The first week of my final semester is complete, and the job search is now in full swing. For those of you following me in my journey to the job market, updates have definitely been lacking; however, that doesn’t mean I haven’t been busy.
Over the past few weeks, I have focused on talking with as many of my prior contacts and employers as possible. I provided those contacts with an update on my progress as a student, and asked them to keep me in mind should they come across any positions that might suit my skills. I feel that keeping relationships strong following the completion of an internship is especially important since these are the people who might introduce me to a firm or contact within a firm that may interest me as a prospective employer. Previous contacts from internships are also a great source of information in that they can provide feedback and advice based upon their own experiences as well as defining what employers are actually looking for when they fill a position. Thus, I again stress the importance of seeking out internships as an undergraduate—they are more than resume builders.
I have been lucky in that I traveled around the state before school began, giving me the opportunity to see my former employer in person. If you are unable to meet with your internship contacts, send them an email with a short update about yourself and attach a copy of your resume. Ask them to keep you in mind and welcome any advice they may have for you; every little bit counts and you never know if an opportunity may present itself to you.
On a slightly different note, I was approached by a fellow classmate the other day in regard to starting a finance-related blog. Several other finance students have contacted me about their blog sites. The number of students currently trying to gain exposure through the Internet surprised me, but also encouraged me in that my blog is a good idea. I have since added my experience with this site to my resume, and included my contributor position with SeekingAlpha.com as well.
From what I have heard through talking with individuals at different levels of the hiring process, the writing ability of a potential employee is extremely important. Having a professional website that posts ideas and views in a way that spurs discussion is a definite pro to employers. My advice is to invite potential employers to your site to read over your articles and allow them to decide for themselves, regardless of your individual viewpoints or conclusions, the overall strength of your writing ability and research capabilities.
As for my actual job search, I am currently looking at a few jobs that would be complimentary to my skills as well as provide a challenge for me to exceed overall expectations. I am setting the bar high on my job search because I am confident that I could be an ideal candidate for an investment related job and would like to start at that level. Although this may limit the possibilities and require a lot more work on my behalf, I feel that it will be a rewarding adventure should I achieve this goal. I will be sending out my resume to a few employers this week, and I hope to provide an update next week as to the progress with additional details such as a job application scorecard.
I plan to keep readers posted as the search increases in intensity. I would also like to thank all readers for their support so far in the process; I hope to have a positive outcome to write about in the near future!
Time Remaining: 3 Months, 13 Days or 104 Days as of September 3, 2007
