SC&I Job Search Guide
A guide to networking and job searches for students in Rutgers' School of Communication & Information.
Related Guides
- Career ServicesThis guide is designed to supplement your career planning with helpful links to online resources. Includes highlights from our careers collection, links to job boards, and information on researching companies.
- Building Your Professional NetworkThis guide offers tips and additional resources for building your professional network. If you are planning on going into academia, be sure to check out the section on scholarly networking.
- Interviewing TipsAn excellent guide from the Rutgers- Camden Career Center, covering everything from how to prepare (and dress) to salary negotiations.
Advice
Ready: Do some background research.
- Visit job boards and locate postings in your area of interest and notice the various job titles, requirements, and the language used in the posts. This information may impact the language in your resume.
- Decide on the geographic boundaries of your search. Are you willing/able to relocate? If not, what is an acceptable commuting distance? Perhaps that radius can be expanded for hybrid positions
Set: Prepare your materials.
- Your resume can be adapted to highlight the specific requirements of a particular job, but your basic resume should be ready for public viewing. Have multiple people review it before you consider it complete.
- Consider you professional reference list. This article (link) provides some helpful advice.
- Create a list of job boards, some general and some area specific. Sign up for alerts that will regularly notify you when new postings that match your criteria are listed.
Go: Let’s get to it!
- Treat your job search like a job by setting aside time daily to focus on finding posts and completing applications.
General Resources
Services:
- Rutgers Career StudioThe Career Studio is a virtual common space where students can drop in and get on-the-spot assistance with their career journey from the comfort of their own computer.
- Rutgers Career AdvisingCareer advisors are available to assist eligible Rutgers University-New Brunswick students and alumni with a range of career-related issues on an individual basis. By appointment only.
Videos & Podcasts:
- LinkedIn Learning
LinkedIn Learning has a wealth of job-search webinars available, and is available (for free!) to all Rutgers students. - CareerCloud Radio
Career podcasts for the 21st-century jobhunter. Guests include resume writers, career coaches, recruiters and job seekers. Topics include resumes, interviewing, job resources & leveraging social media to job hunt. Updated monthly. - Career Builders Podcast
Conversations that build careers, with Lisa Plain (Petkovsek) and Mike Bird. A weekly show for 20- and 30-somethings who take their careers (but not themselves!) really, really seriously.
Books:
When Can You Start? by ISBN: 9781642797503Publication Date: 2020-02-04
Networking
Videos & Podcasts:
- The Ultimate Guide to Professional Networking (LinkedIn Learning) The business world is constantly evolving. If you're following networking advice from the past, then you're missing huge opportunities for your career and future. In this course, get expert tips that can help you refine your approach and become a master networker. Serial entrepreneur Dana Robinson shows how to network the right way by making genuine connections. He shares tips for finding the right networking opportunities and creating a network that will serve you through different phases of your career. Along the way, he provides advice for avoiding pitfalls, building your networking skills as either an introvert or an extrovert, making the most of trade shows and conferences, and more.
- How to Network When You Don't Like Networking (LinkedIn Learning) Don’t like networking? You’re not alone. In this course, adapted from the podcast How to Be Awesome at Your Job, bestselling author and global speaker Devora Zack explains why you don’t need to work the room to build great connections. Devora highlights three critical differences in how introverts and extroverts socialize, from the way they think to the way they talk. She provides tips to smoothly start, sustain, and end conversations, and some advice for presenting yourself and easing any pre-networking jitters. Plus, get practical advice on re-connecting after an event is over and following up in person or online.
- How To Hack Networking | David Burkus | TEDxUniversityofNevada What if all the advice we've heard about networking is wrong? What if it's not about meeting strangers but about getting a better understanding of the existing network that’s already around you? In this talk David Burkus, author of the book "Friend of a Friend", examines the science of how networks work and reveals what the best networkers really do.
Resumes & Cover Letters
Services:
- Resume WordedResume Worded allows you to upload your resume and LinkedIn profile and get feedback to improve your resume and optimize your LinkedIn profile. You can also upload a job description and Resume Worded will help you target your resume to that job. *Handshake account required (free.)
- Resume & Cover Letter Review (SC&I-specific)Meet with a SC&I advisor for a custom review of your resume or cover letter (30 minutes). Also available as an asynchronous service. Requires a free Handshake account.
Interviewing
Services:
- InterviewStreamInterviewStream allows you to rehearse questions online and further develop strong interview skills. You can select from thousands of sample interview questions and review your performance online individually, or with a Career Advisor. Handshake account (free) required.
- Mock Interviews & Interview StrategiesPrepare for an upcoming interview by meeting with a SC&I advisor or scheduling a mock interview (30 minutes.) Requires a free Handshake account.
Videos & Podcasts:
- Expert Tips for Answering Common Interview QuestionsIn this collection of bite-sized videos, get expert tips that can help you confidently tackle these and other common questions—and, ultimately, ace your next job interview. Plus, get insights on how to dress for your interview, project confidence with your body language, negotiate your salary, and more.
- How to Rock an InterviewUp your interview game. Learn how to rock an interview and land your dream job, in this course adapted from the popular podcast How to Be Awesome at Your Job.
- Optimize Your Resume for Applicant Tracking SystemsIn this course, career strategist Jenny Foss explains how recruiters use this applicant tracking software, as well as how to create a winning resume—one that’s not just a compelling read for recruiters, but also optimized for the ATS.