Dear College Seniors,

If you’re a senior in college and you have a job lined up, congrats! That’s awesome. But this isn’t for you. So take your offer letter and get out of here.

This article is for the people like me. The students who went into their senior year with no Big 4 internships, no offers lined up, and no idea where to start.

If you’re in the same boat, you might be stressed and worried. I get it. It’s scary. The ‘real world’ is coming and you don’t know what you’re going to do. I want to calm those fears and tell you where to start.

Don’t stress too much. For 2 reasons.

1. If you put in the effort needed, you will give yourself a great chance of landing an awesome job.

2. Things work out in the end. No matter what happens you will be ok and make the most of your situation.

I really want to emphasize #2. Things always work out ok. The things we stress about rarely happen. And if they do, we always have the chance to make the most of whatever situation arises from it. So don’t stress, you will be ok (as long as you put in the effort).

That’s the key though. Gotta put in the effort. If you don’t things probably won’t work out perfectly. The universe rarely helps people who don’t help themselves. But to quote one of the best books you can read (especially as a college student),

“When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you achieve it.”

(It’s the Alchemist btw.)

It’s so true. If you give it your all the universe will help you out along the way.

But alright, now for some more practical advice.

1. Start your job search by finding a list of all the companies you might be interested in (as an accounting major I used this list of the top 100 accounting firms in the US).

   Start at the top and go down. If they have an open position, apply to it. If they don’t cross it off and move on.

2. Start doing it now. (start of the fall semester). Send 4 per week. You’ll hit 50 applications before the semester ends.

3. Get involved with the accounting club. Go to meetings. You will meet other accounting classmates which is great. You guys can stress about the job hunt together.

   But more importantly, you will meet recruiters who come to speak to the club. Iquestionsntroduce yourself to them. Follow up with an email to thank them for their time and let them know you applied/are going to apply. Or ask any question you may have.

   Just this small interaction will give you a better chance as it creates a connection to the firm and you’re not just a random application they received.

4. Don’t be afraid of cold emailing. If you see a company you’re interested in but they have no openings, just send an email to the recruiter anyway. Introduce yourself and let them know you’re interested if anything opens up. They will appreciate this and definitely give you a better shot when something does open up.

5. Expand your boundaries. Apply places that you hadn’t initially considered. Big companies, small companies, start-ups, NFPs, anywhere. Random places sometimes have less competition and more potential career growth. You might fall into an industry you never would have anticipated.

   Take more shots and you’ll score more baskets.

6. Get someone to help you with your resume, cover letter, and interview skills.

   These are 3 of the most important things when it comes to finding a job. Make sure they are great. Lots of campuses have free resources you can use. Or you can pay someone to help you (that’s what I did). Just make sure they know what they’re doing. It’s an investment that will pay off pretty quickly.

   And for even more help you can check out these 2 videos: here and here

Put in the work and you’ll give yourself a great chance at success. And even if things don’t initially work out the way you want them to, just hang in there. It will work out.

Oh, and last thing. The job market is pretty bad right now. So just another reason to not get down on yourself if you’re not hearing back. Just keep taking shots and eventually, you’ll score :)