Graduating Soon? Don’t Forget to Ask Your Career Counselor These 5 Questions

By Amelia Woolard

The days are slipping away, the weather is getting warmer, and a general sense of unrest has hit the college crowd. That’s right – the school year is almost over. While most of you may have another year of classes and extracurriculars to look forward to, some of you are about to graduate. But, even though you’re super excited about all of the things to come, you might be a bit nervous about your upcoming job search.

No judgement here – graduation signals a huge transition from collegiate life into the real world, so it’s normal to feel apprehensive about your official passage into adulthood. And the good news is that, as a student still enrolled in your college or university, you have plenty of resources available on-campus to make your transition into the working world as seamless as possible.

Your campus career center is an excellent place to direct any job-seeking inquiries you might have, since it’s staffed with helpful people, who can help you refine your interview technique, glance over your resume, and provide specialized insight into your job search strategy. Check out uCribs’ list of questions to ask your career counselor, jot down a few notes, and you’ll be well on your way to getting your post-grad plan sorted out— stress-free.

Question #1: “What’s the best way to go about my job search?”

As much as we’d like to imagine that job hunting entails a predictable series of very simple steps, the truth is that your job search strategy will differ based on the position you’re applying for and the industry it falls under. Some fields will require that you submit a portfolio with your application, while some companies might interview candidates for weeks – even months – on end. And, of course, there’s always the possibility that you’ll need to head to grad school before you can make your dream job a reality.

Already feeling confused about how to kickstart your job search? We can’t blame you! There’s a lot to consider, and more importantly, there’s a lot at stake. Doing some pre-planning will be vital to your success as an active job seeker, and no one understands that process quite like the folks at your on-campus career center. Your counselor has spent years witnessing first-hand the missteps other applicants have made, so they’ll have plenty to contribute when it comes to what to do – and what not to do – as a first-time job seeker. Additionally, since career counselors work with a wide range of students, they’ll be able to tell you if your expectations are way off for a future career in finance, fashion, food… whatever floats your boat.

Question #2: “Honestly, how does my resume look?”

You’ve learned a lot during your four years at college, but one thing you probably didn’t learn is how to craft an incredible resume. Before you send an angry email to a former English professor, though, you need to realize that while your college experience prepared you for a lot of things, it’s still up to you to take those lessons and incorporate them into your job search strategy. In other words, you should have plenty of learned material to apply to your first real resume – even if you’re a little lost as to how to arrange everything.

That’s okay, because your trusty college career center can help you work out any kinks and fill in any blank spaces your resume might currently have. Your career counselor has seen it all when it comes to resumes – the good, the bad, and the completely illegible – making him or her the ideal person to proof your efforts thus far. Your counselor will be able to help you create descriptions of your on-campus involvement in a way that highlights the skills you’ve acquired to your future employer. Additionally, they’ll make sure you use correct grammar and avoid spelling errors – something that the most meticulous of students will especially appreciate!

Question #3: “How can I demonstrate my worth with little to no job experience?”

When you’re about to graduate from college, it can be extremely daunting to realize that you must kick off your job search without any considerable experience under your belt. But, no matter how stressed you might be that no company will hire an inexperienced college grad, everyone has to start somewhere – even the best of the best! – and you’re no exception. However, that doesn’t mean that you have to go in alone when piecing together the best way to pitch your skill set to the right people.

Your career counselor can help you pick out your best hard and soft skills to market appropriately to employers. What are hard and soft skills, you ask? Well, hard skills are those that can be quantified, like being a great writer or mathematician, while soft skills have more to do with how you relate to people. You’ll need both types of skills to be a truly desirable candidate – no one wants to work with an antisocial stick in the mud, after all! Luckily, even if you don’t know exactly what your hard and soft skills are, your career counselor can help pinpoint them and determine the best way to showcase them effectively.

Question #4: “What do you think about my interview technique?”

If we took a poll of exiting college seniors right now, we bet we’d discover that interviewing with a potential employer is the most-feared aspect of the job search itself. You can bet that some interviews will involve getting grilled about your college involvement and five-year plan – though, luckily, no two interviews will be the same! But, that doesn’t change the fact that interviewing is essential to the job search process. Unfortunately, you’ll never be able to land a job or other promising opportunity without first delivering a great interview, so if you hope to go far after graduation, it’s in your best interest to learn how to interview well.

It’s true that a lot of job search preparation is done solo, like writing cover letters and perfecting portfolios, but your interview prep shouldn’t be similar to those practices. In fact, committing too much time to solo interview practice can lead to over-preparation, which can paralyze your performance once the big day arrives. Besides, job interviews involve more than one person, so it only makes sense that you enlist a bit of help while perfecting your technique. Career counselors can alleviate anxiety by conducting mock interviews with you and coaching you through difficult, frequently-asked questions. They can also help you master your confidence, so that every interview can be met with excitement, not panic-inducing fear. That’s certainly a step up from where you are right now, wouldn’t you say?

Question #5: “How do I come across on my various social media profiles?”

Your friends here at uCribs have stressed it time and time again, but only because it’s worth repeating. If you’re hoping to land a position post-grad, you’ll want to make sure that your social media presence is up to snuff. These days, recruiters know that almost everyone has a social media presence, so you can bet that they’ll take their search to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn to see what they can learn about you from your public profiles.

You might think that your profiles are relatively harmless – and you might be right – but it never hurts to have a second opinion on your online presence from someone who is completely unbiased. Who better to provide objective insight than your college career counselor? We suggest you do a preliminary sweep of your social profiles, so that your counselor isn’t the first to notice that ultra-embarrassing selfie from your 21^st birthday blow-out. But, even if the process is a bit awkward, trust us when we say that the effort will be well worth it when you receive a job offer based on your professional demeanor— both on and offline.

When you’re an exiting college senior, there are about a million and one things currently on your mind, like your awesome graduation outfit or the summer trip you’re taking with your best buds. But, if you’re serious about landing an incredible job opportunity within the months following graduation day, carve some time out of your hectic schedule to pay a visit to your college career center. There, you’ll learn invaluable tips regarding job applications, interviews, and overall career expectations. If you follow the advice of your on-campus counselor, you’ll find yourself with an exciting job offer faster than you can say, “Please hire me—I have student loans!”

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