If you're just graduating from college and would like to postpone your all-out job search until later this summer, more power to you. You've worked hard the last few years, and if ever there were an entry-level job market that would allow you the luxury of catching your educational and vocational breath for a few months, the 2006 market is it.
But how can you balance a well-deserved break with the solid job-search preparation you'll need to do? Think R and R: rest and research. In other words, do some digging, but keep it low-key. Here are four ways to do it.
Talk Careers
Perhaps you see yourself working as an entry-level graphic designer come September 1. If so, start talking to graphic design professionals now.
The fancy name for this highly underused approach is informational interviewing, but it's really nothing more than picking someone's brain, perhaps over coffee and a doughnut. You can start with people you already know and then move on to your school's alums or members of professional organizations in your chosen field.
Want to connect with someone who lives far away? Depending on your personality preferences, you can talk on the phone, have a conversation via email or take advantage of social networking.
Read Up on Your Chosen Field
No matter what field you pursue, employers will expect you to know something about it before they'll consider you.
You could probably get away with occasionally winging it in college. But when an employer is poised to invest tens of thousands of dollars in benefits and salary, you can be sure your industry knowledge will be thoroughly tested during the interview process....
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