isn’t followed by a leter of ofer.

Keep in mind that at the end of the day, you’ll be able to get a job that’ll suit your personality and skill set! STEP 4

Get a foot in

It can be frustratng if you don’t get an ofer leter from your desired company, but if another job in the same industry comes your way – perhaps from a company or for a positon you’re not partcularly enthusiastc about – what do you do? Gaining experience is defnitely high on the priority list, but at the same tme, nothing about the job might actually be your cup of tea.

One soluton to this is to take the ofer that comes your way. As difcult as it may sound, it’s not so bad when you realise that you’ll be able to pick up or hone skills.

For instance, if you’ve applied for a business development positon but end up getng a marketng role, grab it! You’ll not only pick up tech-savvy skills such as creatng online marketng brochures to sell a partcular product, but you’ll also have the opportunity to build your network, something which can come in useful later in your career.