One aspect of choosing a career is deciding what type of company to work for. With the tough job market, many graduates take the first opportunities that they are offered. Instead of taking your first opportunity, I urge you to figure out your priorities with your career path. Is it worth it to take a job that does not suit you just to be job searching again in 3 months or is it better for your interests to wait it out and secure a position with a company on “Your Best Companies to Work For List”?
BestCompaniesAZ shows the top companies to work for in Arizona, as well as other geographic regions. This is a great starting point to start researching the job openings in your preferred region. If you click on “Careers” you can start scanning available jobs. By looking at the descriptions on why each company is the best to work for, you can begin to compile your list of requirements for your personal ‘best’ list. Factors such as vacation time, salary, work environment, retirement funds, and location may make your “list.” Getting a lot of vacation time may be preferable to you than a high salary, which can prompt you to strive towards certain companies.
Next Steps
So you have narrowed down the top companies you would like to work for after you graduate, depending on factors such as geographic location, salary, work environment, etc. Your next step is to attend the Part-Time Job Fair coming up in August. What is the Part-Time Job Fair? It’s exactly what it sounds like – a job fair with companies or organizations that have at least one part-time position available. These could be on or off campus. Now if we backtrack, let’s look at your list again. Are any of these top companies going to be at the job fair? If so, this is a great opportunity to get your foot in the door! If not, a part-time job with an organization recruiting on-campus may help you build the skills you need to ultimately get hired by your ‘best’ companies. Meanwhile, find out if they are hiring or have any internships available and then apply.
The 100 Best Companies from the website above may not be on “Your Best Companies to Work for List”. However, I urge you to think about what types of qualities are on your list. Once you have identified a few key companies, or ideal positions, you can strategically build your qualifications with that position in mind. Sound complicated? Remember, Gateway Career Services is happy to sit down and assist you!