You’ve researched industries and roles, assessed your short-term and long-term goals, prepared your brand materials, and you’re ready to go! Now what?
While there are some variations, depending on your individual interests and background, most job searches will follow this general pattern:
1. (More!) Company / Industry Research
- For the companies you’re already aware of, start attending info sessions, looking at websites, job listings, and other publicly available materials.
- Expand your target company list within the industry beyond what “everyone knows”.
- Research parallel paths for the short-term that will also get you to your long-term goals.
2. Deepen Connections
- Build a target contact list to start making connections in companies / industries of interest.
- These shouldn’t all be contacts directly related to immediate open roles / target companies. Think about who will make a valuable long-term connection in areas of interest and/or give you the best perspective on possible career paths.
- Schedule informational interviews with target contacts; attend conferences / industry events to expand networks.
- Use a tracker to keep an eye on who you have reach out to/when and who you want to reach out to or follow up with. Here is a sample tracker you can use.
3. Apply
- Find roles that meet your values criteria and keep track of deadlines / application materials needed. Don’t forget to keep an eye out in CMS and other job boards for unexpected opportunities.
- Apply as soon as you are ready. Many recruiters review applicants on a rolling basis, but even when there is one set deadline, be sure to give yourself enough time to get your materials fully prepared and double-checked and to ensure you have no technology issues in applying.
4. Consider Offers and/or Take a Break and Restart your Process
- If you get an offer at this point and want to take it: congratulations! (Make sure you report your offer in CMS).
- But, there are many reasons why students get an offer and choose not to take it or don’t get an offer and refresh a parallel path. The important things to remember are:
- Don’t panic – you will get there. Sometimes touching base with other students / recent alumni who went through the same thing can help normalize your experience.
- Take a break, even if just for a day, to clear your mind and refresh yourself.
- Take time to rethink your goals and take advantage of CDO Coaches as sounding boards for new ideas.
