If all goes as planned, I’m going to be graduating in April. I haven’t even begun my last year at school and I’m already a little nervous about job applications. It dawned on me earlier this summer, that this ‘summer’ was indeed my last. Not my last season, but my last ‘summer’. Next year, there will be no summer internship, no summer vacation, no summer break. Next year, school’s out… for life! Or at least until I’m ready for my master’s.

Maybe I’m jumping the gun a little on this one, but I’ve already been thinking/planning/stressing out over my next career move. I’m going to have to start applying in January! I’ve already been looking into a couple different positions at different companies, but the truth is that there are so many opportunities out there! All kinds of different positions and different training programs, there are a ton of opportunities for recent grads! There are SO many options in fact, that sometimes it’s hard to know where to begin applying.

If you didn’t already know, I’m into finance. Although I’m not in a business program at school, business and finance has just become a passion of mine over the last couple years, strange for an International Development student huh? Anyway, now that my time as a student is soon to run out, I’ve been looking into entry-level positions at various financial institutions to find one that is the perfect fit for me.

Hoping that my intern summers have equipped me with the knowledge to know a good gig from a dead-end, I’ve been sifting through job requisitions trying to find one that really strikes a cord.
It really isn’t as easy as it sounds though. Even finding a job description that resonates can be difficult. All the requisitions have vague descriptions like: “The ideal candidate has a positive attitude and a general interest in finance.” Well no duh. Basically, I think what a lot of requisitions are trying to get across is “Your resume should be decent, but we’ll decide if we really like you when we meet you.”

A couple weeks ago, I met with a new mentor in the financial industry who told me that, how far you get in this industry, has a lot to do with what you’re like to work with. It’s too early for me to tell, but I think she was right. Some positions in the financial industry have a lot of required accreditations, CSC, CPH, MBA, CFA, CA, CFP, but once you get those under your belt, a lot of your successes will have to do with your attitude and if you’re pleasant to work with.

Maybe that’s what those vague job requisitions are talking about…

Either way, you can probably look forward to a couple more blog entries from me about job hunting and life after university, because that’s what’s on my mind this month! (Isn’t blogging the best thing ever?) Feel free to leave a comment about any thoughts or concerns you might have about life after graduation and job hunting!