So You Think You Can Senior: Job Searching

Spring break is over, and we have eight weeks until the semester’s end. Can you believe that?! I’m officially stressed out because, like the rest of you, I’m scared to go out into the real world.

It’s now time to search for jobs. Some people may not even know where to start.

First, make sure your resume is polished and absolutely perfect, with no typos or out-of-date information. There is a career office in each college—use it!

Picture by Flazingo Photos.

Picture by Flazingo Photos.

I sent my resume to a career counselor in my college, and it was a huge help. The first time I got it back, there were so many red marks on it I thought it was truly awful. But the career counselor helped me make it a hundred times better. You can never have too many people proofread your resume. The more, the better!

In my case, as a journalism major wanting to go into the broadcast field, I needed to get my demo reel in tip-top shape. All graduates should prepare some kind of portfolio to show potential employers what they can do.

Even as an amateur, you do not want to look or sound like one. Your first portfolio will not be your best, but it will get better as you add more professional material to it.

Seriously, accumulate everything you have learned in class and internships and make it into a great portfolio you are proud to hand off to employers all over the world.

Be ready to accept a not-so-glamorous first job. It may be in a small town no one has ever heard of. It takes time to get to the top, but you have got to start somewhere.

Once you hear back from (hopefully) multiple companies, you can choose where you would like to live. Even if it is not your dream city or even job, think of it as a stepping stone to the next opportunity.

I am completely terrified to be so close to graduation without knowing my next step. I’m not sure where I will live, where I will be working, what kind of stories I will be covering or even whether I will be anywhere close to home in West Texas.

But one thing is for sure: I have decided to breathe and let what happens happen.

The uncertainty of the future may freak others out, too. Everything will work out and fall into place. It always does. It may not be in the order we hope for or the way we have planned it, but that is the beauty of life.

So all you seniors out there, enjoy what’s left of the semester!

Finish the strong fight, do not slack in class and keep putting yourself out there in any way possible.

Send your resume all over the world, and you’ll be surprised where it might land you after graduation.

About Natalie Morales

Natalie Morales, a senior Journalism student, graduates in May of 2016. She has always loved English classes, and writing, and is now pursuing it as a career. She hopes to get a job as a news reporter for a television station in West Texas so that she stays close to home. She wants to eventually be an anchor in a top market.