Customize your résumé for a job.

One way to land a job is to apply for opportunities posted through your school's career center. But you can supplement your search by reaching out to other companies that interest you. Using your school's career center, the Internet, and library research tools, brainstorm a list of companies where you would like to work. On Hoovers (www.hoovers .com), for example, you can search for companies by industry or location. After you identify companies that interest you, take a look at their career websites. What positions are available? How do they describe the organizational culture?

If a company and position seem like a fi t for you, then prepare a customized résumé. You might change, for example, which past jobs you include on your résumé, how you describe your responsibilities, and which extracurricular activities or skills you include. Imagine yourself receiving the résumé. Does it seem like a fi t for the organization and culture?