Summer is coming and I wanted to share a message to first year master of public health students. This message is also relevant to students going to start their Master of Public Health and undergraduate juniors.
I know for fact that many of the students who recently graduated, didn’t do this and it annoys me! How many recent graduates have you been seeing posting on LinkedIn about being open to opportunities? No, no, no!
You are getting your degree to primarily get a job. So why are you waiting until after you graduate to start looking and applying for jobs? It boggles my mind.
Needless to say, I’m sharing this now so you can thrive later!
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(Related: 6 Important Actions to Take as a Public Health Student)
My Synopsis of My Situation
Going into my summer semester of my Master of Public Health program here were my thoughts: do well in summer courses, get internship, go on summer trip to Europe.
I want to say we took courses for a month to 6 weeks into summer. It was just two courses so there was time to do other work even though the course pace was quicker than regular semesters. I was lucky to be able to be working two jobs. One as a football (soccer) referee for the Department of Recreation and the other was an internship with WellFlorida Council Inc.
I was lucky to be able to have flexibility in my internship to take time off to go for my Euro trip. Which was partly funded from the internship – yay to paid internships.
If I didn’t go to Europe, I don’t think I would have gotten to my Community Health Fellowship. Going to Europe allowed me to think big. I don’t know why, but I just started to look at public health jobs around Europe which there are many. I envisioned myself working in Europe and wow I got excited. Then I added looking at public health jobs all over North America (USA and Canada).
This experience starting getting me interested in jobs that I would be . I had looked at program manager positions, but they usually required 3-5 years experience which I did not have. From this, I learnt that Program Coordinator positions were more aligned with a newly graduates and how fellowship can fast-track your early career trajectory.
I was hooked. I learnt the important skillsets that interesting positioned required and I started building out my LinkedIn profile for networking.
(Related: How to Setup an Effective LinkedIn Profile)
What You Should Do
1. Start Looking At Jobs/Fellowships/Opportunities
Yes, you need time to decompress and relax, but don’t do it at the expense of your future opportunities. Take time for yourself, but ensure to make time for your future.
Start looking at jobs, other internships, case competitions, leadership positions, etc. But especially start looking at jobs and fellowships!
Unless you know what you want to do, then maybe you can skip this. But then again, why not go all in and look at those positions so you could know exactly what they are looking for. I mean it’s just your future, you do what you like, but don’t let me see you looking for jobs after you graduate. That’s doing it wrong.
Learn what skills and experiences are important for those jobs and build on them. Starting setting job alerts to your email. Sign up for Onboard Health and The Public Health Network talent pools.
2. Up Your Networking
Are you on LinkedIn? Do you know what you don’t know about the job you want after you graduate? Are you building VALUABLE relationships with RELEVANT professionals and students?
If you have not already, you need to get out and start talking to people. Early professionals are great to reach out to and so are more experiences professionals. They will have insights that you can’t get any other way from talking to them…and you could checkout my podcast!
Start using LinkedIn and up your networking. Remember be kind, give value, and follow back up.
3. Learn Skillsets Needed
How are you going to build the skills you need if you don’t know what those skills are? We all think we know what skillsets are necessary from jobs, but why think when you can know.
Learning skillsets can come from looking at job postings, talking to professionals, reading, checking out my podcast and even from talking to other students.
Have a focus in mind for skillsets that you need and find the opportunities to build those skills so you are top candidate when you are applying for jobs. Public health is becoming more competitive so you need to do all you can to set yourself apart. Learning the skillsets needed is one way to start this process and giving you a clearer vision for your next year.
4. Get Prepped For Applying For Jobs or Fellowships
Which would you rather?
- Graduate next year and start looking for a job
- Start applying to jobs in December before you graduate. Applying for 75 jobs. Getting ghosted from 50 of them. Get interviewed for 10. Make it to last round interview with 4. Have 2 job offers before graduating.
If you rather 1, I’m surprised you got this far in the article. If you rather 2, then take the steps now to be successful later.
ESPECIALLY if you want a fellowship, well you need to be ready to apply for them EARLY. Some fellowships close applications in November and December before you graduate. Remember preparation also includes getting references and people willing and able to write letters of recommendation for you.
I got rejected from 4 fellowships in November before I graduated and applied for the fellowship I got in December before I graduated. Even then, I applied to about 15 jobs that I only heard back from one between January and March. I was offered my Community Health Fellowship in March before I graduated. Get prepped.
5. Enjoy Your Summer
Enjoy your summer! This is possibly your last summer as a student so be sure to make it an enjoyable one (within reason). Time is the most valuable asset we have, be sure to take some to really enjoy your summer.
Look at all the great things you have done up to now. You can’t even imagine where you will be in the next 5 years. I surely didn’t know I’d be where I am less than 2 years after I graduated. Heck, I didn’t even know this position existed.
But still, I enjoyed the hell out of my summer! I hope that you are able to as well. Use this time to relax and reflect. Give thanks for where you are and the opportunities you have gotten up to now.
Enjoy your summer fam!
Summary
Here I’m sharing a message for first year Master of Public Health Students. Too many students are applying too late to get jobs. Then are frantically looking for them after they graduate, this is not the best way to approach this. There is a less stressful alternative.
Start getting ready to apply for jobs in the summer before you graduate. The purpose of you getting this work, I would think is to do the work that you want. So be sure to do the things know to get you where you want to be.
How are you going to spend your summer?
