Focus On The Important

Once you figure out where you want to go, wise students begin to focus on the things that will get them there. Obviously, some things are more important than others. It is easy to get distracted and waste time and energy on the unimportant. It is also easy to lose sight of the path and begin to move in the wrong direction.

What are some of the important things that students should focus on? 

  

a. Obtaining Good Grades 

b. Job Search Preparation Activities 

c. Building a List of Accomplishments 

d. Obtaining Some Job-Related Work Experience 

e. Demonstrating Leadership, Communication and People Skills 

f. Building Relationships with Potential References

Each of these activities is critical to landing a good job when you graduate. All require a sustained effort throughout the entire college experience. No serious student can afford to wait until the senior year to get started with these activities. They require an ongoing effort, so the benefits can accumulate slowly over time.

Things which matter most must never be at the mercy 

of things which matter least.

-- Goethe

Last minute flurries of effort and activity cannot achieve the results that will impress the best employers. Experienced recruiters look for substance. They recognize that many students try to take the easy way out. Only the best candidates understand that employers are seeking students who are prepared to perform over the long haul, strive for quality and are not easily distracted from the goal.

Things that are important require a plan, especially those that demand a sustained effort over a long period of time. Wise students:

- Identify the results that are desired 

- Determine the steps needed to achieve those results 

- Break complex steps down into small pieces 

- Prepare a semester-by-semester plan 

- Work on the plan every week 

- Focus on getting things done

We all know people who work very hard, but accomplish little. Effort without results will not impress employers. Results matter to the people who are going to pay you for your work. Would you hire someone who is not able to produce high quality results in a reasonable period of time?

The best employment candidates find out what is important to the employers they are pursuing. Then, they do everything in their power to obtain the experiences and demonstrate the knowledge, skills and accomplishments that are wanted, needed and expected by those employers. By the way, this all takes time. That is why they get started in the freshman year.

"People who aim at nothing will hit their targets with remarkable consistency."

Since employers do not just give away good jobs, you must earn them and compete for them. If you wait until you graduate to learn that lesson, it will be too late. Take notice now. Focus on the things that are important to the employers that will consider you for their employment opportunities.