Step 7: Entering the Workplace

Anxious about transitioning from college to career? Ready to stop being a student and start being a professional? Finding an exciting, fulfilling and challenging job that will start you on the road to a successful and happy career is your goal. It is important to be realistic, while keeping your enthusiasm. Keep in mind, it generally takes several months to land a first job.

Before you head off into the real world, below are some resources and tips to help get you started on your job search, succeed in the workplace, and establish life/work balance.

Find a Job

While the job search is exciting, it can also be time consuming, especially in a tight job market. Career counselors can provide you with the tools and strategies needed to make the job search easier.

When starting your search, utilizing networking, informational interviewing, online networking, professional associations, career fairs, and, of course, perseverance and patience, are all critical. Executive search firms and temporary agencies are another common route to a full-time position. And don’t miss our Resources and Links page, with job search sites categorized by industry, to start your job exploration, gather ideas, or hone your targeted search.

Additional search tools include CareerLink, Sarah Lawrence’s internal online internship and job database. Over one thousand opportunities are posted and visible throughout the academic year and during the summer. These positions are either forwarded to us by employers interested in working with SLC students or researched by our staff with the intention of finding and listing internships and jobs of interest to our student population. Focus is on (but not exclusive to) the Tri-State Area.

Through CareerLink, you will also have access to NaceLink Extended Job Search, a national job and internship listing service, offering more than six million job opportunities, aggregated from employer websites and other job boards, including results from Google™, Simply Hired®, and Indeed. You can search for jobs by entering keywords and location.

To register with CareerLink, please contact occ@sarahlawrence.edu for your username and password.

Evaluating a job offer

While jobs are usually offered over the phone or in person, it is always a good idea to get the offer in writing. If you are offered a position, it is appropriate to respond within two or four days. Take the time to carefully evaluate the offer so you are making an educated decision to accept the offer or reject it. Rarely do employers expect you do accept a position on the spot. In addition to the starting salary, there are many factors to consider when evaluating a job offer and reviewing the overall compensation package.

Salary Negotiation

When interviewing for a job, it is not appropriate to bring up compensation until the employer makes you an offer. If you’re asked what your salary requirements are either state that you are open based upon the position and the overall compensation package or give the employer a salary range based upon the salary research you've done prior. Once you've received the offer, it is best to not accept it right on the spot. Instead, say you’ll think it over, because this will leave room for negotiation.

Before you start a salary negotiation conversation with a prospective employer, the first important step is to research salaries for the job in the industry and geographic area for which you will be working. Salary.com has a “salary wizard,” which allows users to enter a job category and match it to a zip code or location. The wizard then generates a salary report with wage, bonus and benefits information.

Once you are armed with information regarding what you are worth you are ready to negotiate the maximum salary for the job offered. Some employers may not have too much flexibility to increase the offered salary if their budget is limited or they have to abide by an established salary structure. It doesn’t hurt to try to get the top of the range for that particular position. Try to be creative, there may be other ways to negotiate in terms of extra vacation, flexible schedule, merit bonus, etc.

Regardless of the final salary offer, remember to stay positive and show interest in the position. If the salary is enough for you to live on, and the position seems like the ideal job, consider the office culture, schedule, commute and other benefits….it still may be worth accepting the position. Once you accept the offer, never discuss salary with other employees.

Succeed After SLC

Once you’ve got the job, there are still many factors that contribute to adjusting to the workplace. Review the following handout for tips and resources on first-year job success, relocating for a job, and creating work/life balance.