How do I Actually Find a Job?

By Kelly Martin, Toppel Peer Advisor 

As a peer advisor, we have tons of students that come in on a daily basis looking for help with their resumes and cover letters, but one question that I seem to get a lot that’s more difficult to answer than questions about resume formatting or how to address a cover letter: how do I find a job/internship?

Often, as soon as I am done working with a student on their document, they then ask me, “now how do I find a job?” With resumes and cover letters, while the content will vary from person to person and job to job, there’s a basic template to follow. With a job search, there are many ways to approach it. So here are some of my observations from personal experience and from watching friends and other students that are on the hunt for jobs or internships.

First, the way you go about searching for a job could be very different from one field to another. As a student in the marine science school, the internships I’ve found have been completely from doing my own research—running a lot of Google searches, varying my keywords, and looking through the websites of as many organizations as I can. I also made a list of multiple organizations that I knew of already and went to their websites to specifically search for a “careers” or “internships” page. However, a business student could probably find job or internship opportunities in their field fairly easily through Toppel and other job websites.  So do some research on your field and figure out what might be the best way to approach your search.

While some things may change depending on your major or field of interest, one thing that will help any person looking for a job: connections. Connections are great way to get an extra leg up in the application process, and may even make you aware of an opportunity you never would have thought of before. So ask your professors if they know of any internship opportunities, ask your friends and family if they know of anyone in your field who may be able to help you out, or even just give you advice. It can’t hurt to ask and you never know what doors may open!

Finally, utilize Toppel! We have an amazing staff here in our office, and there are tons of resources you can use to find a job. From industry panels and career fairs, to advisors assigned to your specific major and job postings on our website (HireACane.com), there are countless ways that Toppel can help you in your job search.

So get out there and show the working world how awesome ‘Canes are, and get some job and internship experience to add to your resume. Happy hunting!