Belated Happy New Year wishes! I can’t believe it’s already 2011. It seems like yesterday when I first arrived here at Career Services and was just starting this fabulous internship. In 2010, I learned so much about communications, marketing, and career planning, so I am both thrilled and excited to embark on another journey this semester. I don’t normally do New Year’s resolutions, but I thought that creating challenging tasks for myself would be a good way to start the year. I’m now a second semester sophomore and before I know it, I’ll be a senior contemplating my post- graduate life. There are some things that I need to start doing now in order to prepare for that time, so here’s my list:

Believe it or not, even though I work here in the office, I still haven’t made a career counseling appointment. I have already established a relationship with many of them, but I think it would be good for me to get in the office and actually speak with them about my career development. Having them review my resume, or help me map out possible career options would be great! This is definitely something I will do this semester. Besides that, I have no excuse not to! I am in the office 4 days a week, anyway.

Last semester, I met so many interesting people working here at Career Services. Many of them were Princeton alumni who could definitely be an asset to me later on in my job search. For example, in the fall, I met Jennie Thompson ’90, who works at NBC Universal. Because I am interested in media industry, it would be great to possibly have an informational interview with her in the summer when I am in NYC. This year, I want to continue to attend events such as those and meet interesting people. Meeting new people and hearing about their career paths really inspires me.

Oftentimes, after networking, I think, “That person was really cool”. I may take his/her business card, but I never really do anything with it when I return home. I suddenly realize that I may not be able to remember all the names of people I have met through networking when the time comes to follow up with them. This year, I have decided to start keeping track of everyone I meet. I haven’t quite decided how I will do this. I may use the Address Book on my computer, or I may get an old notebook and use it solely for networking purpose. Nonetheless, I will record all of my networking contacts in an organized way.

Although I attended many Career Services events last year, I want to attend more in 2011! However, I want to stretch my interests and sign-up for an event that I may not be initially drawn to. For example, I might want to attend a finance event. Although, I am not interested in the financing industry, it won’t hurt me to learn more about that field. Learning about new things is a part of the educational experience.

Okay, this is also the year to fine-tune my interviewing skills. Although I am very comfortable speaking to people, I want to learn how to better prepare for a variety of interview questions and styles. There is a lot of information in the Career Planning Guide about interview preparation (you can check it out online or come to Career Services to pick up a free printed copy). After I meet with a career counselor for the first time, I will schedule a time to come in for a mock interview.

This will probably be one of my most important resolutions. As you know as an ever-so-busy college student, my days can get pretty hectic. Besides going to class and work, I have a lot of other commitments. This year I will make use of my calendar to the fullest! Though planning everything out may seem a bit much, I know that it works for me and helps me maximize my productivity.

So, there you go—my 2011 resolutions! I am sure, as the year progresses, I will have more to add to this list. However, the motto “Start small, think big” resonates with me. Once I have accomplished these resolutions, I will be ready to move on to new ones! Wish me luck!