A Time-frame
Finding a job is a job - and you can never start too early. If you are to succeed, you need a PLAN: you need to know who is hiring, what it is that these businesses, non-profit institutions, and graduate schools are looking for in college graduates, and you need to possess some of the skills which are in demand. Fortunately there are many resources available to help with the process and familiarizing yourself with the resources available to you on campus is a good start. One of the best places to go for career information and for assistance in developing a career plan is career services where you can get some help exploring different fields of interest and find information on the skills you will need in these careers. In fact URI's Career Services have put together on-line the outlines of a four-year Planning For Success strategy. A variation on that 4-step process is outlined below.Step One: Explore
Before you decide on a career, it might be useful to do some research on what kind of jobs are out there and what the prospects are for those jobs. A good place to start would be to identify the campus resources that are available to you. This search might start with your advisor or at Career Services where you can talk with a career advisor, use a computer program or the Career Key to help you learn about yourself and careers, or browse through the Career Services library to read about different majors and careers. For those interested in exploring career options in economics you should talk to Carole Miller, the Economics Department's University College Advisor and check out Career Opportunities for economists. You can do a web search on possible areas that you may find interesting by using such search engines as Infoseek, Lycos, Yahoo, AltaVista, or Excite.
When you have finished the year you should make a first pass at writing a resume. If you are like most students it will not be pretty, but it will give you a base-line for comparison. You should be sure to find some people to review it and provide you with some honest feedback. You also may want to explore some of the many "HOW-TO" guides to resume writing which can be found in Career services, the reference section of the library, or on-line. A few place which you might want to check out would be:
Step Two: Build
It is now time to do some serious resume building. This is when you are likely to choose a major and select courses to fulfill your general education requirements. Think carefully about these choices and be sure to get input from a number of sources - friends, family, career advisors and professors. It is also a time to think about internship opportunities which will provide you with valuable experience in that "real" world you will be entering upon graduation. You should talk to someone at the University Year for Action (UYA) office or talk to Richard McIntyre who is the Economics Department's Director of Internships about possibilities for Department sponsored internships (link to department internship web site). You may also want to check out some on-line sources:
When the year is over it will be time for that second pass at a resume which may now have your major and a few of the basic skills.
Step Three: Focus
It is now time to begin the process of refining the skills that will be important after graduation. A number of the important skills will depend upon your particular career goals, but there are some skills that span most careers. You should talk with other students and your advisors about individual courses and instructors where you will get the specialized skills and where you will get some good practice with the three C's- Computer, Communication, and Critical Thinking skills. It is also time to consider studying abroad and doing that internship. When you are done your resume should have some additional skills and some experience.
Step Four: Search
It is now time to pull things together and prepare in earnest for graduate school or the job market. Your resume should be nearing its final form and be sure to pass it by some people before you send it out. You should also consider Career Services Orientation to Campus Interviewing which takes place in mid-September and is a prerequisite for participation in on-campus interviews from September to May. Even if you are not sure, sign up for some interviews because interviewing is a skill which improves with practice. You might want to check out some on-line advice for interviews and the job negotiations that will follow successful interviews.
One thing you may want to do in your negotiation is is calculate the "real" value of any offer with an on-line program that will adjust any salary based on the cost of living in 100 cities.
You also need to work on your cover letter and begin doing some homework on the companies / industries which you will searching. It is a time to think seriously about who you know and how they can help in the process so keep discussing career opportunities and network with recruiters, faculty, administrators, career advisors, family, friends, friends of friends.... On campus you may want to use the Career Services Telephone JobsLine and other Career Library resources for additional job listings and employer information or you may go on-line. There are numerous sites online that can help you find a job anywhere in the country, and perhaps even internationally. Here are a few: