Over the course of their internships, STC interns spent time considering career readiness— what it means for young people today, how it’s packaged, and why it’s important to have youth-centered conversations on work, pathways, school, and more. Here, STC intern Opeyemi explores the top career readiness tips she’s used so far.
After learning a couple tips and tricks from school on how to be career-ready, I’ve decided to list out three of the most important tips that stood out to me.
Find connections.
From a young age, I already knew that I wanted a career in business, and I knew that obtaining this career isn’t easy without the right connections. As a result, I felt the need to seek guidance in achieving career success by taking every opportunity that my school gave me and my peers to connect with people in the business field. Career Day is one of the events that my school has, and I’ve always made sure to make myself known in the room and ask questions that’ll make people remember me. It was really important for me to do so, because I could end up working at one of these companies one day, so it’s important for me to make sure that they remember this familiar face.
Work on your elevator pitch.
Create an elevator pitch on who you are, and what you plan on bringing to a company or organization to help elevate it. Everyday, companies are evolving, and job titles to present the brand’s image are being pulled out of thin air. Creating an elevator pitch allows employers to know who you are and what you can bring to the table to help achieve the company’s goal, or close the gap between them and their competition. You practice this by writing down a couple of examples of your best pitch and rehearsing them, and pick whichever pitch you feel as though fits you. You use it to present yourself and make your mark.
Identify your goals and how you plan to achieve them.
To say that you can obtain your goals in one day is unrealistic, but creating an agenda or plan with when you plan to achieve each goal is more obtainable. Write down all your small and big goals: your small goals should aim towards making sure you’re on the right track to achieve where you want to be, while your long-term goals should be focused on your networking and learning.