In my role as career advisor to college students and recent grads, I see plenty of cover letters. They almost always begin with a fairly lengthy description of all the wonderful qualities the candidate brings to the organization. And frequently these letters end with something like, “I am confident that Company X will benefit from my strong communication skills (or quantitative skills).” And there is “I know I can learn a great deal at Company X and look forward to making a strong an immediate impact”.

Here is some of the most straightforward advice I provide clients, and yet sometimes I hear differing opinions. I have written on this topic before.

Many of my clients are seniors in college and awaiting May graduation with some dread. The reason? They haven’t been focused on career; instead, they’ve had their heads down, working away at school to produce good grades. Yes, they’ve discussed the idea of a career and a job ad infinitum, late into the night with their friends—but unfortunately that’s a far cry from actually taking concrete steps to figure out what they want to do and where they want to do it.

I have always been a proponent of creating your own job—it’s the one way to truly put yourself in the driver’s seat of your own destiny. It involves a lot of market research—identifying market need and where you fit, deciding on your role and ideal organizations and then pitching yourself.

My friend Noel Rozny wrote about getting out of your comfort zone on this blog in September, and I have taken her advice.

The following is a Guest Post by the talented and indefatigable Noël Rozny.

I was recently a guest on #InternPro Radio, where the hosts and I talked about the steps college students can take to prepare themselves for the working world. One of the main points that came up was the importance of having as many new experiences as possible and getting outside of your comfort zone.