With the beginning of the spring semester comes some relief for seniors getting ready to graduate in May — but also stress. NC State professionals give their advice on navigating the job hunt, interviewing and making big life changes.
Marcy Bullock, the director of professional development at the Career Development Center, recommends the center and its services for students looking for jobs or internships after graduation.
“I would suggest students looking for jobs or internships log into ePACK,” Bullock said. “This is a database that we offer where students can upload their resume, and employers seeking graduates for internships, co-ops and jobs can post their vacancies.”
Bullock said students should feel encouraged because the job market is good right now.
“I was telling [students] before they left for break that I had employers saying, ‘I don’t have enough students to apply for my job,’” Bullock said. “So the economy is really doing great for college grads, and I think ePACK is a wonderful place to start. I also recommend to students that they tap their own network of contacts, because you never know where someone that you are connected to, like a faculty member, an advisor for a club, a family member, your dentist, it’s just like everyone in your world, kind of knows other people.”
Bullock said the greatest trick applicants can use to make their application stand out is to figure out how to promote themselves.
“I think the key is really knowing what your strengths are and highlighting those in a very persuasive way, and researching what the employers’ needs are, and seeing where that fit is,” Bullock said. “So a lot of that is self-awareness and the ability to promote the things that you’ve done.”
When the time for interviewing comes around, Bullock encourages students to be prepared with knowledge and stories about themselves.
“I like to ask students: think of your top three stories,” Bullock said. “‘Wait, what do you mean, my stories?’ It means: what are the three things that happened to you in college that have shaped you the most? … And the interviewer wants to listen to your story. So liven it up, make it exciting and memorable.”
The Career Development Center provides many resources for students like resume workshopping, a podcast and video tutorials. Students can make appointments with career counselors here. CareerCON will be taking place March 27 and will be a great event for students to attend as well.
With many job applications also comes the risk of rejection. If seniors are getting discouraged and stressed about post-graduation life, Shevaun Neupert, a professor of psychology, said continuing to focus on the present moment alongside a “little bit” of future-planning can help. Neupert encouraged students not to load too much onto their plate by planning too far in advance.
“If you know you’re graduating in May, maybe thinking about a date for yourself or like a range of dates for yourself when you might think about what kinds of employers you would start doing LinkedIn searches or Google searches [for]; how would you do that?” Neupert said. “Try to imagine what the first step in planning would be. But maybe don’t try to plan out every single possible step. Wait until you get that first step and see what makes sense after that.”
While some amounts of stress are normal when going through these transitions, Neupert said seeking professional help, like through the Counseling Center, is something students who are feeling more general feelings of hopelessness may want to consider.
“It’s understandable that people aren’t feeling happy, joyous all the time,” Neupert said. “Of course, this is a really hard thing. But we don’t want people to suffer. We want to make sure people are receiving the support and resources to get to a better place. So encourage people to use both those resources that are available on campus and off campus resources as well.”
When worried about the transition away from college life, Neupert said making a bucket list can be a great way for students to feel fulfilled as they leave college.
“We hear people talk about bucket lists, but that usually is for the end of their lifetime, but you could also have that kind of mentality for any entity that is approaching,” Neupert said. “‘After May of 2022, I will no longer live in Raleigh, North Carolina; what do I want to do in that time? Who do I want to hang out with? Who are the friends I want to spend the most time with?’ … This is a good time to make sure that you spend a lot of high quality time with really supportive people, to the extent that they’re available around you, and it’s safe to do so.”
Bullock said she wants seniors to remember that they have much to offer to employers and the world, and not to allow their own doubts to hold them back.
“I think people are their worst critics,” Bullock said. “I think seniors that I have interacted with are very hard on themselves. And I would say, think about what got you to here. Think about all the things you did that got you to this semester in college. … You have a pattern of succeeding.”
