| Over the past 20 years, I must have heard this | | | | your attraction? |
| phrase come out of the mouths of college | | | | Some of the criteria you used to determine which |
| students and soon-to-be graduates a thousand | | | | school to attend are the very same criteria you |
| times. So many think they should have a clear | | | | can use to find your first position. |
| career plan before they begin interviewing, but | | | | Do you want to be a big fish in a smaller pond or |
| very few do. And that's just fine. | | | | work for a worldwide corporation? There are |
| As a college student or recent grad, you hold a | | | | many benefits to both. Explore them by |
| unique position in the world of employment. You | | | | interviewing for information. Find people you know |
| have the luxury of exploring opportunities without | | | | in positions that may interest you. Meet with |
| having to exhibit a mastery of any, particular, | | | | them right in their workplace and make an effort |
| relevant skill or experience. Prospective employers | | | | to observe everything. Notice how they're |
| all realize that students have had limited | | | | treated and treat others. It doesn't matter if they |
| opportunity to build many hard skills in technology, | | | | have a ping-pong table in the break room if no |
| business, science or psychology. That's why we're | | | | one seems to play well with others. What was |
| interested in you! Companies are looking for the | | | | this persons career path? Did they follow a ladder |
| opportunity to train and grow individuals within | | | | moving up one set of skills? Or did they change |
| their organization who can adapt without | | | | roles, responsibilities and functions? How much |
| overcoming preconceived ideas or experiences. In | | | | impact do they feel they have on the outcome |
| other words, candidates who don't need to be | | | | of what they do? On what their company does? |
| untrained or de-programmed in order to acclimate | | | | When you think about it, you probably already |
| to their new company. | | | | know more than you first thought about where |
| The single most important thing you can do do to | | | | you would like to spend 40 hours of your week. |
| discover the right career is to simply determine | | | | And one more thought: I find that students are |
| what's important to you: | | | | often far too worried about being liked by a |
| How would you like to be treated? | | | | company when, in truth, the companies have |
| Would you rather be formally trained or released | | | | much more to lose by being disliked by potential |
| to find your own way? | | | | candidates. |
| Do you relish the idea of assigned mentors? Or | | | | Once you determine the answers to these first |
| would you prefer the informal mentorships you | | | | few questions, your search for the right |
| have always known? | | | | opportunity will begin to narrow. |
| Does a company's social responsibility influence | | | | |
