Most schools have a career services department. These individuals are there to help you find jobs, help you with interviews, guide you on how to dress and critique your resume. It is a great resource, and you would be out of your mind not to use it, but you shouldn’t solely rely on it for your career search.
You should not expect career service professionals to do all the work for you, and you can’t blame them if you still don’t have a job six months after graduation. Here’s why:
They Give The Same Leads To Everyone
The career advisers at your school are not your personal career advisers. They are not there only for you. They are there to help everyone that goes to the school, and that means, giving everyone they work with the same job leads. It would be unfair not to share this information with other students just because they shared the opportunity to you. All students need to be treated fairly.
You Need To Learn How To Do Things On Your Own
How are you going to learn how to contact and converse with prospective employers if you let someone else do it? You can’t hide behind someone else your whole life. In your career, you’re going to learn how to send professional emails, how to talk respectfully on the phone, how to make arrangements and how to negotiate. Why not start the learning early on? In this case, if you mess up and make a mistake, you can at least explain that you are young and still learning.
You Look More Professional
It is impressive to receive an email or a phone call from the job seeker themselves instead of a career adviser or recruiter. It shows that you take initiative and that you have a strong interest in the position. It also shows that you know how to handle and do things for yourself.
So, how do you get started by yourself? Start with a job search.
Find your own leads, and then seek advice from your career adviser on how to move forward. Let them critique your resume, proofread your cover letter and corresponding emails, give you moral support and answer any questions you may have. Together, you can get that job!