Making Moves in College
On its surface, returning to school may seem like continuing your education and pursuing your degree. But don’t be tempted to overlook the other aspects of the college experience that add value and help you advance. School is where you gather tools and give yourself the opportunity to have a professional leg up.
Cultivate Your Professional Network
As a working adult student, you know the importance of having a professional network. Developing and maintaining peer relationships will help you to have allies within your chosen profession. There will come a time when you’ll need them, and they’ll need you.
It will never be easier to build professional relationships than while you’re enrolled in college. When you’re engaged in a rigorous environment and working toward similar goals, developing camaraderie is natural, and it’s built to last.
Develop Or Clean Up Your Online Presence
This point shouldn’t surprise anyone. You may even wonder why bring it up, but if you’ve spent time around an HR department, you’ll know how much online behaviors impact the workplace.
If you’re behaving poorly online, stop it–it’s costing you, whether you see the impact or not. So, how should you use social platforms to your advantage?
Do you have a LinkedIn profile? Is it up-to-date? Are you connecting with your peers and actively using it? Use this educational period to work on your online presence. Take advantage of the added value!
There’s more to your professional online presence than just LinkedIn. X (Twitter) can be leveraged professionally, too. In any industry, there are influencers and motivators on X. Follow and engage with them and their followers to bolster your network.
Consider it research – what information or best practices can you glean from these individuals? Like any tool or technology, it’s all about utilizing it for good. The internet and social media are the same.
Take Advantage Of The School’s Professional Resources
No one has the perfect resume. No one has impeccable interviewing skills. These things are living tools. You wouldn’t get rid of your gardening tools once the flowers bloom, so don’t neglect the tools that help shape your career.
You should always be tweaking your resume, even if you’re happy with your career and place of employment. Anything can happen at any moment in the workplace, leaving you in need of an updated resume. If you’re not maintaining your resume, your skills will become dull. Losing your edge is the biggest catastrophe.
If your professors offer to evaluate your resume, allow them to do so. If you can submit your resume to a career services center on campus, do it. The more eyes on your resume, the more polished it will become.
Interviewing is an art form. Having the self-awareness to reflect and evaluate honestly how you present yourself and communicate in an interview is challenging. We’ve all heard that practice makes perfect, but there’s a caveat. In order to improve, you need forthright feedback.
In our professional culture, hiring managers rarely provide any assessment to candidates. Do yourself a favor and participate in mock interviews. You may be surprised to find something about yourself you didn’t even recognize.
Make the Most of Your Time
Don’t allow your time in school to pass by simply checking the boxes. If you’re just turning in your assignments and taking tests, let me assure you there’s so much more! At Amberton University, we want to prepare you to be ready, able, and excited for the next steps in your career. We want your toolbox to overflow.