Class of 2015, REJOICE! Graduation is just around the corner and we are ready to throw those caps and hit the nearest pubs. But the next morning, we will be hit, not only by a massive hangover, but also by real life. The moment we have all been dreading is here, it’s time for the long tiring depressing nerve wrecking journey, aka: The Job Hunt.
“Shu traduction ya3ne? Metel Google translate?” If I’m given a penny every time someone asks me this question I’d be super rich and I’m sure I’m not the only one. We, my fellow ETIBers, chose a very tricky domain. Are we walking dictionaries? Are we linguists? Are we writers, co-writers? Five years later and we’re still trying to figure out who we are and who we want to become and before we do, we can’t start building a career. Someone once told me “if you hate Mondays don’t blame Monday, it’s just a day, it’s your job that sucks.” So before sending your CV to every translation company in the world and the far galaxies (unless you somehow picked up Martian at USJ), make sure this is what you really want, make sure you’re passionate or else you’ll hate every single minute of it. Reality check though, there’s a chance you will not land your dream job right after graduation but make sure you’re on the right path.
Here are some tips.
Build a strong CV, endure long pay-less internships because they’re the only experience you can gain before graduating, and the bigger the name, the easier it’ll be to get job interviews.
Connections, I cannot emphasize enough on the importance of your phone book. Every person you meet at University, during your internship or even at a friend’s gathering can be a potential future opportunity.
Focus on making a big impact, the quicker you make an impact in a company, the more attention and support you will get; we fully understand this because we’re not willing to wait five more years to get the big projects. Prove your worth in the company.
Take risks, by taking risks you are putting yourself in a position to learn, you never know what tomorrow hides, a simple new experience can lead to an unexpected change of career path, and you just might like it!
So as we hand in our last final papers and say goodbye to our crazy party years, keep in mind that our lives have just begun, all that we have learned, all that we have been through, are only the warm-up for adulthood. Our golden years are yet to come, so step away Google. We might slip on the way but that’s ok, we’re used to wearing heels, we pick ourselves up after every fall, heads held high ready to conquer the world and kick some Google Translate derrière.
