How to Tackle the Job Search Like a Pro
By Olivia Mitchell
10-06-2025
The season for searching for a job will forever change as you complete different stages of life. Internship season may involve balancing it with a part-time or seasonal role position. Seasons change just like our short and long term goals. Thinking ahead and into the future can feel overwhelming and scary, but by taking small steps to achieve your long term goals, those feelings will fly away. I interviewed Aimee Selleck, Student Employment Manager at Career Services, and asked the lingering questions students might have about the job search process.
What are the three most important things students should consider before beginning the search for a part-time or seasonal role?
“There are plenty of things to consider, but three of the most important I'd suggest:
1. Why are you looking? What do you hope to gain? Your answer(s) to this will help guide how you search. If you are seeking a paycheck to help pay the bills, you're not alone; that is key to your wellness. This means you'll probably pay close attention to the pay rate of positions. What else will help achieve your goals? Are there particular skills you want to develop? Try to find an experience that can help you develop your ability in those areas! Meeting with a career counselor to discuss this can be a support along the way.
2. When are you available to work? This refers to both your weekly schedule and an estimate of the number of hours you can regularly commit; but also is a good check-in to ask yourself about the capacity you have to take on another commitment. You may have to consider reducing your involvement in something else to make time for a new opportunity, especially if it's based on a need like a paycheck. What are you able to commit to that will be a benefit and not a burden to your experience?
3. How will you get to this experience? Planning your transportation access is important. For example, will you look for opportunities that you can walk, bike, scooter, bus, or drive to? This will impact how far your search will span. If you are using public transit, like the GRTC, or VCU transit, like the RamXpress, it's important to start becoming familiar with these supports in advance. Then, once you identify some opportunities of interest, you can figure out: Which route(s) will I use to get to where I need to go? How long will it take me? Will it cost me anything?”
What are your tips for beginning the search process to obtain a part-time or seasonal role?
“There are plenty of good strategies to implement throughout your search process. Ask folks around you what their tips are because everyone will have something to add from their own experiences! Here is one tip from before, during, and after your search that I would recommend:
- Before: Take advantage of career advising while you're at VCU, from both peer career advisors (quick intro support) and professional career counselors (in-depth and varied support). They can help you with searching for opportunities that align with your goals, preparing to apply with documents like your résumé, and practicing for interviews!
- During: Don't stop at just a few applications; keep the search going. The job and internship search can oftentimes be a long and challenging journey. Some positions you'll never receive a status update from, and that's frustrating. Keep submitting applications to positions that meet your goals; keep track of what you've applied to so you can be prepared for what's next, like being invited to an interview; and continue to take advantage of opportunities to connect with employers, like at career fairs and events.
- After: Once you have created a starting résumé, update it as you take on any new experience or when you end a current experience (a part-time or seasonal job, an internship, an ongoing volunteer commitment, involvement in a student org, etc.). Getting in the habit of recording all of this experience in one central place will give you a reference doc from which you can curate résumé versions suited for the varied roles you're applying to, if applicable. This habit will also save your future self some time and energy when you need an updated résumé again.”
Any motivational advice or strategic tips for students completing a part-time role while in school?
“I would say use your part-time jobs to "try on" different roles, organizations, and fields. Part-time jobs and internships will help you figure out what you like, what you don't like, what you want, and what you don't want. They can help you start to develop criteria for what you're looking to do next. For example, if you're studying psychology but you aren't sure what you want to do with it, get a part-time job as a behavior technician or with a faculty doing research to determine if research or behavioral health are paths of interest; or, if you're studying biology but you're not sure what you want to do with it, get a part-time job as a tutor or in a hospital or clinic setting to determine if education or healthcare are paths of interest. These experiences provide you insights that you'll carry with you as you continue on your career pathway, however that looks for you!”
All Journeys Look Different
My personal advice for navigating the internship journey is to begin looking at least a semester or two in advance and to remember every job is experience. Figure out what you want to learn and obtain after completing your internship just as Aimee advised. Even if you’re not 100% sure on what you’re looking for in regards to experience, it’s best to start applying earlier due to how long the application process might take. This is when the art of archiving comes into play; show these recruiters what you have been working on throughout your academic career. Meet with a career counselor at Career Services to get help on how to strengthen your resume and narrow down your search when it comes to companies you would like to intern for.
Remember, that you rock and you are enough. Now, it’s time to show the rest of the world.