Mixing school with work is never easy. But this is what makes your young adult life interesting. You have that spark in you of hope and ambition that inspires your daily activities for greatness. And in all honesty, the times are more exciting than ever to start your journey. There are much more professional opportunities now that are completely new and flexible which will offer you a manageable balance between school and work.

The hardest part is always the beginning. The only aspect that might give you goosebumps is probably the spectre of the unknown. If you don’t know where to start, here are five simple, actionable steps to help you blend your studies with a new job. 

1. Prospect the Market
First of all, you need to find out what is there in store for you. You are now at the starting line of the race for a professional future. So there’s nothing settled yet that may limit the number of your choices. For example, even if you are studying law, this doesn’t mean that you can’t pursue an exciting career as a journalist.   

However, don’t think one second that if you were meant to be a marketing person, you went through a whole University experience for nothing. Besides the fact that any college is ultimately a form of cultivation for your mentality, now everything is interconnected. The chances are that there’s an open position for a marketing member in a law company which will make the best of both worlds. 

So, keep an open mind when gathering a list of possible workplaces. The first place to look for opportunities is your University careers service. Each time a company needs hard-working young students to fill a position they will contact the local educational institutions.   

Secondly, it pays to do your own research via the Internet. Many websites gather available jobs from a city such as Indeed, Monster or Jobs. As you might not have a lot of work experience, it would be better to search for entry-level jobs. These opportunities require no prior professional expertise. They just need your refreshing young energy and a high capacity for learning. This kind of openings is the best to start climbing the career ladder. They will teach you technical skills from scratch which will help you reach higher salary expectations for the future. 

 
2. Ideal Application
Usually, large companies have a complex application structure. The reason for this is that once you are in, you will enjoy the professional benefits of their international reputation. A business with 100 employees is harder to manage and guide to success than a startup. Consequently, they will look for skills and potential when recruiting for a new member. So, polish your resume focusing on any kind of project you’ve completed, and that might be relevant to the job and arm yourself with patience.  

On the other hand, smaller companies might appreciate better direct contact from your part. They may not have allocated large budgets for recruitment and they usually prefer a face to face meeting than a list of your skills. So, you can be proactive and pay the CEO an impromptu visit. Learn every detail about their company and the available position beforehand and convince them why you will fit in their team perfectly. 

3. Upgrade Your Resume
Closing your eyes and thinking come what may not improve your odds much to find a good workplace. The resume is usually the first contact the recruiter will have with you. So it must look like it is a part of you so that it can make a just representative of your aptitudes and personality.   

The best advice you can get regarding a CV is to keep it concise and relevant. Recruiters usually need around six seconds with your resume to decide if you are a great fit for the position or not. So, the lengthy documents that take up entire pages are just a myth of success. They will appreciate half a page with keywords that target your professional aspirations. Use every inch of that document to sell yourself. 

Highlight your potential and skills. Make sure the recruiter will understand the ambitious and curious nature that drives you to learn everything there is about the field related to their opening.   

Moreover, if you apply for several workplaces at the same time, you do want to adopt the CV according to each position. Stick with the details that are relevant for each of the opportunity to make sure the recruiters will learn everything they can about you during their allocated six seconds. 

4. Create Serendipity
If you are truly committed to the idea of finding a job, your mind will work to pursue your goals even when you think of something else. So, the pure luck attributed to serendipity is actually just your unconscious guiding you toward your inner purpose.   

So, you can adopt a proactive attitude and start creating a vital environment for serendipity. This requires simple actions, like talking with your friends and family about your intentions. You never know where a great opportunity might arise. Maybe some classmate you barely spoke with before is already working in an awesome place, and he or she might want a new colleague that is the same age. Being the smallest in a team might be lonely so your colleagues can recommend you if they know you are looking for a job. 

Therefore be broadminded and allow others to help you in your pursuit. Also, try to invest some time in networking at social events or over the most effective social channel for you, namely LinkedIn. 

5. Silence Doesn’t Mean “No.”
More than half the students that apply for jobs don’t hear back from the companies. However, if you set your mind on one particular job, you should let the recruiter know how much you want their opening. Take the matter into your own hands and find a friend or colleague that can put you in contact with some employees.  

It is easy to assume that the company rejected your application. However, sometimes reality is more creative than a movie, and the actual reason behind an event might have never crossed your mind. No matter the circumstances, you can always draw attention by showing that you don’t give up. 

So, these are the five simple, actionable steps that can get you the best job you can have while in school. Once you take the decision that you need to work, be it for financial boost or to start your career early, don’t stop until you make your dreams come true.