Whether you’re just beginning your internship or job search, looking to ace your interviews this winter and spring, hoping to make the most of networking opportunities, or thinking of your career journey longer term, we’ve got you covered!
Here are Making Waves’ most popular career tips from 2024 to help you succeed in 2025. This guide is packed with tips from career coaches as well as first-hand advice from college students and grads. We hope these steps help you navigate your career journey with confidence and purpose!
Where to start your internship or job search
- Your complete internship and job search roadmap
- Free career resources every college student should know about
- Entry level job and internship board – curated for you!
- For Wave-Makers: join the Wave-Maker Network on LinkedIn
Bonus resources
Trends to remember
- 82% of companies said they use AI to screen resumes. It’s important to target resumes when applying and pay attention to formatting details and keywords to get past ATS systems and move on in the hiring process.
How to find and make the most of internships
- Seven steps you can take now to land the internship
- Insider tips for how to land the internship and launch your career
- Five tips to stand out in your internship
Trends to remember
- Internship hiring of college students is expected to remain stable this year and the average wage for paid summer internships in California is $26.37/hour. That means in a summer internship you could make more than $12,000. Some companies pay up to $50/hour!
- Internship experience increases a graduate’s chance of receiving at least one job offer by up to 32% in the months following graduation and the median starting salary for a college graduate with internship experiences is nearly $10,000 more than that of college graduates with limited and little to no internship experience.
Everything you need to know for job and internship interviews
- Seven types of job and internship interviews: what to expect and how to prepare
- What is the STAR Method and how can it help with your job and internship interviews?
Bonus resource
Your guide to job and internship interview skills
Trends to remember
- 64.8% of employers reported they use skills-based hiring practices for new entry-level hires. This underscores the importance of not only gaining competence in academic settings, but being able to articulate those competencies in interviews and in practice during assessments.
Networking and navigating your career journey
- Four learnings from my nonlinear career journey
- Advice from a first-gen grad: college is about the people you meet
- Insider strategies for career advancement
Bonus resource
Your guide to networking and mentorship
Trends to remember
- 95.5% of employers say communication is one of the most important competencies. Like many transferable skills, communication skills are best sharpened in a similar environment to that of one’s career goals. If you want to work in healthcare one day, gaining communication skills at an internship at a clinic could go a long way, whether the specific role is directly related to your career aspirations or not. Or, if you want to become a middle school teacher, interning at a youth summer program could provide you with pertinent communication skills and experience.
We hope you bring these most popular career resources and expert advice from 2024 with you into 2025. Keep exploring your career interests and keep moving forward. Your future self will thank you!