The Approach of Graduation Day

With our college graduation just two short weeks away everyone is starting to get antsy.  Whether they are sad about leaving or excited to start the next chapter of their lives, everyone is counting down the days.  Personally, I am dreading becoming an official adult.  I think this is because I dislike change and I am afraid of the unknown.  If I had a job set in stone waiting for me to graduate, then maybe I would be more excited; however, as of right now I don’t have a clue what my next step is going to be.  College has been my safety net for the past four years and now I actually have to join the real world.

One piece of advice that I need to keep in mind is that it is okay to not know what’s next.  I am the type of person who likes to have a plan, so it I find it scary that I have nothing set for after college yet.  Not having my life planned out for once could be exciting though! I just need to keep an open mind and stay positive.  This can be especially difficult when I hear my classmates announcing their future plans and I am just reminded that I still have none.  I also need to remember that there are no “shoulds”.  “I should have it all figured out.”  “I should get a job right out of school and get my own apartment.”  These are things that we tell ourselves we are supposed to do, but in reality if things don’t fall into place exactly how they “should”, everything will still be okay. Eventually everything will work out and everything will fall into place, it may just not happen as quickly or in the order that you expect.  But sometimes the best things in life happen unexpectedly!

The Job Search

This is a topic that I am currently struggling with.  I had hoped that by the time I was about to graduate I would have a job set in stone; however, that is not the case.  I have applied to about 20 jobs as of right now and have only gotten called back from three of them.  At this point, I probably should have applied to about double that number, but I became discouraged.  Two of the callbacks I had interviews with over spring break; the other said they needed someone immediately.  I was offered one job, but I denied it, and was asked for a second interview by the other.  I know a beggar can’t be a chooser, but the job I turned down didn’t seem like a good fit for me.  I have come up with a list that I hope works for me, as well as others that are also in my situation.

1. Using advanced search options saves time. This will narrow down the millions of jobs that are available to maybe a hundred that you might actually be interested in, saving you a lot of unnecessary reading and time.
2. Only apply to jobs that you are actually interested in. There is no point in applying to jobs that you don’t actually plan on taking, it is a waste of your time.
3. Always be yourself. You want the job you accept to be a good fit for you and you will only find that job by being yourself.
4. Don’t stop applying for jobs. (A tip that I should have followed!)  Job listings change every day and you don’t want to possibly miss the one that could be perfect for you!
5. You should write a cover letter specific to each job application. The employer will notice the extra effort and allow you to cater to the job’s preferences that will ultimately appeal to the employer.
6. You should tailor your resume to the job- you don’t need to include all your experiences on your resume. A resume should not be multiple pages long.  Leave off the less important skills and just talk about at the interview.
7. Dress for the job you want. It is important to dress how you would dress if you were to get the job.
8. Share a relevant story during a job interview that depicts your experiences and skills. This is a perfect way to show the employer what you are actually like and demonstrate your great attributes by explaining how you have handled a situation.
9. Do not speak poorly of a previous employer. This only reflects poorly on you and makes future employers nervous that you will do the same to them eventually.
10. Networking is key. The people around you have more connections than you realize.  You never know who could help you get your next job.
11. Select your references carefully- they can make or break you. Chances are that the employer will reach out to them and the more they can say about you the better.

Parking Problems

We all know that parking on this campus is nearly impossible, especially when parking lots are suddenly replaced with fountains.  When I lived off campus my sophomore year, it was a struggle for me to get to class on time because I never took into account how long it would take to find a parking spot and then walk to class.  I learned pretty quickly the best tricks in order to avoid parking problems.

In general, you need to make sure that you have all the required campus parking permits and know the locations of all of the available parking lots.  There are many 30-minute, faculty, and reserved spots that have specialty rules that you need to be aware of.  Be sure to read the signs carefully before leaving your car parked in the space all day, or you may be ticketed.

If you live off campus like I did, the best advice I have is to leave your house early.  The earlier you get to campus, the more likely you are to get a spot.  Since all classes start at the same time on certain days, arriving to campus just 15 minutes earlier gives you a leg up because the rush of the masses to find a space before class hasn’t happened yet.

The best way to avoid the parking mayhem is to simply not drive at all.  Make use public transportation whenever possible.   Our campus makes this easy by providing us with a trolley system that makes stops all over campus every 20 minutes or so.  Personally, I didn’t like the trolley system because I didn’t like abiding by the times that it came to my stop.  One way that I got around driving however, was to carpool with my friends who lived near me and had class at the same time that I did.  We would alternate who drove every other day to make it fair.

It is also important to realize when the parking lots are most likely to be full, such as around lunch or dinner time or peak class times.  This is useful information for you to know so that you can plan to do your other non-class related activities during this time, such as going to the gym or visiting friends.  Most importantly, be patient.  Parking spots will open up eventually.  You may just have to drive around campus three or four times before finding one.