Who’s ready for graduation? I know I can’t wait to be done with school and move on to the next chapter of my life, but the uncertainty of what lies ahead is very daunting. As a graduate intern at the Tisch Office of Career Development I get to interact with many students like myself who are trying to prepare for life after graduation. I thought I would share what I have been doing as commencement draws nearer and include some useful tips for your transition into becoming a Tisch alum.
I started off by reflecting during winter break about what I was looking for in my post-grad life and future job. I would recommend thinking about questions such as these:
● When you think about what matters most to you after graduation, what qualities stand out?
● Is staying in New York going to be the best step? Heading to LA? Moving to another artistic hub?
● Is it going to be best for you to have an industry job right now or have a sustainable day job while you work on your artistic endeavors? Or a combination of the two?
● What is your money situation like? Are you able to take some time off to look for a job or do you need some income right after graduation? What do you need to make ends meet?
● What is going to set you up in the best possible way for where you see yourself in 5-10 years?
I also asked myself what qualities of a job matter most to me. How important are the following things to you (if they even are important to you):
● Salary, work schedule, and hours
● Opportunities to develop useful skills
● How well employees work together
● Size and reputation of the office/company
● Will you be challenged creatively
Figuring out what you want will make it easier to start looking at work and to talk about your interests in cover letters and interviews. Once I had thought about what was going to make me happy at work, I started polishing up all the items that I was going to use to market myself. I would suggest sending people in your network, such as past/present internship supervisors and professors, copies of your resume and cover letter, and make sure your LinkedIn, other social media sites, and online portfolios are up to date. I send my resume and cover letter drafts with a link to the job description to about five different people in my network. This way I can get all of their different opinions on what my resume and cover letter should look like for the work that I want.
Reaching out to potential references should also be done during this time so that the references know that they may be contacted to talk about you. I think it’s also a great idea to set up informational interviews. I ask people who I look up to or who have careers similar to what I want to go to coffee so I can learn more about their journey and get any advice they may have.
And don’t forget to come visit me and take advantage of the Tisch Office of Career Development! Come and get your resume and cover letter looked at and make sure to sign up for workshops, fairs, and events on Tisch College Central. This semester, we have programs geared specifically for seniors, including “Life After Tisch” (April 6), an LA meet-up (April 15), and Industry Meet & Greets (April 18-19). For more information, go to www.nyu.edu/tisch/career or visit the office on the 2nd floor of 726 Broadway.
Congratulations on your upcoming graduation and I’ll see you at Yankee Stadium! #Classof2016 #CongratAGrad