Students: Want a Job Next Summer?

It's not too soon to begin a summer job hunt. Here are seven things to start doing now to make sure you start collecting a paycheck when school lets out.
By Anne Fisher, Fortune, 12/03/03.

Friends, it never fails: Each April and May, I get a fair number of frantic e-mails from college students who have just started looking for a summer job—and guess what? By that time of year, all the good jobs have long since been snatched up by early-bird candidates. Notes Brad Karsh, founder and president of JobBound (http://www.jobbound.com), a site that offers resume counseling and other services to job-hunting students and new grads: "Invariably, what separates successful job-hunting students from the unsuccessful ones is what they do right now, in the fall and winter." So, in hopes of heading off a few of those panicky last-minute searches, here's Karsh's seven-part prescription for making sure you start collecting a paycheck when school lets out:

1. Network, network, network. "The single best way to get a job is to know somebody," Karsh says. "Sure, it should be based on merit alone, but unfortunately that isn't how it works." He recommends tapping into your school's old-boys'-and-girls' network by getting in touch with grads whose achievements are highlighted in alumni newsletters: "Introduce yourself, congratulate them on whatever it was that got them mentioned, and let the conversation—and the relationship—begin." Don't overlook your parents' or older siblings' friends or relatives, either. Going home for the holidays? Ask around about summer jobs they might know of.

2. Put your resume in order. "Since this one piece of paper determines more than anything else your ability to get the job you want, it had better be good," says Karsh. "Focus on your achievements, not just on job descriptions. Most students don't sell themselves effectively because they simply list the duties and activities that everyone who has ever had the job has done." If what's written on your resume could have just as well have been written by the person who had the job before you, after you, or next to you, then you probably haven't done yourself justice.

3. Get involved. "There's still time to get a few last-minute entries on your resume," says Karsh. "Join a club or volunteer for a charity, and do it in a big way. Try to get a leadership position whenever possible. 'Member of the finance club' is fine, but 'president of the finance club' is a whole lot better." Note to seniors: Make sure everything on your resume is from college. As Karsh puts it, "No one cares anymore that you were captain of your high-school wrestling team."

4. Be professional. Says Karsh, "No recruiter or job interviewer wants to call you and get a voicemail greeting like, 'Yo dude, the K-man is rockin' hard, so leave your digits and I'll rap on your bad ass when I can.' Nor do they want to send e-mails to, say, puppylover@yahoo.com or studmuffin@earthlink.net. Now is a good time to find new ways to express your individuality." How true.

5. Start paying attention to trade magazines. "Every industry has publications targeted specifically at people in that field, and your career center or your professors can steer you to the right ones," says Karsh. "In addition to learning more about the industry, you can find possible job openings this way. For instance, if you read that XYZ Consulting just won a huge contract, chances are they may be staffing up."

6. Research job openings and internships. "Look for companies that really interest you. Comb through their websites," Karsh says. "Some companies are beginning right now to accept applications for summer internships." Don't get left out in the cold.

7. Be persistent, but not a stalker. "It's important to remember that hundreds of people may be applying for the same job, and hiring managers can't always get back to every applicant," Karsh notes. "If you mail and e-mail your resume, then follow up with a call and still hear nothing, shoot them another e-mail. Then wait a couple of weeks to e-mail again. Try to be clever in the e-mails to grab their attention but, if you still hear nothing, move on. Nobody wants to hire a stalker."