How to prepare for a dream job with the first university course

Every year from Russian universities produce about 600 thousand students (and we are talking only about the "regular enrollment"). However, only few of them are arranged in the top 100 best companies of the country. In any large company to claim a place on average 50-100 candidates, and in the leading consulting firms, the competition comes to a couple of hundred people in place. If you are aiming to start a career in a top company, it needs serious long preparation. It is advisable to start it already in the first year of university.

1. prioritize

Costavte list of goals for the next six months, and follow him. Try to learn how to set goals for S.M.A.R.T. - This principle is used in the work in all the major companies. S.M.A.R.T. - acronym, each letter of which is responsible for one of the performance criteria: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound. That is, any target should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-limited.

Every big goal is divided into smaller sub-tasks that must be performed according to their priority. Do not forget to include them in the daily to-do lists and record all the important information in a notebook or application (for example, Wunderlist or Trello).

2. Take part in various projects and accumulating communication

Be active: participate in conferences, write research papers, create projects, solve cases in the championships. This will help to accumulate a portfolio that you can show your future employer. The ability to make new acquaintances often plays a crucial role in our lives. It is the "weak links" (you can read about them in more detail in the book Meg Jay "important years") Sometimes help settle most important and urgent problems.

3. Cultivate hard skills

All the skills needed to build a career can be divided into two groups: soft skills ( «soft», communication skills) and hard skills ( «hard" skills). Hard skills - this is directly related to the ability to work. Among them are versatile and specially sharpened for your industry. By universal, for example, refers fluency programs MS Excel and MS PowerPoint - it will help employment in any large company.

4. Do not forget about the soft skills

The soft skills, I would highlight three important components.

Firstly, general communication skills, the ability to maintain a conversation with anyone. It also has to learn. For example, I consciously began to discuss with friends, not only personal issues, but also business issues. Another option - is to compete in solving business problems (cases), which willy-nilly start to discuss.

Second, structural thinking. You must be able to operate on the principle of pyramid Minto: decompose the problem from the general to the particular, then put forward several hypotheses, and analyze them to move to a conclusion and recommendations.

Third, certainly need the skill problem solving - the ability to solve the problem by using an integrated approach and focus on results.

5. Learn English

Leading employers value people who are able to communicate fluently in a foreign language. A more fluency in English will increase the chances of education for the university exchange abroadThat it is also appreciated in top companies.

In the future, be sure to go through the certification IELTS, TOEFL or FCE, to confirm their knowledge of a foreign university or a specialist recruitment. Surround yourself with everything that is connected with English: see movies, Series and cartoons in the original, listen to foreign music, put English in the interfaces of their devices. Immerse yourself in the language of the maximum - so the training will go faster and will bring better results.

6. Learn to cope with stress

Learn to manage stress. Even if you have a normalized graph of study and there is no urgent tasks, you're still subject to it. The rhythm of the big city is constantly affects us, so it is important to learn to relax.

Experiment and choose what you like. It can be physical exercise, yoga, massage, reading, walking outdoors. Do not forget the emotional component - to meet with the people you are really expensive, spend time with friends and family. It is important to personal relationships, rather than correspondence in social networks.

7. Be curious

In order to understand in what area you might be interested build a career, You need to constantly monitor changes in the labor market and to know what professions are relevant, and what - no, to understand that you come up and where it will be comfortable.

Examine the main areas of business, actively developing in Russia. Read business publications and focus on sections with news companies. Keep track of favorite sites of employers and their pages on social networks. Sign up for the group, and distribution of useful information about career development.

8. Choose a dream company

You should always allocate 3-5 priority companies for employment and have 10-15 as an alternative. Moreover, all companies should be of interest to you. Otherwise, there is no chance, because everyone is looking for motivated employees.

Try as soon as possible to find a way to get into one of the selected companies to explore it from the inside and understand how much you are comfortable to work in it. You can go to practice or internship. Internships - the best option for your future career. It may be short, but the inclusion of the activity will be complete and you will get not only financial rewards, but also experience and recommendations.

9. Create a resume

Summary - this is your way to a future employer. Try to make it notable, but not pretentious. Be sure to include summary The following blocks: first and last name, contacts, work experience, if any. Be sure to tell about his education and useful skills that you possess.

If you have, for obvious reasons, does not yet have experience, tell us about your activities outside the study: may you walk in the student council of the faculty, engaged in volunteering, or acting for the university sports command. Besides the story about your hobbies and accomplishments will describe you as an employee are not robot, but as a versatile person with whom interesting to work. Then, checking resume several times, place it on top of career sites.

10. Be free and open to all new

Stop worrying about what other people may think about you. You do not have to follow any pre-established script. Do not be afraid to take risks, to take on new projects and to change your life the way you want. Determine for yourself the dates on which you would like to learn something, to try a new activity, or purchase new skill - once a week, a month or 2-3 months. Keep a journal of your achievements. Before you open all the way, and now is the time to actively move toward your dreams and goals. Go for it!

see also

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