Are you ready to take action for your future?

As a senior in college, my time to prepare for the professional world is quickly dwindling. Below I have included six steps to ensure you are adequately equipped for future success. While these tips are not a comprehensive list of everything to tackle before graduation, they provide a great starting place.

1. Develop A Personal Brand

First and foremost, your brand is one of the most valuable things you own. A personal brand includes your reputation, identity, mission, purpose, and more! Although the aspects of your brand will change and grow over time, your reputation will likely stay consistent. To ensure a positive reputation, take an active approach and build a good foundation. Start with friends, peers, professors, and networking. Constantly working to improve your personal brand will benefit you not only in your career but also in life. LinkedIn is a great platform to showcase your personal brand, values, and skills. If you haven’t done so already, I highly recommend creating a LinkedIn profile. This will help you keep track of achievements and network with employers, friends, colleagues, and more. Check out Grace’s story to learn more about LinkedIn!

2. Build A Strong Resume and Portfolio

Your resume is a list of contact information, experience, education, certifications, achievements, skills, and extracurricular activities. I think of a resume as a collection of everything you bring to the table. Your resume should be consistently formatted. Incorporating strong action verbs into your bullet points and emphasizing your strengths and abilities will set you apart from other candidates.

A portfolio is a collection of activities, accomplishments, achievements, and projects. For example, Graphic Design students keep all of their projects in one place— their portfolio. Unless you have artwork or something else to showcase, a portfolio may not be applicable.

3. Attend Workshops and Events

Workshops and events are a great way to network and expand your community. If you are like me, attending an event knowing nobody is frightening. Through experience, I can promise it is not as scary as it seems! One thing that helps me overcome my nerves is going into it without any expectations. Once you set expectations, it is easy to be disappointed; however, with no expectations, you will have a better mindset and (hopefully) a positive outcome. One low-risk event is getting professional headshots taken!

4. Be Proactive

You will never regret getting ahead of the game. Preparing now is essential. Previously, I didn’t believe those who told me college would go by in the blink of an eye. I am telling you from personal experience that it does. The worst thing you can do is wait to get a head start. Keep in mind that others aren’t going to wait around either. Do yourself a favor and get involved on and off campus now!

5. Seek Mentorship

Mentors are a great way to learn and gather information from someone who has been in your shoes prior. Mentors can be someone in your major who is older than you or someone outside of the college realm. Auburn graduates make great mentors. If you are in HCOB, Harbert Connects is a resource to get connected with mentors.

6. Participate in Leadership Roles

Leadership positions are key. Skills, experience, and community are some of the benefits of participating in a leadership role. In my experience, leadership positions have made a greater impact on my professional skills and personal life than I expected. Leadership experience also looks impressive on a resume. Utilize this tip to enhance your resume when internship hunting or job searching!

Get a head start now and…

Be Well, Auburn!