Happy Monday to all of our lovely followers and readers! As we wrap up our professional development and branding series from the New Year, it’s time we jump in to help our college students as we predict you continue to seek out an internship, part-time, temporary, or even full-time work opportunities. The question is… where do you begin?! This past month, I’ve had the pleasure of embarking on a Spring Internship job search myself, so I thought no better time to recount my experience than TODAY!

Where to Seek Job Opportunities:

• Student Job Boards: The key to my search over the last few months was unequivocally our UW Madison Student Jobs board! On this page, companies, and opportunities from all over the city post their listings to this page on a continuous basis solely for student use! So, no matter if you’re seeking a professional internship, research opportunity, nannying job, part-time work, or essentially any role under the sun, this is your go-to spot. Here, I was able to apply through an internal portal linked to my academic profile, as well as access the contact information and personal emails of several hiring managers to connect as quickly as possible.
• LinkedIn: We at Esquire are strong believers and encouragers of utilizing our favorite platform, LinkedIn, for your job search. However, we encourage you to truly utilize your connections to get your foot in the door at certain companies, learn more about a certain position, or otherwise help yourself stand out against hundreds of applications in the pool.
• Campus Resources: In addition to job boards, several universities utilize platforms like Handshake to allow employers to create profiles and intimately post job opportunities to the student body for their own use and action. Connect with an advisor or do some research around this subject to navigate how your own campus provides resources and get to applying!
• Use Your Network: Finally, we understand that the job search for any type of role can feel exhausting, discouraging, or overall taxing. So, if none of these resources are providing any leads or assisting you in making progress, then we highly encourage you to begin reaching out to your connections and internal network to seek out opportunities! Whether this means chatting with other students, sorority/fraternity members or alumni, previous coworkers, professors, advisors, or even family, working towards your goal does not come in just one form and will be a unique journey to you!

We hope that a combination of these resources will allow you to generate a successful job search of any sort. However, remember that these things take time and patience is key! In the meantime, tweaking a resume, taking online courses, reading newsletters, and staying up to date with industry trends is the best way to elevate your professional profile.

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