Only a third of college students have a presence on LinkedIn, so you creating a LinkedIn profile is an easy way to stand out. It’s worth doing even if the profile is just a bare-bones list of your work experience, educational experience, extra-curricular activities – including awards or accolades – what you see as your skills, and a professional summary, including your career objective. You can build your skills/endorsements, groups and referrals as you go. Don’t be afraid to include service positions like waiting tables or babysitting; everybody starts somewhere, and they show you’re enterprising and responsible. As you grow and accumulate more work experience, you can delete jobs and add new ones. Once you’ve created your profile, it’s equally important to build your network of connections. Reach out to friends, family, professors, co-workers, mentors etc. Connect to as many people as you can!
A blog is a way to build your web presence in a positive way. It’s a demonstration of your initiative, passion and writing skills. It doesn’t have to be limited to your professional interests.
An internship can help you gain new skills and make new contacts at any point in your career. It can also help you narrow down your list of who you’d like to work for and what kind of work you’d like to do.
Family and friends are often cited as mentors, but unless these are contacts in the industry you want to work in, you need to branch out. Your ideal mentor is someone who is doing what you want to do. Do your research and send emails or LinkedIn messages to the people you find, asking if they will meet with you. It may seem like a long shot, but many adults perceive such an approach as impressive, and you only need one person to say yes.
Though this seems like the most obvious way to get career help, few students and recent graduates take advantage of these services. Services vary, but most offices can help you identify a career path, find opportunities in that industry, update your cover letter and resume, prepare for interviews, and connect you with employers and alumni who may have opportunities for you or know someone who does.
Most communities have opportunities for networking and professional development. These are typically industry based (i.e. Renewable Energy Vermont), identity-based (Greater Burlington Women’s Forum), values-based (i.e. Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility) or regionally based (Rutland Young Professionals). Your college or university may also have chapters of big professional groups. These groups can connect you to established professionals in your area of interest. All of these offer effective ways to make mentoring connections and form relationships that are likely to be helpful in the future.