Mercy College seniors are two months away from finishing their undergraduate degrees. Four years of undergrad, and before they know it, they will be hearing their name called at the Mercy College graduation ceremony. Receiving a degree is the ticket to a student’s future success.

Post-graduation, former students dedicate their time to finding a job relative to their field or choice of careers. Whether the job is correlated to your major or not, entering the workforce is a priority. Months before graduation prospective graduates should be getting ready to enter a whole new world. As seniors await the arrival of their commencement, preparation is crucial.

Resumes and cover letter are two words students have heard throughout their entire academic career. These two components are a representation of every person who enters the workforce looking for employment. Resumes represent work ethics, constancy, and skills. On the other hand, a cover letter is an outline of your personality. The objective of a cover letter is to tell the employer who you are and what you’re about in a limited amount of words. Resumes and cover letters are the main thing students should have handy at all times. Students should check their resumes often and update anything that could be helpful.

Mercy College students have the advantage of having countless advisors and professors who are always willing to help students. Future graduates before sending out job applications, should take advantage of the resources Mercy College has to offer. Have more than one advisor look over your resume and cover letter. Their constructive criticism could be the difference between you being recognized for your resume or ignored.

The next step after students have competed their resumes and cover letters, is sending out a piece of you to every company of your choice. Fill out applications and send out your resume as soon as possible. Future graduates should not overlook the fact that competition in the workforce is vast. Regardless if you have not gotten your degree, begin applying. The job application process takes time.

Having a portfolio is a must in the current job market. Degrees and grades are only half the battle. Being able to provide to an employer a collection of completed projects or work material will greatly increase your opportunities. Let employees know that you accomplished something while in college.

Students who have not come to terms with where they want to begin their career, the best thing to do is visit a job fair. A job fair is useful for two important reasons, networking and expanding your job search. Networking is crucial for prospective graduates.

Mercy MBA Alumni Rich Burke believes networking holds the key to opportunity. ”Networking and knowing what you’re talking about. Who you know can get you in the door. What you know can keep you there. Building a network creates opportunities; knowledge in the industry allows you to take advantage when those opportunities arise.”

Mercy College Career services is having a Career Fair on Thursday, April 3rd, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The spring career fair will be hosted at the at the Dobbs Ferry Campus in the Mercy Hall Rotunda.  It is encouraged that students attend career fairs to gain the prospective of future opportunities.

Students who are graduating in 2014, should keep their options open when applying for jobs. Work experience is valuable and increases your chances of finding an employer who values the skills you have gained from previous jobs. Along with job experience internship experience has become preferred amongst employers. Although students may look at internships as free labor, take advantage of internship opportunities to network. View internships as paying your labor dues for the future. Most people have to start at the bottom. Use your internship for all you can. By the end of it you could gain future job opportunities, as well as recommendation letters for graduate school, and hands on work experience.

Seniors who are interning now, do not hesitate to approach employees and ask them about future job opportunities, and their requirements. It shows initiative and dedication. If they liked your work ethics and how effective you were throughout the semester, it leaves and impression and the door open for future opportunity.

One effective way to network is by creating personal online profiles on websites such as Linkin. Linkin has become a popular base for employers and employees to set up resume profiles. It is a paperless resume. Set up profiles as soon as possible. Profiles eliminate the waiting time between employers and job seekers. It simplifies the job of the hiring companies. They can simply google a person’s name and their personal job profile appears on demand.

The web has become a tool for companies to post jobs, as well as a tool for those who are looking. Most companies post jobs on various sites like Monster and Craigslist. The job of future graduates, is to constantly look for open opportunities. Create personal profiles on job sights and begin applying.

The anticipation before graduation can be bitter sweet. Finding a job can take months. Why not speed up the process before you graduate? Get a head start, research job requirements and see in what ways you can improve your resume before graduation.