How To Get A Job After Graduation

Audrey Bennett
Contributing Writer

Having more marketable skills and experiences helps improve the chances of acquiring a job after college.

“Students and all job seekers should ask themselves how they can market their experiences, their skills and their prior work experiences,” said Jason Eckert, the director of Career Services at the University of Dayton.

Eckert said marketability is important because it makes the potential employee stand out among the rest of the applicants.

Alex Scherb, who is graduating a year early, has developed her own set of marketable skills in public relations campaigns and marketing. She has learned public relations skills by running a campaign to encourage people to try out for Pep Band.

Scherb also thinks it is important to make good use of summers. During summer 2017, Scherb volunteered with the Totus Tuus Missionary through the Rockford Diocese of Illinois, gaining skills in leadership, public speaking, organization and teamwork.

In summer 2018, she interned at a marketing company in Illinois working on public relations for different businesses, writing a couple press releases and advertising an event on social media.

“I want to love what I do; I get my experience doing things that I love,” Scherb said.

UD alumna Meghann Naveau ‘10 prepared for a successful career by working a job on campus as a communication assistant in the Office of Enrollment Management all four years and was the marketing and publications executive for New Student Orientation. She had multiple internships and was offered a full-time position just before graduating.

“Always have an eye out for professional experience, try to do something everyday that will add to your portfolio and always try to figure out how something you learned, even if you thought it was boring, applies to your future career,” Naveau said.

University of Dayton’s Career Services provides a variety of opportunities for students to gain marketable skills with resources such as interviewing tools, resume building templates and one-on-one meetings to practice interviews or better build resumes.

The department also provides connections to experiential opportunities like co-op positions, internships, volunteer positions and jobs on campus.

Students can also look to the various clubs and organizations on campus to widen their options for gaining marketable skills.

Acquiring marketable skills and experiences makes a potential employee stand out to a possible employer and makes them more likely to land a job after college.

Photo courtesy of Ybierling.com