In the spirit of graduation…

Congratulations to all Georgia Tech graduates of Spring 2010! As one among you, I am excited to celebrate all my hard work for the past four years.  We have a lot to look forward to, and to keep with the high energy this weekend, here are a few inspirational (and funny) quotes to start things off:

There is a good reason they call these ceremonies “commencement exercises.”  Graduation is not the end; it’s the beginning.  ~Orrin Hatch

A graduation ceremony is an event where the commencement speaker tells thousands of students dressed in identical caps and gowns that “individuality” is the key to success.  ~Robert Orben

Your families are extremely proud of you.  You can’t imagine the sense of relief they are experiencing.  This would be a most opportune time to ask for money.  ~Gary Bolding

When you leave here, don’t forget why you came.  ~Adlai Stevenson, to college graduates

A man who has never gone to school may steal from a freight car; but if he has a university education, he may steal the whole railroad.  ~Theodore Roosevelt

Commencement speeches were invented largely in the belief that outgoing college students should never be released into the world until they have been properly sedated.  ~Garry Trudeau

People will frighten you about a graduation…. They use words you don’t hear often:  “And we wish you Godspeed.”  It is a warning, Godspeed.  It means you are no longer welcome here at these prices.  ~Bill Cosby

In the business world, everyone is paid in two coins:  cash and experience.  Take the experience first; the cash will come later.  ~Harold Geneen

I learned law so well, the day I graduated I sued the college, won the case, and got my tuition back.  ~Fred Allen

Procrastinate!

If you’re a Georgia Tech student you’re probably in one of two situations right now.  You are either scrambling to finish your final projects that are all conveniently due this week, or you’re struggling to maintain good study habits in order to pass all your exams next week.  Either situation is stressful, especially if you’re trying to secure an internship or full-time job all at the same time.

So put off the job searching until later!

It’s ok to take breaks and not feel guilty about it.  There is no job-search police that’s going to come hunt you down and yell at you for not being on top of the job search.  Ultimately, you are your own boss here, and you know your priorities are in good shape.

With that said, though, being a good boss for yourself means knowing when to start working again.  So breaks are good, but remember that what makes a ‘break’ is that it doesn’t last forever.

So take some time off, and good luck with your exams!

Organize your job search

My mind has been on job searching a lot lately since I’m among those students graduating this semester and trying to plan out the next few years of my life.  So far, it’s been like a whirlwind of job posting after posting, application after application, and a whole lot of waiting for a response.  But this is something that has been keeping me sane for the past few months.

I took the advice from a DoPP advisor a while ago (hint hint: they give good advice!) about keeping a kind of notebook for my job searching.  I chose to use MS OneNote for this, but if you’re a paper and pen kind of person, then go for it.  So now I have a one-stop place for everything related to my job searching, including tabs for:

• jobs I applied to – I created a chart listing each job along with a contact person, the job location, and the last I heard from the company.  You can also list jobs you want to apply to, but make sure you include application deadlines.
• networking contacts.  This is really helpful for when it’s time to create your list of references (see tips for doing this here).  I make sure to put each person’s exact title, contact info, and everything they have done to help me in my search (for thank you notes later).
• online job search engines and resources.  This helps when you can’t remember where to continue your searching, especially if you’re like me and do the searching in shifts.
• application materials.  I don’t keep a resume here, but I list out every possible thing I could put on my resume, no matter what job I’m applying for.  When I do find an interesting job, I just pick out the bullet points that apply to the job description, and I have a custom-made resume in a minute!  I do the same thing for interview preparation- there’s a list of all my qualifications (yes, there’s a lot of overlap with my resume, but that’s ok), and answers to some typical interview questions, including anecdotal examples of projects I’ve completed, professional accomplishments, and general examples of how amazing I am.  The point is to have everything at the ready so that when you get the chance to interview, you’re not scrambling at the last minute to prepare what you’re going to say.

You can add or subtract anything you want from this.  I’ve actually been thinking of adding a tab for questions to ask the employer during the interview (for tips on that see here).  But the point is to not lose track of what you want to do, and what you’ve actually done, especially if you’re one of those types that applies for two jobs and calls that a lot (don’t worry, I used to do that, too).  I won’t be naive and say that this method will guarantee you a job, but it certainly does help.  It saves you a little stress, too.