In this article, I am sharing with you what I have personally done while I was studying, that later on kickstarted my career.

The thing here is that I not only want you to get a job. I want you to get THE job. You deserve to do something you REALLY want to do. And for that, you first need to find out what it is.

Let’s find out answers to these questions:

• What is the job you want?
• Do you necessarily need to start from an entry-level position? (I skipped that one and so can you!)
• What is the type of company you want to work in? Do you want to work in a big corporate or a small startup? Tech or fashion?
• What is the atmosphere you want to experience in the workplace?

Why are these questions important? Once you know the answers to them, you can more easily navigate what activity you choose to do while you study.

Many of my peers did not understand the choices I made at that time. And neither did I fully, in all honesty. I was guided more by my gut, but my gut turned out to be a great coach to me.

Look up student organizations in your school or area

Choose one that fits you based on your answers to the questions at the beginning of the article. Are you going to join the school newspapers or tech club?

As students work in student organizations only while they’re studying, the organizations have a quick turnover. Now even though that would not be a good sign in a company, it’s normal in a student organization and is of benefit to you! This way you get a lot of responsibilities the moment you arrive and you get to do stuff you would be allowed to do in a normal work environment after several years.

I personally was a member of the worldwide student organization AIESEC. The moment I opened the door, I was handed a recruiter title and company clients and started hiring foreign graduates for them. Have I ever done it before? No! Have I learned quickly? Hell yes!

A year later I was no longer just a recruiter. I was also organizing conferences.

These are experiences like no other. They will not just teach you a thing or two, but they will also give you something to talk about during a job interview once you graduate. Imagine what it’s like to graduate and already be 2-3 years ahead of your competition.

Also, imagine this. People who join and are active in a student organization (for free) have a certain mindset. These are people who become your friends and your future network!

Pros and cons of student organizations

Pros

• in-depth experience
• building a network of like-minded and ‘future influential’ people

Cons

• you’re not getting paid

Joining a staffing agency for temporary jobs

I understand that I was fortunate enough to live in a country, where education is free. This might not be your case or circumstance. I still decided to make money on the side anyway working temporary jobs and here is why.

I chose a staffing agency, which was giving me options to choose gigs during the time I was available. I was usually working as a temporary receptionist, which even though does not sound very glamorous, had a lot of benefits!

During the four years of my studies, I have temporarily worked in about 15 companies. Can you imagine how well you start understanding the culture of a company just when you walk in? If you don’t like working in the company because you find the work environment toxic, or you don’t like the approach of the managers, or whatever it is, it is all okay. You are only there for a few days and next time you know you won’t accept a gig with this company.

This gives you the amazing benefit of (yes, coming back to the questions at the top) understanding what is the type of company you want to work at. This way you get a taste of different environments without skipping jobs.

If you are in a position where you need to be actively making money to survive or keep studying, this option might be just great for you!

Pros and cons of temporary jobs

Pros

• testing different environment
• building a network in many companies; someone can see your potential and could offer you a job after you graduate
• you are getting paid

Cons

• not gaining such in-depth knowledge and experience

I hope this article was helpful to you! Stay tuned to the next article in which we will discuss common job interview questions for fresh graduates.

Photo: GaudiLab/Shutterstock

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