Professional Advice For Soon-To-Be College Seniors

So you are going into your last year of college? It’s been a long and hopefully fun ride. But there might be some things you still need to do. So, coming from someone about to graduate who has technically been a senior for the past two years, here’s a little bit of advice:

 
If you haven’t done an internship yet, get one.
It doesn’t matter what your major is or what field you’re planning on going into. Any amount of experience will help. In fact, do more than one internship if you have the time for it. Internships.com is a useful site for finding one by the way.
 
Here’s something that I regret not doing: try to get an actual paying job in the field you want to go into (especially if you’ve already done an internship).
It doesn’t have to be full-time job. In fact, I’d recommend part-time for now. You need to leave time for your schoolwork and time to have fun. But once again, any experience can help with getting a job after you graduate.
 
If you haven’t done so already, meet lots of new people.
I’m not necessarily talking about meeting new friends (nothing wrong with that though of course). But it’s always good to meet new people. And college is a great place to do that (especially if you go to a large and diverse college like mine). This is a good way to learn new things and become more open-minded to different people and ideas. These new experiences and open-mindedness will serve you well in your professional career.
 
Take advantage of what your school gives you.
If you can print stuff for free, do it. If your school has a career center, get over there and find out the resources they offer. On top of the traditional services a career center might offer, some offer business cards, head shots, and resume guidance. If there’s a free networking event you want to go to, go to it if you have time. Chances are, you’re paying a lot of money to go to that school. So figure out exactly what that money goes towards to try to get as much bang for your buck as you possibly can.
 
Get letters of recommendation from professors
If you are tight with a few of your professors, ask them for letters of recommendation. Professors are some of the best people to speak about work ethic, academic feats, teamwork skills, etc. Their positive comments about you can legitimize you as you apply for your first jobs post-graduation.
 
Join Linkedin and connect with all your friends
Okay, LinkedIn isn’t as fun as Snapchat, but your network will become increasingly important as you grow in your future profession. Just wait, slowly down the road some of your friends will start to really excel in their careers and become great assets to you. Your college friends will likely be spread across the country and it’ll be comforting to know that if 5 years down the road you are looking to move to a new city, that you have been keeping track of where your friends are living and for whom they are working.