What to think about when transitioning from a student to an employee

Ask yourself important questions

What do you want to do with your life? What experience do you hope to gain? Where do you want to live? What is your desired salary to live your idea of a quality life? What is your salary in your field? Part-time or full-time? Benefits? Want to travel? Promotional opportunity? What special skills do you have? Credentials? Special perks?

Resume proofread

Of course the first step in being a prospective employee is to have your resume ready. There are many outlines and also sample resumes online to get ideas. Each field may have their own style. For example, if you were applying for a professor position you would need a circum vitae with your teaching and research experiences, whereas as a medical social worker instead of your teaching or research experience, there is an emphasis on your work experience as a social worker. It is always a good idea to have peers, teachers, school counselors proofread your resume because it is easy for the writer to overlook errors.

Look through resources

The one great aspect of having internet is that there are many more resources easily available. This includes searching and finding jobs. There are popular online job search sites such as monster, LA Times careerbuilders, yahoo hot jobs, craigslist, and many many more. Furthermore, if the technology is not your style, there is still the Newspaper classifieds and community bulletin boards.

Acknowledge any fears or apprehensions

There are bound to be fears and apprehensions and the most important thing is to not deny that. I can fully attest to it. When I was first searching for a job, post-Master’s I was frightened and I didn’t even know it. Because I went straight from undergraduate school to graduate school and held some part-time jobs here and there I wasn’t familiar with what it really means to be employed. Couple that with my confusion of what I wanted to do and you get a frozen person. Through close friends, family, I realized that all I had known was being a student. I was used to it, it was easy, and I was comfortable. Many successful people including Donald Trump have said that the comfort zone is a red flag. I realized I had to get out because I wanted to be someone and I couldn’t being in the comfort zone.

You are your own competition

People will rattle your bones and make you feel inadequate, but you have to be confident so that you can market your true potential. Many have pressured me and questioned me about my job. Many have tried to see where I was applying, just so they could have a better job. This was part of what made it hard for me. Not only did I become more thick skinned, but realized, mostly through my boyfriend that I am my biggest competition. Who cares what everyone else is doing. Ultimately, I am the only person that can stop me.

Ask the right people for help when necessary

I talked about being frozen and it is a scary place to be. I knew I needed help but I don’t like asking for help. Sometimes you just have to. Fortunately I have great people around me that have woken me up. Of course my boyfriend, and also my bestfriend. She basically gave me the reality check of getting out there into the work world, make up a decision and stop wasting my potential. It was hard to hear but I am grateful. It was the push that I needed.

Be persistent

If you do not hear from any of the employers that you sent a resume too, inquire kindly as to the progress of your application. Sometimes they are too busy or other times they might not even think you care enough for this job, so unless clearly stated, I would inquire about the status. If they decline your application then the search continues for a better match.

Practice for the interview

Then comes the interview. Merely google searching sample interview questions can bring up thousands of hits. They are great tools in helping you think about what to say. It is also helpful to rehearse with someone by having them ask you questions. They can also provide feedback as to how clear you are, what are your mannerisms, etc.