Welcome Back!

Welcome back to Tufts everyone! After a hopefully relaxing and memorable summer, it’s once again time to navigate new class schedules and--with the help of Tufts Career Services!---continue down our ambitious career paths. As a rising senior (wow that sounds weird), this summer left an especially unique take-away. By this time next year, I won’t be selecting courses or engaging in the charade of frantic last-minute packing, but (fingers crossed) preparing for a real-life job---or at least some sort of delineated career path. It’s sure daunting, terrifying to say the least, but there’s also something oddly exhilarating about this unpredictable next stage of our lives.

No matter our background, majors, or aspirations, we’re all probably starting to feel this idea of “real-life” creeping up on us. Whether we’re seniors looking for full-time jobs or underclassman eyeing summer internships, we’ll all be job scouring and career evaluating at some point this year. But rather than stressfully shuffling when an opportunity comes, there are plenty of ways to be on our job-hunting-game throughout the semester. Once we reclaim our comfortable college routines, here are some ways to help make this upcoming year feel as manageable and stress-free as possible.

1. Make Lists!
Without my smattering of bright post-its filled with to-do lists, I’d personally be at a total loss. You might craft lists of helpful contacts, job sites, open positions, HR email addresses, or whatever other information is pertinent to your career hunt. You might also consider creating a tidy excel spreadsheet of your networking contacts, listing the date you last spoke and when you plan to follow up. And if you aren’t an active contender in the job-hunt quite yet, why not list out your steps and/or goals for the months to come?

2. Perfect your Resume
While already on your organizational game, why not give the resume a quick look-over? It’ll be a huge stress-reliever to know its fresh and ready even before job recruitment hits by storm. Our advice? Avoid the stress of a frenzied last-minute office run and make an appointment as early as possible. Pay us a visit during our Resume Critique Week (September 19-21), where our expert staff will perfect your resume just in time for the upcoming Career Fair. Or receive one-on-one attention during our newly expanded drop-in hours (no appointment necessary)!

3. Check out Career Services online resources
And there are plenty of them! Check out Tufts Career Connect, a super helpful aggregator of Tufts-connected job listings across a variety of fields. And for seniors on the career-prowl, this is also a great time to set up a job agent, a resource that alerts you through email with new or updated job postings that match your job-search criteria. Also, start to scour through Tufts Career Network, a collection of 9,000 plus Tufts alums of all ages, interests, and fantastic professional stories, all willing to let us Tufts students pick their ultra-experienced brains.

4. Make a Note of Career Services Events
Whether in our “icals” or pocket-sized assignment pads, make a note of these important, super-informative Career Services sponsored events. From informational sessions to vibrant networking events filled with soon-to-be hirers, Career Services has organized a slew of events that cater to our burgeoning professional interests.

5. Talk, Talk, Talk
Yes--the number-one way to wheedle our way into this classy career world is to, simply enough, chat! Not only with our familiar everyday contacts, but those outside your comfort zone, brimming with fresh suggestions, perspectives, and insight. Ironically, I’ve found it’s those out-of-the-box people I’ve spontaneously conversed with who’ve managed to most impress and inspire me. Who knew that my dentist for instance, an expert on cavities and molars, would--thanks to a family of publishers---have such fresh insight on the rapidly changing book market?

6. Take Advantage of the Many Ways to Access Career Services
Even with our self-starter personas, tackling this career whirlwind is near impossible without real guidance and support. Lucky for us, Career Services offers just that. Whether for a mock interview, a bugging career question, or even for an inspiring chat, Career Service’s warm, welcoming staff is always here. Stop by our expanded drop-in hours to speak with a career counselor today. No appointment is necessary!

7. Lastly--and most importantly---relax and enjoy!
Whether you’re a Tufts newbie or a rising, been-there-done-that senior, there is so much offered on this eclectic, energetic campus that with just one year left, I’m scared I won’t get to it all. Trust me, college whizzes by--way too rapidly--and the best thing we can do is enjoy every second that we have.