Working during college is not easy but it allows the future specialists to increase the chances of further career growth in a certain area. Modern students are looking for work to acquire some financial independence and experience. On the one hand, combining work and study requires a high-speed life rhythm, in which it is sometimes necessary to sacrifice entertainment, hobbies and even relationship. On the other hand, it grants the possibility to earn additional money that can improve the quality of life, and gain invaluable experience in the chosen direction. Thus, students should not delay their employment, but seek to combine it with the study.
If you choose to study and work at the same time, you will have to adjust to difficult life circumstances, to make some sacrifices and compromises. But if you manage with this task, it will characterize you as a serious and independent person. Certainly, you will periodically have difficulties. If you want to minimize them, you must:
● Talk with teachers/professors about the possibility of combining work and study.
● Maintain friendly relations with classmates, to keep you aware of the latest news that occurs in your college.
● Be sure to make contacts with the students of senior courses. They can give you their notes with lectures or test papers.
Best Time to Start Applying for Jobs
Every day dozens of college students are looking for work that will allow them not only to earn some money and become more independent, but also gain invaluable experience, and supplement their CV with new skills, fulfilled tasks and achievements. Such students have more chances to succeed in building a career, as they are able to correctly allocate time and work in a multitasking mode.
It is recommended, to start looking for work as early as possible. The earlier you begin to gain experience, the faster you will find a prestigious job after receiving a diploma. Thus, the best time to go job hunting is the first year of college. A graduate with 2-3 years of experience looks like a more advantageous job applicant than his classmate without experience, even if the latter has higher grades. Another alternative example could be that if you are studying to become a nurse, you may want to register with a recruitment agency like Day Webster for a headstart with future job opportunities.
Considering when to start applying for jobs before graduation, you need to first determine your own motivation for employment. Will it be work to gain money or work to gain experience for the future profession? Ideally, the job you get should be similar to the future specialty, to help you master the profession more quickly, and ensure rapid growth of your career. But if the money is what you need first, then it can be any work that meets the young people’s salary expectations. For example, it can be the position of the office worker or administrative staff, suggesting a flexible work schedule, various entry positions in the service sector, or work on temporary projects. Also, you can work as a part-time sales consultant to hone communicating skills, learn more about quality service. You can also work as a temporary secretary or an assistant, learn to work in a corporate structure, and decide which department/directions you want to develop in the future. It would be a good start to a conscious career.
But if at the initial stage of training you can choose any place that you can meet the requirements for, then after 2-3 years of mastering the specialty, you need to pay attention to jobs similar to what you plan to link your life with. However, in this case, you need to be prepared for the fact that the payment of such internships, as a rule, is low. And yet such work provides an opportunity to acquire the necessary professional skills and experience, and perhaps even receive an invitation to a prestigious job after the college.
Cover Letter
If the feedback on your resume is too long, then you are not interesting and you need to correct it urgently. You can analyze the errors and redo the presentation yourself, or you can contact the specialists on the cover letter service.
The rules of business etiquette require writing a cover letter. A cover letter is a written document submitted with a CV, explaining the applicant’s authority and interest in the vacancy. Since a cover letter is often one of two documents sent to a potential employer, a good or poorly written letter may affect whether the applicant is called for an interview.
The cover letter is rarely attached to the resume. Although this is a good way to establish contact with the employer, to interest him and show your individuality. It is also a good way to show your interest in a position, to convince an employer to invite you to an interview and generally to increase the likelihood of a positive decision.
First of all, a cover letter is a document. And like any document, it has its own rules of compilation.
Length
Try to write about ten sentences, dividing them into several paragraphs. Your goal is to attract the attention of the employer, to interest him. In order to achieve this, the cover letter should be grammatically correct and brief. The size of the letter should not exceed half the page. The letter should clearly and concisely formulate your best qualities and what you can offer the company.
Read Also: Qualities to Look for in a New Hire
Content
A cover letter should not duplicate a resume but contain useful additions. Show your awareness about the company’s work, explain why you want to work for it, and how can you contribute to its development. If you are formally short of work experience, for instance, if three years of work experience are indicated in the vacancy, and you worked on this or similar position for only two, then the cover letter is a great way to prove that you have enough experience to manage with the duties. If there is some negative factor in the resume, then it’s better to start with it.
Language and Style
Use business style in the letter. No jargon, smiles and other things. But also, it is not necessary to use difficult professional terms, after all the hr manager hardly knows all subtleties of your trade. You can always show your professionalism at the interview. Do not forget to thank the addressee in the end.
The Final Word
Of course, the cover letter is not the key to success. But in conjunction with the resume, good self-presentation, interview and other factors, your chances to get a job will increase significantly. Do not be afraid to use the opportunities to get additional skills and knowledge. And then, by the final year of college, you will be at least a good specialist, and, in the best case scenario, a person with good work and a higher salary than graduates without any experience.
1 Comment
Great post.