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Mine will be in Public Health specifically. I am looking to get into Occupational Health (OSHA stuff) and/or Environmental Health such as air pollution, water quality, etc. Job titles tend to fall something under "EHS Specialist" or something like that. EHS is the common acronym that is used it seems though.
Are you more interested in the occupational health/safety side or the environmental side? One will be OSHA, while the other will most likely be EPA. I suggest you try to get an internship with OSHA/EPA within your state to get some experience to start out with. Then you can be more marketable once you have that experience, whether it's a few months or a year, and move out of state when the opportunity arises. The hard part of applying to EHS is that others who are applying for the same jobs probably have a MS/MPH. Have you considered applying to grad school?
The university I graduated from has a LinkedIn group specifically for recent grads to network with alumni. See if your university has a similar group on LinkedIn.
-learn to act professional and not take rejections/setbacks personally like many on this board.
-every hiring manager you interview with is an opportunity to add-to/expand your network. Ask them for advice (at first, don't ask for a job)
The university I graduated from has a LinkedIn group specifically for recent grads to network with alumni. See if your university has a similar group on LinkedIn.
This, plus local EHS groups. Sometimes, as people advance in careers, they look to their schools as a place to recruit because they know the school, the programs, etc. If your school has specific programs (such as EHS or Industrial Hygiene, for example), the faculty and alums have connections in place. And, talk to your professors (esp. the one for whom you are a TA) about opportunities.
If you have targeted the metro area where you wish to relocate, there are likely meetups for EHS professionals if the area is large enough.
Like others have stated, get an internship in one of the organizations you aspire to work for, or in organizations like them.
If possible, join a professional association for your field. Once you are a member, you will receive regular mailings from them about internships, job openings, news about what's happening in the field, professional meetings, etc. Network at those meetings.
Ask your professors for tips on where to apply for jobs. Go to all on-campus recruitment events.
One suggestion: Do some digging and find US senators and congressmen who are active in environmental issues such as you are describing. (You can tell by committee and sub-committee assignments.) Check with them and see if they have any internship openings this summer or next fall, or perhaps starting next January. Summer internships tend to be 3 or 6 week long session, the internships during the school year tend to be for a semester. If you have an issue that you are passionate about and are well-versed in, it's a bonus (if not, find one. :-) ) Research the senator/congressman's record on environmental issues, including pending bills, bills in committee, etc. that they have written or co-written, so that you can talk intelligently about it. Find out who the intern coordinator is in their office with a call to senator or congressman's office (tip: it is NOT the senator or congressman!). Email them with enthusiasm -- good grammar, no typos, willingness to learn, etc. :-)
You might find yourself with a job after your internship, if you stand out from the usual partying-yawning-out the door at 5 intern pool (not too hard to do, unfortunately, with a lot of the interns) :-) And in that job, you will meet a LOT of people at high levels interested in the same issues you are interested in, and may be able to parlay your government experience into another job.
Choose a particular type of job or field and apply for all of them that you see, anywhere. Be open to going anywhere. I live in a medium sized town that's 3 hours from a major metro. We don't get that many strong apps from younger people because they don't want to come here (understandably, the youth scene kinda sucks here).
This. In my experience, employers are a little more lenient on non local people if they are recent grads, because they know you aren't going to have to make your relocation contingent on a sale of house, your wife's approval, etc...
Quote:
Originally Posted by TexasLawyer2000
Network.
And remember that networking doesn't necessarily mean knowing hiring managers. It can be as simple as tapping a classmate a year or two ahead of you about openings in his company. It worked for me.
So I'm a college student, looking to graduate in December. I am working an internship right now and hoping to get another internship in the field I actually want to go into. I have been applying at other places. Even unpaid internships are hard to come by, depending on where you live and what field you are looking to get into.
Many of us college students feel lost when looking for "professional" jobs especially right out of graduation. I know I worry about it a lot. Here in Tucson the economy is horrible and even though I like Tucson, if I wanted to stay I doubt there would be an opportunity for me. Odds are I will have to look in Phoenix for employment or out of state. Out of state is where I would like to go, and this seems even more daunting.
Some of you guys are in the position of hiring or at least have been experienced for quite some time. You probably have seen a plethora of people just entering your field, probably young adults the most. What advice would you give them in the act of applying for jobs, so that they have better chances for succeeding in employment? We want to work but for the newbie of the workforce it's hard to be qualified. You can't get work experience without work experience!
I am hoping this would be a thread for all college students to read, not specifically about me.
move to a city. LA, NYC, Chicago, Dallas, Boston, San Francisco, Seattle depending on your field. do a summer of internship, network like crazy and then you won't have a problem getting hired. to support yourself, have enough money saved to survive 1 year, and then work night jobs at a bar or restaurant to pay bills. once you score a job, quit service job. if you have well to do parents, you don't need to do that.
Take 5-7 years of your life to establish a strong career. within 5 years, you should have moved firms 2-3 times as well as job title. learn the power of negotiation and salary. network with a good headhunter, and every 2 years or so, see what's out there (don't be the guy who stays at the same place for 15 years). if your current job can't match the perks of the new job, leave. keep doing that for 5-7 years. From there, you will have many options based on your track record/resume. you should have finished that by 30. between 30-40 is your prime earning years. you will be well off if you follow this path by the age of 40. by 55, you should retire.
Don't be entitled.
Don't whine.
Be valuable.
Work for yourself - your own standards and pride. Don't look for external validation.
Seize opportunities to do new things.
Look at jobs from government agencies:
State, county, city/village
Also look at municipal entities such as utilities(water, sewer, environmental, flood plain managment districts, stormwater districts, agricultural municipalities.
Also insurance companies that have health/Safety inspectors such as workers comp insurance carriers.
Also hotel and restaurant's main HQ often have safety/health inspectors. Such as main office for McDonalds and they send their staff to various regional locations.
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