Marketing Yourself in College

Hey hey hey everybody! It’s Olivia, the ABIP intern, back writing another guest post for the blog. So far, I’ve covered my favorite books and royal style, but I’m switching it up today.

I’m a new college grad who recently secured her first “big girl job.” As I reflect on my time back as an undergraduate student, I realize certain things set me a part from my peers and ultimately led to my career success.

Take a look at my tips below, and if you’re looking for even more graduation inspiration (including Amy’s graduation gift ideas and her own college graduation party), you can take a peek at the graduation blog post series she did years ago when she had just graduated from college herself!

Use social media to your advantage

In today’s digital age, you can ensure that prospective employers will look at your social media pages. Make sure that the content you put into the digital space is appropriate and reflects who you are. Don’t feel the need to hide elements of your life, but instead focus on highlighting the best version of yourself. Another option is creating a professional or business account to share strictly career-related content.

Olivia’s Insider Tip: Create a website with relevant career examples on Wix to really make yourself really stand out in a crowd.

Take advantage of LinkedIn

When it comes to professional social media, take full advantage of all that LinkedIn has to offer. Customize your page to show off your relevant career experiences, awards, and features. Connect with your peers, teachers, and role models to build your network and share your accomplishments. Round out your profile with an amazing profile picture, snappy headline, and examples of your work. This is THE place to make meaningful connections with those in your industry.

Olivia’s Insider Tip: Customize your personal LinkedIn URL to your name so it looks clean and professional.

Create and cultivate your personal brand

This is the time to hone in on your best skills and share them. What are you exceptional at? What could you bring to a job that nobody else could? Reflect on group projects where you took certain roles. Are you a leader who organizes everything? Are you the creative who designs the presentation? Articulate your strengths and then translate those skills into your resume, LinkedIn, social media–you name it!

Olivia’s Insider Tip: If you’re having trouble, reach out to a professor who knows you well. They can certainly help you refine your strengths since they’ve seen you in action in the classroom.

Understand cover letter and resume fundamentals

When it comes to making a professional resume, Google is your best friend. See what other professionals in your field are using as a resume and model yours off of that. It’s important not to copy, but model after ones that inspire you. The worst thing that could happen is showing up with the same resume as someone else – yikes!

Olivia’s Insider Tip: Run your resume and cover letter through Grammarly. Spelling and grammar errors cause some recruiters to stop reading.

Utilize personal outreach + informational interviews

The best asset you have is being a student. Reach out to people you look up to in your career field and ask to speak with them. Be open to their advice and ask them questions. Most importantly, follow up and develop strong relationships with these people. They can be your biggest asset when you try to get an internship or a job.

Olivia’s Insider Tip: Always send a personalized thank you note after an interview, even informational. It’s classy and ensures that they remember you.

Keep saying yes!

Some of my most formative internships and career experience have come from my openness to different possibilities. It’s impossible to know what you like or what you’re skilled at until you try it. Say yes to all sorts of responsibilities, new projects, and more responsibilities. As a student, you have so much room to grow and learn and school is the best time to do it.

Olivia’s Insider Tip: Sit with your co-workers around lunch and break time. Building meaningful connections with those higher up than you can prove to be valuable when you enter the job market because you have someone who can vouch for you. 

Last, but certainly not least, dream big and reach for your goals! If you believe in yourself and work hard enough, anything is possible.

White Graduation Dress Ideas