Independent Job Search

If you've looked into the fall recruiting program here at Brown and have not seen any positions posted that are in your field of interest, there may be a very good reason why.

Some employers, typically in the business arena—know what their hiring cycles will look like. They know that they want to hire a certain number of new graduates every summer, so they come to our career fairs in the fall and they interview and make job offers to students early in your senior year.

Most organizations do not hire using this staffing model. Most employers focus on "real time" hires, or "as-needed" hiring. So what does that mean?

For starters, it means that you will be performing your job search in earnest on a very different timeline than your roommate who is looking for a position in financial services. So resist the urge to freak out and apply for anything you see in the fall just because you think you "should" be interviewing like your friends. If you do not see any opportunities in your career field of interest on Brown Career Connection in the fall recruiting cycle, it's okay! Chances are there will be positions posted in the spring that are more up your alley.

So what should you be doing for your career search in the fall semester? You should be prepping for something called "The Independent Job Search". Here are some steps:

  • Meet with a career counselor to outline your timeline and strategy! We frequently meet with students early on in their search, or before their search even begins, in order to outline career development steps, help them figure out their skills, values, and interests, and help them through the application process.
  • Start to build your network (or reconnect with your contacts). Use BRUnet, the Brown Alumni Career Network to identify alumni to chat with about your career path. This is a great time to talk to alumni about careers in a less-pressured environment, because you're not really looking for a position until the spring semester. Other potential networking contacts include: oh, everyone. Talk to your family, your friends, your friends' families, your family friends, your professors, your advisors, your former internship supervisors and anyone else you may run into in your daily life (We have heard stories from Brown students who meet someone on the plane ride home for spring break and end up with a job interview). Let people know what your goals are so that if they know of a position opening up in the summer, they'll keep you in mind.
  • Identify niche websites in your career field. Interested in media? Mediabistro.com is the place to search. Didn't know about that website? This is the time to search for more like it (of course, you can always check out our handy resources section!) When you talk to contacts in your career field, be sure to ask them what databases they use when searching.
    QUICK NOTE: You will be looking to collect websites and review job descriptions during the fall semester, but you will NOT be applying to positions at that time. Employers post positions on public sites when they are ready to hire, and you will likely not be ready to take a full time position until the summer. If you are looking for a position to start in the summer, start applying in late March or April.
  • Identify potential employers: So far you have met with a counselor and figured out that you are interested in working for an NGO in the US. Great! The next step is that you should identify as many potential employers that you can. Of course, for nonprofit careers, check idealist.org, but also use Career Search to figure out what organizations to target, then keep track of those potential employers by checking their websites, looking for them on job search sites, cross-referencing to see if that organization has worked with Brown students in the past (check Brown Career Connection), or if they have any alumni working there—and start developing contacts in those places.
  • Track your data! Use a spreadsheet to keep track of who you have contacted, what advice they gave you, and what jobs you saw on which websites. That way, most of your prep work has already been done, and once you hit March you are ready to go!

The independent search, like any career search, can be challenging. Work with the counselors at the CDC to ease your way into the process. Whether you know what you're looking for or you aren't even sure you ever want to leave the comfort of Brown, we can help.