Getting Started: Three Steps to Career Success
Making the transition from student to professional can be both exciting and challenging.
Not sure where to start? Check out the Career Development 4-Year Plan to find recommendations for your stage in the career development process!
What Can The Career Development Center Do For You?
Below are the basic steps of the job search process for any college student:
Step 1: Develop a draft of your resume.
Is this your first resume? Be sure to attend one of our Resume Workshops to get you on the right track!
First, make a list of your relevant accomplishments.
Second, take a look at these sample resumes from The Career Development Center:
Sample Resume for Non-Teachers
Sample Resume for Teachers
Third, write your resume using the samples as a guide.
- Include action-oriented bullet points under your work experience to highlight your skills for employers.
- Start each bullet point with a verb/action word.
For help with bullet points, see the following:Visit The Career Development Center for a resume review.
What Employers Look for When Hiring (a list of skills to include in your bullet points)
Action Words
The Magic Bullet
Step 2: Search for job and internship openings.
Once your resume is ready, post it on DragonCareers, online job search engine.
Prepare a Cover Letter that highlights your experience and skills. For assistance, see these samples:
Writing Letters of Application & Inquiry (Cover letters)
Cover Letter Sample
Attend one of our Fairs & Events and get a chance to interact with employers.
Tri-College Career and Internship Fair-Fall
Minnesota State Universities Job and Internship Fair-Spring
Planning to attend a fair? Be sure to attend our Prepare for the Fair Workshop. Also see our Making the Most of the Fair handout.
Want a job in the area? See our Local/Tri-State opportunities page.
For more search options, check out our Job search links by major page.
Visit The Career Development Center to ensure your resume and cover letter are well tailored to specific jobs.
Step 3: Prepare for an interview.
You have an interview! Congratulations! Successful interviews are a result of strong preparation and practice. To help you, The Career Development Center provides the following tools. You can:
Set up an account with InterviewStream to practice interviewing from home using your own webcam!
Attend the Interview Workshop to get information on what employers are expecting. The workshop will cover:
- What to do before, during and after an interview.
- Why every student should know about Behavioral Interviewing and be prepared to provide examples as part of their answers during an interview.
- Sample interview questions.
- Writing Thank You letters.