Get a Job

As much as I like to pretend that nothing stresses me out, balancing classes, my internship, job searching, being president of Twin Pines Cooperative, and trying to have a social life my last semester of college is proving to be a challenging balancing act. With so many things that seem so pressing, it’s easy to let job-searching sort of slip to the bottom of the list. This is especially true when I spend countless hours sending out resumes to no avail.  Every time my parents ask me how it’s going I feel like Charlie from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia yelling “Oh, get a job? Just get a job? Why don’t I strap on my job helmet and squeeze down into a job cannon and fire off into job land, where jobs grow on little jobbies?!” It certainly hasn’t been an easy task.

But the truth is companies are actually hiring. Now. Apply now. If there’s anything that you take out of this blog, let it be that piece of advice. Companies go through what’s called ‘hiring cycles’ where they typically conduct more interviews and take more new people on to the team. For many companies, this happens in the fall. If you wait to apply until the spring, you’re already behind. Take the time to sit down now (even over the long weekend, maybe?) and think about what you want from a company: large or small, relaxed or strict corporate cultures, location, etc. Once you have an idea of the kind of company where you want to apply, start doing your research. Jobs are posted daily on LinkedIn, and the LACD Pinterest (@LiberalArts CareerDevelopment) has an entire board for job seeking websites. Use all of the resources provided to you by being a Purdue student.

Whatever you do, don’t procrastinate. Just take a few hours a week to make sure you’re researching enough to keep your bases covered. It would be terrible to miss out on your dream job just because you didn’t send your resume early enough in the fall and missed their hiring cycle. Miss this week’s episode of The Real World, and start applying for jobs in the real world. You won’t regret it!