How can you search for combinations and new jobs in the real world?
Most people find two main avenues as a starting point:
- You can do an informational interview and meet people, talk to them about their jobs, learn where you want to work and the types of jobs that you can do, or
- You can submit your resume to online websites in gigantic volumes and pray that the algorithms work for you.
I recommend leaning hardest on #1 above and will show you shortly ways to at least play the game in #2 above. We will share more on the Applicant Tracking Systems that most companies use for your submitted resumes a little further along.
We encourage you to be ready for Game 2, but put your energy into Game 1:
- explore what is out there from real people,
- learn from what is needed in terms of future skills,
- make connections that can help you create a series of possible paths,
- test with experiments,
- evaluate options and look at new combinations, and
- keep testing/trying.
How Can You Explore?
We strongly suggest that before you look for internships and/or jobs, you do a lot of informational interviewing. This process involves talking with real people to both investigate options and start building your “tribe” of people to help you and take risks for you in the future. It is a process of thoughtfully connecting with alumni from your school and industry professionals who are just out of school or another 5-10 years older to talk about their paths (NOT about looking for a job or internship).