Before You Begin...  

When it comes to finding fulltime employment or an internship, a technical degree such as Computer Science will normally give you the edge in just about any job market. Add to this the fact that your degree is from Carnegie Mellon, and your edge gets even bigger. Even with a marketable degree, however, it's important to understand how the job search process works.

Why? For one thing, the demand for new graduates can change with the fortunes of the economy. If fewer companies are actively recruiting on campus, then you'll need to know some alternative search strategies. Second, after all of your hard work in academia, you don't want just ANY job-you want THE job. The right position, the right location, the right compensation package. And landing that ideal job offer may take some doing-and some job search smarts. We all have unique job qualifications and unique employment targets, but there are some general tips and pieces of advice that work for everyone. Listed below are six of them.

KNOW WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR: You may not know exactly what type of job that you're seeking, but you can at least begin to narrow things down. Some candidates, for example, would be happy in a job that involved a lot of software engineering; others would prefer more of a consultant type of position. Or some people prefer working at large corporations, while others are happiest in a smaller, more informal organization.

As you go through the job search process and gather more information through interactions with employers, as well as internship and other work experiences, you'll find this particular part of the process will get easier. There are a variety of assessment instruments designed to provide you with more information about your likes and dislikes. The Career Center offers two of these- the Strong Interest Inventory and the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI).

START EARLY: The process of recruiting, interviewing, and hiring takes time. A lot of technical recruiting happens during the fall-if you wait until spring, you'll miss out on some opportunities. And be prepared to be patient--the employer with whom you talked with in late September may not make you an offer until February or March.

Bottom line--the earlier that you can begin, the better.

KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE TO OFFER: The job search process starts with identifying those things that define you as a candidate. Having a degree from Carnegie Mellon (or being in the process of earning one) isn't enough. Employers want to know what makes you stand apart from other candidates-things such as experience, 'soft skills' (such as problem solving and teamwork), special areas of expertise, activities.

KNOW HOW TO ADVERTISE WHAT YOU'VE GOT: Presentation is everything-your resume and cover letter should be concise yet informative, and you should have a 'game plan' for interviewing and for working a job fair. You can get some help in these areas by attending a Career Center Workshop.

USE MULTIPLE STRATEGIES: You can find a lot of potential employment opportunities through TartanTRAK, job postings, and job fairs, but all of these represent only a fraction of the companies that are looking for candidates. Networking, proactively contacting recruiters, and visiting company/organization web sites are just a few of the many ways to find a job or internship. And the more strategies that you use, the better your chances.

BE CONSISTENT IN YOUR JOB SEARCH CAMPAIGN: Block off time in your weekly schedule for job searching. It doesn't need to be a lot of time (most of you don't have a lot of spare time anyway). The important thing is consistency-even a total of a couple of hours each week over the course of a semester will make a big difference. Throughout your search, keep in mind that you're not alone. The Career Center is open throughout the academic year, as well as through the summer months, to help and advise you through the process.