Job Searching
Prepare for the Job Search
- Self-Assessment – Know yourself. Understanding your strengths and weaknesses and what is important to you will help you to focus your job search and market yourself more effectively to employers.
- Occupational Exploration – Explore your options and the many directions your major/career path can take you.
- Job Search Plan – Start early and develop a plan of action, including goals, outcomes, methods, and a timeline. Get organized and stay organized! Create a method for tracking who you apply to, what stage of the application process you are in and how you followed up with each employer.
- Resume and Cover Letter – Target your documents to each employer and opportunity. Have your resume and cover letter critiqued by a career counselor and perform periodic reviews on it yourself.
- Interviewing – Prepare yourself for the interview by researching the employer and position, dressing appropriately, being familiar with different types of interviews, knowing what questions to ask and what will be asked of you, practice interviewing and more.
- Follow-Up – Be sure to follow up after each step of the application process. This includes contacting employers after you apply, sending thank you letters after the interview or career fair, and keeping in touch with mentors or those with whom you networked.
Ways to Identify Job Opportunities
Online*
Log in to BullsEye (using the menu link at the top of this page) and search the job/internship database for a variety of openings. Upload your resume to BullsEye for employer consideration.- Job/Internship Search Engines – View a list by industry or specialty area.
- Volunteer & Service Opportunities
Additional Methods
- On-Campus Interviews – Participate in this program where employers visit campus to recruit UB students.
- Career Fairs and Events – Visit on-campus job and internship fairs organized by Career Services throughout the year.
- Employer Research – Target organizations of interest directly by researching employers in your field. Check their websites to see if they have internship programs or contact them directly to inquire about additional possibilities.
- Use CareerSearch, a directory of more than one million companies, to generate a list of organizations to target.
- Networking – Ask family and friends if they are aware of internship opportunities.
- Keep an eye out for bulletin boards, fliers, and other “word-of-mouth” advertising means.
Resources
- Job Searching in a Tough Economy: PDF (40KB) | Word (26KB)
- NACE
- National Association of Colleges and Employers’ digital publication which features job-search advice, interview tips, resume samples and links to employers interested in hiring new college grads. - National employment information, trends, and guides.
- Information provided by the (NACE) National Association of Colleges and Employers
- Recession Job Hunt Tips from Internsover40.com
- UB's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Engineering Career Institute
for engineering juniors seeking co-ops and internships.
- UB's School of Management Career Resource Center
can also assist School of Management students.
- UB's School of Law Career Services Office
- Research Librarian Cindy Ehlers, Career Services Liaison, is available to assist students with the job search resources. Location: 322 Lockwood Library. Phone: 645-7746.
Internet Safety Tips for Your Job Search
Using Internet job posting sites can be a very effective job search strategy, but students are urged to exercise caution when doing so and should be aware of scams that take advantage of job seekers.
The following are some tips to alert you to a possible scam:- You must give your credit card or bank account numbers, or copies of personal documents, but you get nothing in writing.
- You must send payment by wire service or courier.
- You are offered a large payment or reward in exchange for allowing the use of your bank account – often for cashing checks or transferring money.
- You receive an unexpectedly large check.
- You have to pay money up front for the promise of a job.
