Four things you should do before you join the real world - Essay Example

Four Things You Should Do Before You Join the Real World The text ‘Getting from College to Career’ lists ninety things that one should do before graduating from college. Recently I chose four of these activities and carried them out. As you will read the four activities are interrelated in that they require me to improve my networking skills. I chose these activities because recently I have become aware of the importance of securing a job outside of college. The recent recession has created a competitive work environment, such that if I want to attain a professional position I will need to make contacts through improving me networking skills. 28. Talk. Listen. Repeat.

This step refers to talking to other people, listening what they have to say, and then repeating the process. Specifically, this is referring to the importance of continually investigating the types of professions other people are involve in and being inquisitive about discovering information. I performed this step by discussing career prospects with my classmates. In this way I asked where they work, where they plan on working, and if they have participated in any specific forms of internships.

Through performing this step I learned a significant amount about the career goals of the people around me, as well as their strategies for pursuing these goals. Additionally I came to discover that a career fair would be held in my area of professional interest. 29. Be Able to Introduce YourselfThe next step was being able to introduce myself. I recognize this did not merely entail saying hello to someone. Instead it requires me to introduce myself in a way that gives a strong impression and aids me in my quest for a job.

For a period I considered what would make a good impression and then practiced these skills with classmates. Specifically I worked on maintaining eye contact and presenting a confident disposition. 30. Network with your Neighbors The next step was to network with my neighbors. While I regularly talk with my neighbors and classmates I have not always made a concerted effort to ‘network’ with them. With my increased focus on networking, however, I set about changing this. In these regards I made an effort to add all of my neighbors to my Facebook page.

Additionally I started a LinkedIn page and added my neighbors. I came to recognize the importance of developing a professional presence through these networking efforts; subsequently I changed my Facebook profile and worked to find more professional pictures. 32. Make the Most of Informal InterviewsThe final step I participated in was to ‘make the most of informal interviews’. I got a good chance to practice this skill at the career fair for my major. During this career fair I talked to many companies.

While I knew going in that I still had college to complete, I used the discussions I had with these individuals to gain insights about the types of skills they were hiring. Additionally I used the discussions as interview practice.