Let's Talk Business: Setting Yourself Up for Professional Success

Life in the “real world” post-college lingers in the back of every student’s mind. This blog post provides a few pieces of advice on how to set yourself up for professional success. As a graduate student, I utilize the following tips on a daily basis and encourage you to implement them in your life as well!

1. Find Your Perfect Balance

We have all heard the phrase “work-life balance." It is extremely important to find how work-life balance can play into your life as a student. Between school, work, extracurriculars and self care, we often find ourselves trying to balance multiple things at once.

One tip that has helped me achieve balance in my life is the 8-8-8 rule. A day consists of 24 hours and can be broken down into three eight-hour segments. For example, I have eight hours for school, eight hours for leisure activities, and eight hours for rest. Doing this can lead to higher productivity and help you prepare for your professional career in the future!

2. Get Involved

Getting involved in organizations, clubs, community service, etc. is a great way to prepare yourself for professional success. At the Chambers College, there are many ways to get involved, such as business fraternities, major related organizations and more! You can build your network with fellow students, professors and alumni while working on your professional skills.

As an MS Human Resource Management student, I am a part of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). Since joining, I have been able to take leadership positions, build my network, participate in volunteer events and much more. SHRM has helped me professionally by connecting me with potential employers and building my communication and leadership skills.

Most importantly, getting involved is a great way to boost your resume when applying for future opportunities!

3. Network and Make Connections

Networking and building connections with professionals sounds like cliche advice, but it's extremely important as you enter into the professional world. You never know when a connection will come in handy, so I would encourage you to start building your network as soon as possible.

One way you can do this is through LinkedIn. LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional networking platform in the world and is an easy way to connect with fellow students and professionals. All business students should have a LinkedIn profile and make sure they are keeping it up to date. And consider following the Chambers College on LinkedIn to get in touch with some of our alumni!

The Center for Career Development (CCD) is one of the Chambers College's best resources. They can help you with resumes, cover letters, interviews, professional attire, enhancing your professional social media profiles and much more.

4. Explore Your Opportunities

The thought of graduation comes with a lot of mixed emotions: fear, excitement and everything in between. As you start to consider life post-graduation, I recommend exploring and weighing all of your options, like beginning your professional career or continuing your education in graduate school.

One thing that attracted me to continuing my education and pursuing my masters degree was the job placement percentage and average salary of people with business graduate degrees. The MS Human Resource Management program brings in employers on a weekly basis for us to network with. Past graduates have found employment with Fortune 500 companies such as GE Aerospace, PepsiCo, Synchrony Financial, Marathon and more!

The Chambers College offers many graduate school degrees, such as Master of Business Administration, Master of Accountancy and more. If you want to boost your chances of landing your dream job, with a dream salary, I highly encourage exploring the graduate programs available at the Chambers College.