3 things college seniors can do this summer to prepare for the job hunt

Summer is heating up, and if you’re graduating in the next year, so is the job search.

Work-life balance, creative opportunity and upward mobility are top of mind for Gen Z adults searching for work, according to a 2022 national survey.

But as Gen Z is set to overtake Boomers in the job market this year, it might take some advanced legwork to snag the job you want. Luckily, CNBC Make It has talked to plenty of experts and recruiters over the years about their best pieces of career advice.

Whether you’re in the throes of a summer internship, enrolled in classes or taking it easy, here are three things you can do now to get a head start on job hunting.

Networking doesn’t have to be all business, though. Be friendly and personal in your approach, Byron Slosar, a career expert and CEO of HelloHive, a career platform, said.

Rather than hammering home your internships and accolades, “take a close look at all of your life experiences, not just your professional ones,” Slosar said. While networking eventually loops back to your desired industry, being open about more personal aspects of your life can lay the groundwork for a genuine connection.

That might look like talking about “‘grit and hustle’ jobs like driving for Uber Eats or working part-time in a restaurant to being a first-generation college student or student-athlete,” said Slosar, experiences that might have developed you professionally, but aren’t on your resume.

You should also try to connect with folks by expressing your admiration or appreciation for their work. Shooting off a short, honest message can go a long way, Keita Williams, the founder of Success Bully, said.

You might not always get a response, or if you do, it might make it seem like the recipient is brushing you off. But the initial message still puts you on their radar, which isn’t a bad thing.

“A genuine compliment can break the ice,” Williams said. “Most people like to be flattered or appreciated.”

You’ve probably already tweaked and edited your resume dozens of times in the past, but it doesn’t hurt to go through another round of checks. Resumes are usually one page for new grads and “should be a list of your accomplishments, mixed in with some job duties,” Stefanie Fackrell, a former recruiter for Google and Nvidia, said.

Instead of going through your daily routine at a job or internship, emphasize areas of success and growth, Fackrell said.

And don’t even bother opening up that bright Canva template. Fackrell said applicants should “make it boring” and ditch the colors and pictures.

You’ll probably be applying for several roles as graduation approaches, which means countless rounds of interviews. The pressure to make a good first impression is daunting, but the more you practice, the more you’ll feel at ease communicating, LinkedIn career expert Andrew McCaskill said.

“Interviews are a performance art, and to perform well, you have to rehearse,” he said. “The best interviewers are the people who have rehearsed their talking points with a mentor, a friend or even an old co-worker because that helps you feel confident and comfortable talking about yourself.”

Even though an interview can and should feel like a conversation, at the end of the day, you’re trying to convince a recruiter you’re the best fit for the position you’re going after. You might feel an urge to go on and on about your talents and experiences, but it’s best to keep it short, HR executive and former Disney recruiter Simon Taylor said.

Recruiters tend to have packed schedules, so long responses eat away at their already limited time. Prepare answers that hint at your experiences, offering recruiters the option to look beneath the surface, Taylor said.

“Give them teasers of the other things you can talk about relative to that experience and let them do the digging,” he said.

Once you’ve practiced a few sample responses, McCaskill said the best closing pitch an applicant can prepare shows both enthusiasm and confidence.

Here’s the golden sentence, according to McCaskill:

“I want to underscore how much I want this job. I think my skills and experiences are perfect for it, and that I could have a strong, positive impact on the team. Here’s why…”

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