The search process is more than just applying online and waiting for an interview. Instead, use a proactive search strategy that involves conducting targeted outreach. With targeted outreach, you directly contact individuals and communities of interest. As a bonus, these connections can also give you access to decision-makers (those that make the hiring decisions) and expose you to unposted internship and job opportunities.
As you develop your outreach strategy, focus on the three tasks below.
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Attend events and actively participate in communities
Professional communities and events allow you to be an active participant in the field or industry you want to join! You learn what is happening in the industry and interact with people doing cool things that can give you insider knowledge of fields, organizations, and roles.
Actions:
- Participate in events and communities that align with your professional interests. Places you might look include Handshake, LinkedIn Groups, and Graduate Student Groups.
- Engineering Master’s students at Pratt – Subscribe to EMP Career Coach Alerts on MS Teams and make sure you’re getting the notifications to hear about events as they come up direct from Pratt Master’s in Engineering Career Coaches.
- Send thank-you notes and status updates to individuals you have engaged with to stay connected and continue to grow your professional relationship.
- Reflect on the feedback, knowledge, and advice gained to adapt your search.
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Perform Informational Interviews
You naturally explore different fields, organizations, and roles as you search for an internship or job. Talking to people gives you the opportunity to double-check your assumptions, get insider information, learn what it takes to get entry into a field, identify leads to roles before they are even posted, and potentially meet contacts who may be willing to refer you for openings, or introduce you to others who may help you along the way. This is a key part of networking, but don’t let the word ‘networking’ scare you! It’s basically the same thing as ‘making professional friends.’
To learn how to navigate informational interviews, we recommend you refer to our Talk to People > Conduct Informational Interviews step.
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Track Your Progress Using Metrics
Using progress metrics allows you to evaluate how you are spending your time and celebrate your successes, such as participating in an event, engaging in a networking conversation, or being invited to an interview! Not only will metrics help you assess your progress and identify improvement areas, but they also help you feel accomplishment throughout your search.
Actions:
- See our step within Setup Your Search to Decide and act on systems for time management, tracking applications and correspondence.
- Track your search efforts using the Excel chart adapted from Orville Pierson’s The Unwritten Rules of the Highly Effective Job Search and review this handout with the definitions of each category.
- Evaluate your progress and celebrate your successes weekly or bi-weekly and make goals for the upcoming period. As you evaluate your progress and goal-setting, chat with a career coach!
- See our step within Setup Your Search to Decide and act on systems for time management, tracking applications and correspondence.
