Key Takeaways

• Set goals early: Identify personal, professional, and financial goals to stay focused and make smart decisions for the future.
• Try Forage: Virtual work experience program with real-world projects created by employers that provide practical skills for future careers.
• Build a network: Join clubs, attend career fairs, and reach out to alumni or professionals to build relationships with friends, co-workers, advisors, supervisors, and employers.
• Use Handshake: Online employment platform to find jobs, talk to employers, attend events, and seek career coaching advice.
• Attend career fairs: Exchange value with employers, ask the right questions, and nurture relationships for future opportunities.

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If you are a freshman at WSU, welcome to the family!

Besides classwork, which can often be challenging, you may find it difficult to know where to start in terms of preparing for your future career. Putting things off can stop you from making progress and give you a feeling of missing out.

Let’s put an end to procrastination!

In this article, we would like to share some amazing strategies and resources with you to help you advance your career and gain real-life experience.

What are your goals?

To prepare for the right career path, you must first identify your goals, set them, and then take action toward achieving them.

Many of us fail to develop a habit of setting goals early in our careers. Not setting goals can leave you feeling lost, unmotivated, and making poor decisions in the long term.

There are three important goals that you must set for yourself when choosing a career:

1. Personal goals: Your personal goals refer to the aspirations and goals you have for yourself, such as academic, physical, family, or hobbies. Examples of personal goals include getting healthier, learning a new skill or hobby, traveling to new places, and building stronger relationships with friends and family. Setting personal goals helps you maintain a balanced and fulfilling life, contributing to overall happiness and well-being.
2. Professional goals: Your professional goals are your hopes and dreams for your career, often related to the industry or field you want to work in. They may include specific job titles or positions, skills you want to learn, or projects you want to work on. Setting professional goals early in your career can help you stay focused and motivated, and make smart choices about which employers and organizations to pursue. This can also help you avoid feeling lost or unmotivated and set you on the path to achieving the career you want.
3. Financial goals: Your financial goals can include setting a target income or net worth, paying off debt, and planning for retirement. It’s important to think about both short-term and long-term financial goals when setting goals. Short-term financial goals could include building up an emergency fund or paying off high-interest debts, while long-term goals could include saving for retirement or investing in assets like real estate or stocks. By setting financial goals and working towards them, you can achieve financial stability and security in the future.

Knowing these three types of goals will help you focus your energy and make better decisions when choosing the right employers and organizations to meet your standards.

Forage – an incredible virtual work experience program for students

Forage is a virtual work experience program that gives students a career advantage with the world’s top companies.

By enrolling in this program, you will get 5–6 hours of experience completing real-world projects created by real-time employers.

These projects will give you a taste of what it’s like to work in the field and help you build practical skills that will benefit you in your future career.

Best of all, it’s FREE for WSU students! Check out the link for more information and to get started.

Link: https://ascc.wsu.edu/resources/forage/

Building a professional networks

Building a professional network is essential for your career success.

Your network is your asset. It includes friends, co-workers, advisors, supervisors, employers, organizations, and many others.

Start collecting contact information of people within your major field. They are great resources for finding job opportunities or even getting advice to help you get started.

Here are some actions you can take to build your network:

• Check out Handshake to find employers who are hiring. You can contact almost every employer on the platform.
• Start exchanging your resume for business cards at career fairs or any employment opportunities you have. Follow up with employers you’ve met to keep them engaged in your career journey.
• Join clubs and organizations related to your field of study to meet like-minded individuals and potential mentors.
• Don’t be afraid to reach out to alumni or professionals in your desired field for advice and guidance.

Handshake – #1 online employment platform for students and alumni

You can find jobs, on and off campus; you can talk to employers directly on the platform; you can find employment events near you or virtually; and you can also seek career coaching advice with us on Handshake.

Check out Handshake for more information and to get started.

Link: https://wsu.joinhandshake.com/stu

Networking like a professional at the career fair

It can be scary to network with people who have more experience than you and don’t even know who you are.

What should you say to them? What should you tell them? What should you not tell them?

All these things can distract you from having an engaging conversation with employers at the career fair or even virtual fair.

Networking doesn’t have to be that complicated. The ultimate goal of networking is to exchange value between you and the employer. It starts with the contact information so that you can nurture relationships with employers in the future.

Think about it: there are thousands of people at the career fair, and everything moves fast. Employers don’t have enough time to get to know you in person. Therefore, you must have the right strategy to make the most of your time.

Here’s a step-by-step strategy to get you started:

1. Have the right purpose: Your goal is to get the employer’s attention at the fair, have them know your name, and give you their business card.
2. Ask questions: You must learn to ask the right questions to employers to get the right answer for you. Remember, asking questions is the most important. Let the employer do the talking so that you can find out if they’re the right employer for you. Here are some questions that you can ask:
   • What is your role at the company, and how do you like it?
   • What is your team looking for in hiring right now?
   • What are the opening positions at your company, and how can a student like me help?
   • What majors are you interested in hiring, and what skills are you looking for in an employee right now?
3. Exchange your resume: You must have your printed resume ready at any time in a folder in your bag so that you can exchange it with the employer’s business card.
4. Work on your one-minute elevator pitch: Working on your one-minute elevator pitch is an essential aspect of networking at career fairs or events. It is a short, interesting introduction that summarizes your background, skills, and career goals. Please note, the longer you take to introduce yourself and make your point, the less effective it is for the employer.
5. Follow Up: After the career fair, send an email or message to follow up with them. Thank them for spending time with you. Let the employers know your continued interest in their company and your desire to learn more about their opportunities. This will keep you fresh in their minds and show that you are serious about pursuing a career with them.

The key to success at the career fair is to talk to enough employers who align with your goals, get them to know your name, and make the best use of your time by mastering your elevator pitch.

Labor Market Insight – research and analyze employment dynamics across groups, industries, occupations and regions

Labor Market Insight is an online data tool to help you explore jobs by career categories and pathways.

The platform uses real-time labor market data to help you make informed decisions about choosing a career path.

Check out Labor Market Insight for more information and to get started.

Link: https://ascc.wsu.edu/labor-market-insights/

Building your career path isn’t an easy act that you can do in a day. But with the right strategy and the right tool, you will be able to navigate the right path and succeed.

Good luck on your journey!