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Thank you to everyone for your advice! This really helps a lot!
I did see an alumni group for my university on LinkedIn, I will see if they let me join it.
I found an internship posted only a few days ago looking for an OSHA intern here in Tucson, looking specifically for Public Health students. Most Public Health students use a website the college has put together we call the "HUB" that posts job opportunities. This one only showed up on LinkedIn, and since a lot of students already have summer internships (I do too but I'm looking for another for two part-time internships) I had an advantage here. I also just interviewed with a traditional public health non-profit agency today, and I know there is only one other application for the internship, so that also looks well for me!
I also have applied for an internship with the Pima County Department of Environmental Quality (PDEQ) that they offer for the college students. That one I expect to be competitive and it will be for Fall only. Though any experience is useful for me, and I still applied.
I'm somewhat limited that in this very point in time I'm limited to Tucson for internships and opportunities. For summer I could work in Phoenix but since I already have an internship down here, so...
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.
The B.S. major at my university is set up where you take one Introduction course for EHS at first and then if you choose you can take the EOH (environmental & occupational health) track which is an emphasis of roughly 15 credits within the major. I am taking this emphasis and it would connect me with many of the professors who also work in the Master's program for EHS and Industrial Hygiene (we have both) but unfortunately I won't get to meet them until August. I'm a little hesitant to send them an e-mail and/or meet with them without having really a good reason too, for an example not being their student and trying to visit during their study hours.
I have a couple metro areas I would look to the most. I am mostly looking at Denver and Seattle at this point, however I'm open to a couple other areas. While if I got a good job in Arkansas I would take it and of course apply, it's not my preferred choice. I have a couple other Western cities in mind that I will be "targeting" when it comes to the job search, like SLC, Albuquerque, Boise, Portland. I am also looking at Florida since I have the opportunity to relocate there after I graduate since my parents are moving there, and I'd probably be looking at the Tampa area.
Large companies sometimes split their JOB RECRUITMENT into 2 parts: 1) College Recruitment and 2) Regular Recruitment (experience people and any openings that are not specific to college recruitment).
Search like crazy for College Recruitment job ads. Some companies split their CAREER web sites into 2 distinct areas. Companies contact college career centers and go looking for new students. Spend as much time as you can applying to all these jobs starting asap. Get help from your college and ask about other web sites that you can use. Find them all. You want to utilize this while you still qualify within this category.
I know of someone that finished college and recently got a job in the field you are looking at. He had to relocated across the country to get the job. He said he applied for 140 different jobs before getting this one.
So you need to apply, apply, apply. You can do it. Once you get that first job stick with it for 1-3 years. After that it will be easier to get jobs because you will be experienced.
Don't complain at your new job and don't ask that many questions(even though coworkers say to ask ask ask they usually don't mean it or they want limited questions). Don't bug them too much because it could backfire. Jobs these days you figure out as much as you can on your own.
Large companies sometimes split their JOB RECRUITMENT into 2 parts: 1) College Recruitment and 2) Regular Recruitment (experience people and any openings that are not specific to college recruitment).
Search like crazy for College Recruitment job ads. Some companies split their CAREER web sites into 2 distinct areas. Companies contact college career centers and go looking for new students. Spend as much time as you can applying to all these jobs starting asap. Get help from your college and ask about other web sites that you can use. Find them all. You want to utilize this while you still qualify within this category.
I know of someone that finished college and recently got a job in the field you are looking at. He had to relocated across the country to get the job. He said he applied for 140 different jobs before getting this one.
So you need to apply, apply, apply. You can do it. Once you get that first job stick with it for 1-3 years. After that it will be easier to get jobs because you will be experienced.
Don't complain at your new job and don't ask that many questions(even though coworkers say to ask ask ask they usually don't mean it or they want limited questions). Don't bug them too much because it could backfire. Jobs these days you figure out as much as you can on your own.
Thank you! I will look for college recruitment sites and job ads!
Yeah I expect it to be difficult to get the first job. 140 does not surprise me though I wish it wasn't that high, lol.
With the internships I have I wouldn't expect to stay at my first job for short unless it was absolutely and utterly terrible. My high school job was 2 years long but since then they have only been a few months. I mean I think internships are a little bit more lenient in that (since a lot are just for a semester or a summer or something) but you never know.
Thank you to everyone for your advice! This really helps a lot!
I did see an alumni group for my university on LinkedIn, I will see if they let me join it.
I found an internship posted only a few days ago looking for an OSHA intern here in Tucson, looking specifically for Public Health students. Most Public Health students use a website the college has put together we call the "HUB" that posts job opportunities. This one only showed up on LinkedIn, and since a lot of students already have summer internships (I do too but I'm looking for another for two part-time internships) I had an advantage here. I also just interviewed with a traditional public health non-profit agency today, and I know there is only one other application for the internship, so that also looks well for me!
I also have applied for an internship with the Pima County Department of Environmental Quality (PDEQ) that they offer for the college students. That one I expect to be competitive and it will be for Fall only. Though any experience is useful for me, and I still applied.
I'm somewhat limited that in this very point in time I'm limited to Tucson for internships and opportunities. For summer I could work in Phoenix but since I already have an internship down here, so...
If you get even just one of those, and then you're flexible on location when you start applying, you should be fine. Remember, it's not always about you, it's about you in the context of your competitors.
Quote:
I have a couple other Western cities in mind that I will be "targeting" when it comes to the job search, like SLC, Albuquerque, Boise, Portland.
I would cast an even wider net than that. When you apply to places like Portland, you're competing with everyone else that wants to move there because of the cool TV show they saw. I applied for a job in my field in Portland, made it past two rounds of candidate culling but didn't make the 3rd and final round - and I have 4 years FT experience and 2 years PT in my career. Portland is one of those trendy places everyone wants to be. So is Austin, Nashville, etc...
Last edited by redguard57; 04-25-2016 at 05:29 PM..
So just to make it easier to go through, I just compiled a summary of all the general advice given to college students so far who will be reading this. Some of it was given in specifics to my field which I left out here, though it was definitely written down and noted for me.
1. Network in every way possible. Places to look:
- LinkedIn: Alumni groups, professional associations, etc.
- College itself: Connect with professors in the field you are looking to get into, ask for advice on places to apply, befriend them and ask to use them for references. Contact the internship advisor for your college (if you have one) and ask them for help. I also suggest, though not stated yet, to contact the Business Services department or whatever its called of your college to help you revise your resume. These places also know the biggest companies that recruit at your university (for an example AT&T is a big one for my university) who might be able to get you in contact with the recruiters for the college recruiting programs.
- Connect with all of your classmates, or as many as possible.
2. Be open to relocating. Don't limit yourself if you are only interested in New York City. Expand your limits and you should see success.
3. Start researching fields you specifically want to get into, and then find employers that fit that. For certain majors there are a lot of industries you can get into, some are specific to only one industry.
4. When looking for internships right now look for paid internships and co-ops. They will be more likely to hire you.
5. Take initiative. Initiative in this case means: "Someone who works hard and is interested in putting in the effort to do an exceptional job." As quoted by one of the other posters. Ask lots of questions, and always take notes and learn.
6. Don't act superior. Act down-to-earth and don't be a know-it-all. Always ask for advice and be humble.
7. Put in a lot of motivation for your first job, so you can climb the ladder quicker.
8. Participate in extra-curricular activities at your school, such as clubs, student governments, etc. This is extra important if you have no internship experience. This is also important if you plan on getting more internships, other than just GPA. Also get involved in volunteer work. But internship experience, professional work experience, will help you the most.
9. When working on your resume, if you have work experience outside of your desired field, it might be best to leave it off so you don't get "pigeon-holed" to a certain industry.
10. If you have certain areas you want to relocate to, look for meet ups for professionals within your field and try to network there specifically.
11. Attend on-campus recruitment events, even for ones not in your field.
12. It might be best to look at big cities for employment rather than rural areas, even if you desire a rural area. Just for your first job at least.
13.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ControlJohnsons
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.
14. Be open to government work as well, sometimes this is best for your field. And vice versa, if you desire federal employment still be open to private sector.
Anything else I should add so far?
This has been extremely useful and I have wrote all of this down. Any advice is greatly appreciated.
If you get even just one of those, and then you're flexible on location when you start applying, you should be fine. Remember, it's not always about you, it's about you in the context of your competitors.
This one I want to emphasize since someone else also stated it. If a job asks for experience but everyone else who applied has no experience, they are still going to interview those people!
So just to make it easier to go through, I just compiled a summary of all the general advice given to college students so far who will be reading this. Some of it was given in specifics to my field which I left out here, though it was definitely written down and noted for me.
1. Network in every way possible. Places to look:
- LinkedIn: Alumni groups, professional associations, etc.
- College itself: Connect with professors in the field you are looking to get into, ask for advice on places to apply, befriend them and ask to use them for references. Contact the internship advisor for your college (if you have one) and ask them for help. I also suggest, though not stated yet, to contact the Business Services department or whatever its called of your college to help you revise your resume. These places also know the biggest companies that recruit at your university (for an example AT&T is a big one for my university) who might be able to get you in contact with the recruiters for the college recruiting programs.
- Connect with all of your classmates, or as many as possible.
2. Be open to relocating. Don't limit yourself if you are only interested in New York City. Expand your limits and you should see success.
3. Start researching fields you specifically want to get into, and then find employers that fit that. For certain majors there are a lot of industries you can get into, some are specific to only one industry.
4. When looking for internships right now look for paid internships and co-ops. They will be more likely to hire you.
5. Take initiative. Initiative in this case means: "Someone who works hard and is interested in putting in the effort to do an exceptional job." As quoted by one of the other posters. Ask lots of questions, and always take notes and learn.
6. Don't act superior. Act down-to-earth and don't be a know-it-all. Always ask for advice and be humble.
7. Put in a lot of motivation for your first job, so you can climb the ladder quicker.
8. Participate in extra-curricular activities at your school, such as clubs, student governments, etc. This is extra important if you have no internship experience. This is also important if you plan on getting more internships, other than just GPA. Also get involved in volunteer work. But internship experience, professional work experience, will help you the most.
9. When working on your resume, if you have work experience outside of your desired field, it might be best to leave it off so you don't get "pigeon-holed" to a certain industry.
10. If you have certain areas you want to relocate to, look for meet ups for professionals within your field and try to network there specifically.
11. Attend on-campus recruitment events, even for ones not in your field.
12. It might be best to look at big cities for employment rather than rural areas, even if you desire a rural area. Just for your first job at least.
13.
14. Be open to government work as well, sometimes this is best for your field. And vice versa, if you desire federal employment still be open to private sector.
Anything else I should add so far?
This has been extremely useful and I have wrote all of this down. Any advice is greatly appreciated.
What I would add to all that is practice being sociable and likable. When you get to the interview stage, odds are they have narrowed it down to 2-4 people with similar qualifications or qualifications that are different, but equivalent in terms of potential. At that point, whether one or the other gets hired often has to do with whether they could see themselves working with you or not. It's often called "a good fit" but that's usually just a euphemism for "I liked person X better than person Y."
The interview is usually about seeing who actually meets the on-paper description of themselves.
Also keep in mind that hiring is a flawed and imperfect process. There's some luck involved. So if you don't always succeed that typically does not reflect on you personally.
I would cast an even wider net than that. When you apply to places like Portland, you're competing with everyone else that wants to move there because of the cool TV show they saw. I applied for a job in my field in Portland, made it past two rounds of candidate culling but didn't make the 3rd and final round - and I have 4 years FT experience and 2 years PT in my career. Portland is one of those trendy places everyone wants to be. So is Austin, Nashville, etc...
Yeah I don't expect Portland to be an easy one. But I heard Seattle and Denver were pretty easy to find jobs for. Both Denver and Seattle look pretty good for my field. Seattle a little more so.
I have no interest in the South really... However Atlanta and D.C. are sort of the "Silicon Valleys" of Public Health. I would be dumb not to look in Atlanta and D.C. but that's where all the other public health kids will probably look. D.C. and Atlanta can recruit from John Hopkins and Emory which are the best Public Health schools in the country and are located right within commuting distance for the most part. Georgetown also has a reputable program. Government, especially on the federal level, is sort of the "go to" for Public Health. Though there are private companies there that look for PH graduates to work with the government, usually the CDC and the NIH in these cities. Part of the reason the South is big in this field is because of mosquitos and other infectious diseases that love that kind of weather.
I will be applying for jobs that look interesting and I feel like I would be competitive, regardless of location. Though like I said, those cities will be where I'll look the most.
When it comes to applying for jobs out of state, what would you say is the best way to get noticed or past the whole "not a local" thing?
I say build your references and experience. Figure out what you want to do and go for it. From my experience, it wasn't easy and I ended up doing something way different than what I saw doing (well at least some 10-15 years out from graduating.) I wanted to be a professor in business school but instead I became a paraprofessional at a high school for special education. That's a bit far removed from business don'tcha think...
Quote:
Originally Posted by stan4
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.
This is a bit hard unless you have money. I'd LOVE to work for myself but unless I want to be a YouTube business or something, I can't do it on the piggy bank. You need a war chest to do this.
First off, who is entitled and what are we entitled to?
Whining is hard to define just as being a kiss ass. Whining to one, is complaining to another, and is legitimate to yet another. You can replace that with being a kiss ass too.
Being valuable is often tough. Just like whining to one boss, your work maybe valuable and they love it but to another it is J. Jonah Jameson going through Peter Parker's Spider-Man pictures claiming they are nothing but crap.
Seizing opportunities can also backfire at the water cooler too. Remember my comment about being a kiss ass, yeah even though you are taking additional tasks to expand your worth, others think you are doing it for your own reasons and get jealous.
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