Below are suggested timelines for master’s students to help you plan out your time as a graduate student. These should be used as a guideline, but you are encouraged to use the resources most relevant to you where you personally are in your individual career exploration.

ONE-YEAR MASTERS STUDENTS

As a one-year masters student, your time here at Columbia is fairly limited. Therefore, it is important to be organized about and start planning for your job hunt as soon as possible. Below is a timeline of some suggested steps that you can take to achieving your career goals upon graduation. The actual months in which you will undertake the following will depend on the hiring cycles of the industries in which you are interested in working.

Fall Semester

• Create a resume as soon as possible. Please note that your master’s degree from Columbia University should be listed on your resume under the ‘education’ section.
• Register with the Center for Career Education on-line. Through registering, you will gain access to Columbia’s on-line job postings. These postings are available through LionSHARE for both general postings and on-campus recruiting . It is advisable to check both on-line sections on a regular basis.
• Review the on-campus recruiting procedures and policies and attend a Power Half Hour lunchtime workshop on “Using the Jobs/Internship Database, LionSHARE”. It is important to note that CCE's On-Campus Recruiting Program is self managed.You will not be sent reminders of resume submission dates or interview dates, so it is important to check LionSHARE on a regular basis. Some industries (including the financial, consulting and IT industries), start the recruiting process in the early fall. If any of these industries are of interest to you it is important to become familiar with the On-Campus Recruiting Program as soon as possible.
•  Meet with a Career Counselor who can review your resume and discuss your career search with you in more detail.
• Check the Center for Career Education Calendar for employer presentations, workshops, alumni panels and career fairs. These are all valuable ways to learn more about a variety of careers and network within your field.
• Attend company presentations that you find interesting – these can be a great opportunity to meet employers face-to-face and learn more about specific companies.
• Begin applying for jobs (depending on industry recruiting cycle).
• Attend an interviewing skills workshop.
• Set up a practice interview with a Career Counselor to help you hone your interviewing skills.
• Join the professional association associated with your field. Professional Associations often have regional meetings that can help you to keep abreast of the latest developments in your field as well as providing useful networking opportunities.
• Research organizations that you might be interested in applying to.
• Begin networking.

Spring Semester

• Continue researching opportunities, organizations and applying for jobs. For some fields, such as media, not-for-profit, certain areas of government, policy, and education, you may only be starting the job hunt process in the spring. Don’t forget to have your resume and job search material checked by a Career Counselor.
• Consider attending Media Networking Night and the Not-For-Profit Career Fair if those sectors are of interest.
• If you are having trouble identifying positions that interest you, set up a meeting with a Career Counselor to discuss your job hunt.
• Schedule additional practice interviews with a Career Counselor as necessary.
• Continue to attend company presentations, career panels, career fairs and workshops.
• Continue networking.

THREE-SEMESTER AND TWO + YEAR MASTERS STUDENTS

As a three-semester or two-year master’s student, you have more time to organize your job search process. However, we encourage you to start planning as soon as possible, particularly if you plan to secure a summer internship after your first year. A suggested timeline is provided below.

Fall of First Year

• Register with the Center for Career Education on-line to have access to job postings and targeted e-mails.
• Start the self-assessment process, where you consider your interests, skills, personality traits and work-related values to help target occupations that will be the best fit. The Center offers inventories to assist with this process.
• Explore career fields that might be of interest to you.
• Begin thinking about summer internships or research opportunities. Some organizations have mid-fall deadlines for the summer so it is important to start this early.
• Attend alumni career panels and company presentations to gain more information about different fields.
• Create a resume and have it reviewed by a Career Counselor.
• Begin networking within your field.
• Join the professional association associated with your field. Professional Associations often have regional meetings that can help you to keep abreast of the latest developments in your field as well as providing useful networking opportunities.
• Attend company presentations about internship opportunities, which begin in the late fall (early November).
• Attend a Power Half Hour workshop on “Using the Jobs/Internship Database, LionSHARE” and review the policies and procedures around using this tool to secure a summer internship. It is important to note that the on-campus recruiting program is self managed. You will not be sent reminders of resume submission dates or interview dates, so it is important to check LionSHARE on a regular basis.

Spring of First Year

• Begin researching companies and organizations that interest you.
• Apply for summer internships or research opportunities.
• Attend a practice interview workshop and set up an individual practice interview with a counselor.
• If you are having trouble identifying internships or summer research positions that interest you, set up a meeting with a Career Counselor to discuss your job hunt.

Fall of Second Year

• Check the Center for Career Education Calendar for employer presentations, workshops, alumni panels and career fairs. These are all valuable ways to learn more about a variety of careers and network within your field.
• Make sure that your resume is up to date and have it checked by a Career Counselor.
• Regularly visit the LionSHARE system for positions, as some industries (including the financial, consulting and IT industries), start the recruiting process in the early fall.
• Meet with a Career Counselor to discuss your career search in more detail.
• Begin applying for jobs (depending on industry recruiting cycle).
• Attend an interviewing skills workshop.
• Set up a practice interview with a Career Counselor to help you hone your interviewing skills.

Spring of Second Year

• Continue researching opportunities, organizations and applying for jobs. For some fields, such as media, not-for-profit, certain areas of government, policy, and education, you may only be starting the job hunt process in the spring. Don’t’ forget to have your résumé and job search material checked by a Career Counselor.
• Consider attending Media Networking Night and the Not-For-Profit Career Fair if those sectors are of interest.
• If you are having trouble identifying positions that interest you, set up a meeting with a Career Counselor to discuss your job hunt.
• Schedule additional practice interviews with a Career Counselor as necessary.
• Continue to attend company presentations, career panels, career fairs and workshops.
• Continue networking.