One of the biggest reasons that people decide to pursue higher education is to land their dream job after school. Everyone’s paths are different, yet the general sentiment is that education is needed to succeed. While there are many forms this can take, the path I have chosen is the university route. One of the most impactful things that Princeton has done for me, both directly and indirectly, is helping me in my professional journey.
Princeton is amazing for a variety of reasons, which many of my friends/colleagues/peers have written blogs about (hint: check them out!). I wanted to take this time to talk about the resources that help with the pre-professional ambitions of Princetonians. The Center for Career Development is, as the name suggests, the hub for all things helping students with employment. Some of the resources that I have used include resume templates and workshops, interview consultation and practice, coffee chats, networking events, and most importantly, the Fall HireTigers Career Fair. There are a slew of other resources and offerings, so I highly recommend checking out their website.
I was inspired to talk about this after attending this semester's career fair today (9/13/24), because I saw a bunch of first-year students putting themselves out there and trying to learn more. I remembered what it was like two years ago, walking into Dillon Gym and knowing nothing. I am still on my journey, but I have learned a lot along the way. Some of the most important things that I’ve learned are as follows:
- Have a polished and professional resume
- Make sure your LinkedIn and Handshake are up to date
- Network, network, network (especially with alumni)
- Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Genuine curiosity takes you a long way
- Be more interested than interesting
- Start early
Of course there are other bits of information or best practices, but generally these are the ones that I think about the most. Making sure to be professional and personable are really important since you can have all the qualifications, but if you can’t be ‘human’ you may fall short. These tips helped me land an internship with Atento Capital this past summer, a company that I learned about after attending last year’s career fair. I am interested in finance and consulting so I always aim to chat with companies in those industries, but with 75+ companies represented at the fair, there is truly something for everyone. I encourage you to explore any opportunities because you never know how things will turn out.
I hope you learned something and I wish you the best of luck looking for a job/internship!