Using job boards is probably the most common way people look for jobs. It’s convenient and easy. As we have stressed before and will again, using job boards is only one way to search for jobs; you should be using multiple methods for the most success.
Step 1: Save searches on job boards
LinkedIn: Organizations must pay to post on LinkedIn. It has the best tools to network and has highly curated job postings. Some organizations ONLY post on LinkedIn and some don’t want to pay, so they won’t post there. This is why we recommend you look at multiple job boards.
Indeed: Has the most job postings. It pulls job postings that are not behind a firewall into one convenient job board and also organizations can post job openings on their site for free. If an organization posts a job on their own company website, it will show up on Indeed.
Industry specific: Some industries have their own job boards that organizations and job seekers use more than the general job boards like indeed and LinkedIn.
Dice- Best site for tech and engineering jobs
Edjoin- Best site for jobs in education
Idealist- Best site for any mission oriented openings for jobs, internships, or fellowships
Teamworkonline- Best site for jobs in sports
Use both LinkedIn and Indeed.com to see most postings
Search using your criteria. Play around with different searches until you find one(s) that yield the best matches.
Location
Keywords
Role/Function: Graphic Designer, Marketing, Research Analyst, Internship
Tools, Program, or Skills: Photoshop, Spanish, Python
Filters
Job Type: Internship, Full-time, Part-time, Temporary
Experience Level: Entry, Mid, or Senior Level
Company Name
Tips
Job descriptions themselves may give you other good keywords to use in your search, as you may find related or commonly used industry terms.
Filter by date posted; the older a job posting, the more likely the job will have been filled.
Save the search in both job boards. They will email you when there is a new posting that matches your criteria.
Step 2: Apply when you see a posting that is interesting. Some might ask for a cover letter, resume and/or LinkedIn profile (links)
Step 3: Find someone who works there. Remember the ways that organizations like to hire? You can increase your chances of getting an interview by reaching out to someone at the organization.
It may sound crazy, but alumni have had success in doing it and receiving job offers!
How to find a connection
Type the organization’s name into LinkedIn’s search bar.
Do you have any 1st connections?
If yes, great! Go to Step 4.
If no, go to #3.
Do you have any 2nd connections? If yes, is your mutual connection someone you know well enough to reach out?
If yes, great! Go to Step 4.
If no, go to #4.
Type in the name of your college in the university field and see if there are any alumni at the organization.
If yes, great! Go to step 4.
If no, go to #5.
Search by the department that you are interested in (either by typing it in as a keyword, or just glancing through the list of employees).
Continue to hone in on who you might reach out to by seeing if you have anything in common with them. Maybe they share the same:
Major
Sorority/fraternity
Hometown
Cultural identity
School
Step 4: Reach out to that person.
How to reach out
Within LinkedIn:
If you’re in the same group, you can message them for free. (link to networking)
Ask them to connect and write a short message.
Sign up for a 30 day free trial in LinkedIn and email anyone for free.
Find their email. (link to networking)
What to say
Keep it short.
Focus on them first. Say something specific about what you like about them and/or their organization.
Mention what you applied to.
Ask:
For a 20 minute conversation.
For advice on how to best set yourself up for success.
Example 1:
Dear Joyce,
I have been using the Strava app for the last three years and absolutely love it. It has been incredibly helpful to me while training for two triathlons and one half marathon.
I just applied to the Strava Human Resources internship, and was wondering if I could talk to you about your experience at the company. Thank you!
Best,
Eleven
Example 2:
Dear Jim,
As someone who is very passionate about social justice and immigration reform, I greatly admire your organization, the Immigrant Defense Project. I started my application to the Development Associate role at your organization and was wondering if you had any advice on how I can make my application stand out. I would be very grateful to either talk to you on the phone for 10 minutes or correspond by email.
Thank you in advance,
Will Byers
Step 5: Track it
Put it in your tracker. You can use this Google Sheet (link to document) or some people like to use Trello, a project management app.
Set a reminder 4 business days from now to reach out to the person again if they don’t respond.
Step 6: Talk to them
Get them talking about their work, their problems, projects.
Listen to their pain points so you can position yourself to help them with those problems.
At the end of the conversation, ask if there is anyone on the team you applied to who would be good to talk to.
Step 7: Send thank you email within 24 hours.
Step 8: Repeat the process.
Each week, you want to touch on every phase of the job process:
Apply to 2-3 jobs (or whatever you decide with your Eastside Career Coach).
Find people and reach out to them.
Schedule and/or talk with above people.
85% of people find jobs through referrals.
So, let everyone possible know what you are looking for. Although this is most people's’ least favorite way of finding a job, it is usually the most effective. Referrals make up about 40% of all new hires!
Step 1. Talk to people you already know.
Think of all of the people in your network:
Current/prior teachers and professors
Current/prior bosses and co-workers
Friends and classmates
Family members
Mentors
Let them know what you are looking for via:
Email, phone, or the best, in-person!
Ask if they know anyone who does similar type of work or works at organizations that you’re interested in. Are they willing to connect you?
Step 2. Get out and meet people at:
Conferences for your industry/functional area.
If you volunteer for the event, you can sometimes get in for free/reduced entry fee.
Some have scholarships.
On-campus networking events and company information sessions.
Meetups in your area. You can find them through social media, Meetup.com, mailing lists, etc.
School alumni events. Follow your school’s alumni association and attend their events
Volunteering events with organizations and topics that relate to your interests.
Step 3. Find people at organizations you are interested in (even if they don’t have jobs posted).
Create a target list of dream organizations that you’d like to work at.
Put them in the tracker. link
Find someone similar to this process. link
Reach out and talk to people.
Build the relationship so that:
They create a position for you, or
When they do post, they think of you first.
Example of an email to send someone who you spoke with before and now they have a job posting:
Dear Dr. Brenner,
How are you? I wanted to update you a couple of things:
Since our last conversation in December, I started taking Organic Chemistry. While it is extremely difficult, I’m enjoying the content.
I applied to the Research internship in your lab and was wondering if you had any advice on how I can set myself up for success in the recruiting process.
Thank you,
Lucas Sinclair
Your college tuition is paying for an entire staff of people and resources to help you get a job and internships. Take advantage of it!
Your School’s Job Board
What it is: Job postings specifically for students at your school.
Two kinds of postings
On-campus recruiting (OCR)- When companies come to campus and interview all day to hire. Career centers often facilitate the recruiting process, making logistics easier for you, the student. It also helps companies build brand awareness and create a talent pipeline.
Regular postings- When companies post jobs and/or internships and will interview over the phone. Usually these are on a rolling basis, so apply early. If companies find the right candidate, they’ll hire (even if it’s before the deadline)!
How to find these postings
Go to your school’s career center website.
Look for the section for students (not employers or grad students).
Look for the link to jobs and internship; many schools use a service called, “Handshake.”
Career Advising
What it is: Access to one-on-one coaching sessions with a career counselor at your college/university.
Although Eastside provides career support, we believe you should use your school’s career advising in conjunction with ours!
Company presentations or events
What they are: When companies come on campus to talk about their organizations with groups of students. Sometimes they run workshops like how to write a resume or prepare for interviews and other times it will be just be a presentation about the roles that they are hiring for.
Check out the career center calendar or your job board, like Handshake. Usually these happen in the beginning of the year or the start of each term.
Even if they aren’t interviewing, you should go!
Companies keep track of who shows up and applies; it helps companies know who’s truly interested in them.
What they are: A job fair with many companies who are looking to hire.
What to expect
A large room with different tables and company representatives from human resources (and sometimes from roles they are hiring for) at each table.
TONS of students. At some career fairs, students wait in line for an hour to talk to one company.
Emphasis on opportunities for juniors and seniors (usually), but it’s great for freshmen and sophomores to go and test it out and begin building relationships.
Events at the start of each term and school year. You can find the dates and information on your school’s career center website.
Advice- Check out events happening off campus as well. National conferences are a great place for recruiting and networking. These can be focused on a career path and/or affinity group.
Examples: Grace Hopper (women in tech), Tapia (Latinx in tech), or People of Color Conference (education equity)
How to prepare
Research the companies that will be attending, which will be listed on the career fair’s website.
Prioritize the top 5-10 that you are most interested in.
Research and write down what those top choices do and what interests you about them.
Check for job postings at companies that will be at the job fair (This can help you prioritize the companies you want to talk to at the fair).
Apply to any you are interested in. This speeds up the process, so you can tell the contact that you already applied and ask what else you can do to make your application stand out.
Alternatively, block time on your calendar to apply after the fair and then follow up with the recruiter after you’ve applied.
Prepare talking points and questions for your top choices.
Set goals on what do you hope to get out of it. Do you want to learn? Make contacts for next year? Practice networking? Source interviews?
Prepare with your Eastside Career Coach.
Day of career fair
What to wear
Comfortable shoes! You will be walking/standing a lot.
Business professional/business casual attire. (link)
What to bring
Padfolio, folder, or notebook
Pen
Copies of your resume
An “elevator pitch” or talking points when a recruiter asks you about yourself or what you’re looking for
Written out notes to remind you what each of your top companies does
How to approach a table:
Smile!
Strong handshake, look them in the eye, introduce yourself
Engage them and build rapport. Remember that they’re normal people too!
How’s your day going? You’d be surprised at how many students DON’T ask recruiters about themselves.
Have you visited our campus/this city before? If they’re new to the area, give them local recommendations for places to eat!
Is this your first time at this conference?
I’m really excited that your company is here! I love X,Y, and Z about it.
Transition to asking them what they are hiring for.
Be ready to talk about how your background is relevant.
Ask other questions as they come up.
Ask for an interview.
Mention that you are very interested in their organization and would love to pursue employment opportunities.
Ask if they are doing interviews while visiting and if it would be possible to interview.
If not, ask for advice to put your best foot forward in the process.
Closing
Ask for their card, email address, or name to connect on LinkedIn.
Thank them.
Shake their hand.
After
Take a picture of their card in case you lose it.
Within 24 hours, send a thank you email and connect on LinkedIn.
What it is: The Eastside Career Pathways Program is a three-part career exploration program starting in high school and continuing through and beyond college.
High school programs
The Eastside Career Coaches teach workshops starting in sophomore year to introduce high school students to career concepts such as resumes, networking, and interviewing and provide a foundation of the career design process they’ll receive once they’re alumni.
Alumni career coaching support
Since 2014, each graduating Eastside senior has been assigned a Career Coach to provide one-on-one personalized career advising using the career design process.
Coaching covers topics such as:
Career exploration and Career Design process- space to reflect on experiences, brainstorm careers, advice on new careers to consider, coaching through choosing careers
Professional development- advice on how to develop skills for on the job such as communication, relationship building, managing up, time management, etc.
Career development- advice on types of roles to pursue, skills to develop, etc.
Job search- customized, strategic advice, structure, accountability and best practices
Networking- customized advice and best practices
Job offer decisions- frameworks, space and coaching to make difficult decisions
Offer negotiation- frameworks, step-by-step advice on how to approach negotiations to maintain relationships
On the job- advice on topics such as how to handle difficult situations with co-workers, how to ask for more challenging projects,
Other career related challenging situations- anything from how does graduating early impact my job search to what do I do if I messed up a relationship with a mentor
Resumes- revisions and advice on how to tailor to different roles
Cover letter- revisions and advice on how to tailor to different opportunities
Interview preparation- mock interviews, advice on how to best tell your stories, feedback on delivery and content
We would love to have a coaching session with you. You can set up an appointment with your Eastside Career Coach here.
If you do not know who your Eastside Career Coach is or were never assigned one, please contact Eun-Mee.
Eastside Internship Program
Each year, organizations partner with Eastside to access college students for their internship needs. Recruitment usually starts over winter break.
How to participate
You must be in regular contact with your Eastside Career Coach.
What it is: Within Career Pathways is a program for Eastside alumni interested in internships.
Eastside provides resumes of students to organizations based on the organizations’ needs and the students’ interests. The organization chooses who, if any, they would like to interview and drives the communication and recruiting process.
Any opportunity we inform you about is PAID, unless clearly stated that otherwise (e.g. scholarship or unpaid).
What it is not: a guarantee that you will get an internship or that you will get exactly what you’re looking for.
You should search for positions using other channels as well.
The needs of organizations change every year, so not all internships that were previously available will be available the following year.
Expectations
In order to participate in the Eastside Internship program, you must follow these rules:
Meet with your Eastside Career Coach over winter break to discuss your internship interests.
Update your resume before the recruiting season starts and edit resume and write cover letters in the time frame required (when necessary).
Respond within 24 hours to text/emails from your Eastside Career Coach. Even if you can’t address or answer the question completely, we need you to acknowledge that you’ve received the message.
Complete required tasks in a timely manner or proactively communicate any delays.
Set up voicemail on your cell phone in order to receive messages from recruiters.
Be in touch with Career Coach about specifics to prepare for interviews.
Inform your Career Coach about any offers within 24 hours of receiving them.
Reach out to your Career Coach if you have questions at any point.
Provide your College Coach with access to your latest transcript, as some organizations have educational criteria we need to filter for.
Hiring managers expect that you are taking full advantage of the career coaching services and often look for our endorsements of candidates. We want to be your advocate and provide a strong referral. If you have poor follow through, it is difficult to offer a strong referral on your behalf.
What they are: Third party companies who are hired by other companies to find good talent. For example, Google will hire a third party executive recruiter to bring them candidates to interview for open roles at Google. When they hire the candidate, Google will pay the third party executive recruiter a percentage of the hiree’s salary as a finding fee.
Who they are good for:
Full-time hires (not interns)
Technical people/engineers
Contract roles in any function (which companies are increasing)
Sometimes for other types of roles (marketing, sales, etc.)
Advice
Don’t be afraid to respond to a LinkedIn message or take a call if someone reaches out to you. If you are interested in the company and not the role, you can let them know what you are looking for so that they keep you in mind for any future positions.
Red flags
Never pay someone else to get you an interview. The hiring company will pay the recruiter.
Never give personal information like banking information or any part of your SSN.
When in doubt, reach out to your Eastside Career Coach!