Are you ready to kickstart your career?
Welcome to the inaugural issue of Career Compass! The purpose of this newsletter is to help you discover what career paths are out there for you to explore, and what organizations are seeking talent like yourself. I’m excited that you’ve decided to join this community of internship and job seekers!
Before you continue reading, I’d like to invite you to create a profile on RippleMatch so you can kickstart your career search! RippleMatch is changing the way Gen Z finds work by matching candidates with great opportunities based on their passions. It only takes 5 minutes to create your profile — get started here.
🧰 Your Career Toolkit
Our top advice for tackling your internship and job search challenges
Don’t let your internship or job search stress you out. Here are four ways to land your next great role as you head back to campus:
1. Grow your confidence before career fairs this fall. Practice your elevator pitch for future employers with friends, family, classmates, and professors. Plus, we know that recruiters on our platform take note of who RSVPs to these types of events and who they interact with, so putting yourself out there will help improve your career prospects!
2. Network on campus. Pro tip: Join student clubs in your field of interest to meet upperclassmen with great advice and contacts at companies you’re excited about. You never know who you’ll meet who can point you on the path to a great career opportunity.
3. Refine your resume. Make sure your resume is updated and reflects everything you did over the summer and in the past year. That way you’ll be ready to roll when the right opportunity comes up! This includes making sure your profile on sites such as LinkedIn and RippleMatch are up-to-date as well!
4. Join professional organizations. Such groups offer members access to job postings, networking events, and conferences that can open up doors for internships. Many of the recruiters on our platform connect with professional groups to reach more talent.
🧭 Find Your Path
Discover career paths with great companies
Attention all you people-persons out there! Are you in search of career opportunities that let you thrive through daily interactions? Here are a few paths worth your consideration:
Management Development
One way to use your interpersonal skills in your career is to seek out management and leadership development programs for early career professionals. These types of opportunities will provide you with the training you need to excel as a manager in any industry you have your eye on, helping you hone both the hard and soft skills needed to grow great teams. As a trained manager, you’ll hold significant influence within an organization, and your future responsibilities may include strategic planning, effective communication, and cultivating a positive work environment.
If you’re looking for a standout management development programs at companies committed to your success, you’ll want to begin your search with innovative industrial supplier McMaster-Carr.
Product Manager
Not everyone with a technical background wants to be behind the scenes developing a product. If you feel like you’d thrive in an environment with more face-to-face interaction – instead of face-to-computer interaction – you should consider stepping into the role of a product manager. Your role would be to set the course for which products the engineering team would build, and then bring those directives to life. As a product manager, you will work across teams such as engineering, design, marketing, and sales, in addition to interacting with clients or users to gather feedback. This makes great communication and interpersonal skills a must alongside strong technical knowledge.
Check out opportunities to get started as a product manager at companies like Mohawk Industries.
School Teacher
Everyone knows that teachers have a huge influence on their students’ lives because of how much time they spend developing connections inside the classroom. Whether you’re teaching elementary school students or high school students in their teens, you’re responsible for preparing lectures and creating a safe environment where everyone feels inspired to learn. And the job doesn’t stop once the papers are graded! Your love for working with people will really come into play when you develop meaningful relationships with your students, parents, and fellow teachers.
If you’re interested in becoming a teacher but don’t have an education degree, check out some organizations out there ready to train you now, such as City Year, Great Hearts Academies, and City Teaching Alliance.
Head over the RippleMatch blog to find even more opportunities if you just love working with people!
📰 Navigating the News
The top headlines internship and job seekers should be following
Discover exactly where in the country early career candidates take home the largest paycheck: 10 Cities Where Entry-Level Jobs Have Higher Pay 💰
Read about why Gen Zers are finding it hard to unplug on PTO: Gen Z feels too guilty about missing work to take vacation 🌴
Learn how AI can help you stay ahead of the game: Can AI Help Gen Z Workers Make Up Lost Ground? 🤖
⛰️ Explore: Open Internships, Jobs & Upcoming Events
Internships & Jobs
B2B Sales Development Program at AT&T: In this paid 5-7 month sales development program, AT&T will provide instructor-led interactive training along with the ability to engage real customers in the sales process. Learn more here.
City Year Americorps Program: As a First Year City Year AmeriCorps member, your service will focus on coaching and mentoring elementary, middle and/or high school students who are struggling in school. Learn more here.
Virtual Events
Navigating Applications: Tips for Standing Out From a Sea of Applicants
Thursday, September 7th @ 3 PM EST
From specific resume tweaks to the right way to network on LinkedIn, you’ll hear actionable advice for making the most of your job search this fall from recruiters from Target, Verizon, and McMaster-Carr. RSVP here.
Wednesday, September 13th @ 3 PM EST
This panel featuring recruiters from Target, SC Johnson, and McMaster-Carr is centered around career exploration and decision-making, and will highlight several job & internship opportunities that are great to pursue if you’re uncertain about your long-term career. RSVP here.
✨ Quotes to Keep You Going
Inspirational quotes to keep you motivated during your search
“Do one thing every day that scares you.” — Eleanor Roosevelt
Former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt reminds us to push ourselves to take risks and do something that scares us every day. When it comes to the internship and job hunt, the fear of being rejected might keep you from submitting an application for your dream job or even a role you have no experience in. Stay persistent and go for opportunities even when they scare you.
✌️ Career Compass Signing Off
Thanks for reading our Career Compass newsletter. We’ll be back soon with more career advice for you. In the meantime, you make a profile on RippleMatch to kickstart your career discovery and connect with employers ready to hire talent like you. Until next time!