Like a dark cloud, the inevitable time for job searching looms over the head of many seniors nearing graduation.  

But does this dreaded job search deserve the fear it receives from many seniors?

Director of Career Development Bobbi Sullivan thinks, with the right amount of preparation, this job search should not be feared. 

Luckily for Simpson students, Sullivan has plenty of advice for seniors preparing to search for a job after graduation. Her first piece of advice is to start your preparation early. 

“First and foremost, I would say give yourself plenty of time,” Sullivan said. “If I was a senior who was graduating at the end of spring semester, I would be starting that process right now if they haven’t already.” 

To begin this process, Sullivan recommends using connections right here at Simpson. 

“Students came here so they could have great relationships with faculty members and staff advisors and coaches and alumni and peers, those are the types of people I would start with when getting ready to do the job search,” Sullivan said. 

Sullivan also emphasizes the importance of the opportunities provided by Career Development.

“Students from an individual level can meet with us to search for opportunities, to create or polish application materials, to prep for interviews, to chat through things that have to do with their offers and to look at social media presence,” Sullivan said. 

In addition to utilizing the resources provided by Simpson, Sullivan also mentions other important preparations seniors can make.

“It’s important that students start to have a wish list of the types of companies that they would like to work for, and as you’re brainstorming and developing that wish list, the people that know you best can be the best people to help you start to get ideas,” Sullivan said. 

Sullivan recommends polishing your resume, writing well-researched and tailored cover letters, building and cleaning up your online presence and networking by attending events, meeting people and following up with them. 

Baillee Furst, a senior who is the Undergraduate Assistant for Career Development, also emphasizes the importance of the resources provided by the Career Development office. 

“The Career Development office is just not used enough because they do everything from interviews to resumes to LinkedIn reviews,” Furst said. 

When asked what she feels has prepared her the most for getting a job outside of school, Furst emphasized a few things in particular.

“I have reworked my resume constantly, LinkedIn is a really big thing, so I keep my LinkedIn up to date as much as possible and going to conferences and networking there is really important as well,” Furst said. “A very big important thing for getting a job is having an internship, that is one thing I have heard from every single conference I have went to.” 

Senior Karson Richardson, a computer science major and a math minor, also explains what has helped him in his preparation for his job search. 

“I have definitely used LinkedIn, ZipRecruiter and Indeed a lot and that’s really helped me get an idea of what companies are really looking for,” Richardson said. “Career Development has also helped me a lot to help me visualize where I want to go and what I want to do.”