By Carlos Petzold

Many undergraduate students have trouble finding out exactly what they want to do with their degrees after they graduate, especially in areas like math or statistics where the career path may not be as clear as those of other majors. I was one of these students who wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do with my statistics degree, but as I neared the end of my senior year, I knew that I needed to figure it out sooner rather than later. If you find yourself in a similar situation, are preparing for the internship search, or are a high school student looking to prepare for the future job search, I hope that this article can provide a helpful perspective on how to approach job applications after graduation. 

As I anxiously navigated my job search two years ago and had conversations with other students in the same boat, I realized something that changed my perspective: almost nobody knows exactly what they want to do. We can spend countless hours conducting research on careers, companies, and industries to try and find a perfect fit, but it is highly likely that this perfect fit does not exist. That is not to say that researching these topics is not helpful-because it is. It is incredibly important to know what jobs would suit our lifestyles, or what companies we want to dedicate 40 hours a week to. But the anxiety and overthinking that can ensue when trying to find the right job can be avoided by understanding that this process will not be perfect, and that’s okay. Understanding this when approaching the process saves us the time and energy of overthinking, looking in the wrong places, and sending out applications to whatever job you find.

Another important realization was that both high- and low-quality job searches will take up a lot of time, but only one tends to yield much better results. It is common for people to use sites like LinkedIn or Indeed to find a long list of openings and quickly apply to ones that match keywords related to their degree or skillset. I’m sure that this has worked for some people, but it is an inefficient process that does not yield great results for many and can also leave your application at the mercy of the company’s Applicant Tracking System (ATS). Spending time improving the quality of your job search (as well as always applying directly on the company’s website) is a good investment that can save time and reduce stress in the long run.

With this mindset in place, the next step is to take a more structured approach. A great way to do this is by reflecting on key questions that can help narrow down the types of roles, companies, and industries that align with your values and goals. Here, we are trying to identify: our desired roles, companies, and industries. Spend time with yourself to really narrow down your personal values, needs, and wants that you hope to align with your career. Here are some examples of the questions you may want to ask yourself:

1. What kind of fulfillment do I need from my job?
   1. To make a direct, visible impact on others?
   2. To have a good work-life balance?
   3. To have a positive impact on a specific community or group of people?
2. To apply for a job, I need the following criteria:
   1. Staying close to where I am currently living.
   2. Relocating or move to a specific city.
   3. Working remotely.
   4. Working for a for-profit, non-profit, or government organization.
3. Through this job/company, I can put myself in a position to:
   1. Continue in this career path to achieve a higher role in the same area.
   2. Potentially pivot into another area or role in the company that I am interested in.
   3. Have the opportunity to go back to school at this company while still working.

These questions may seem simple, but many people fail to take the time to reflect on them before beginning their job search. Here is a personal example of how I answered these questions for myself: 

• I knew that I wanted to have a positive impact on vulnerable communities and that I wanted a good work-life balance. This helped me eliminate industries and companies that did not align with these values, such as the financial services sector or a company in the start-up phase, where in many cases employees are expected to work long hours (though this is not always the case). I also knew that I wanted to work at a non-profit organization after a wonderful internship experience at the Center for Responsible Lending in Durham, North Carolina where I worked as a research intern. Funny enough this was a finance-related role, which just shows how imperfect this entire process is and how it is important to take time to reflect on the aspects we like and don’t like about the work we do.
• I knew that I wanted to stay close to where I lived, and that I preferred a role that offered both in-person and remote work (hybrid). This helped me narrow my search down to companies that were a reasonable distance from where I live, that allowed hybrid work. 
• I knew that I wanted the ability to go back to school while still working, and that I wanted the flexibility to potentially change roles horizontally or diagonally. This helped me narrow my search down to companies that offered educational assistance, and that were large enough for a lateral move.

I should note that these questions may not look the same for everyone, but they are the type of questions that one should be asking themselves. The outcome of asking yourself these questions should be that you now have the framework for a more direct approach of finding the roles and companies that you will spend your time researching and applying for. This will help optimize the time spent on the core aspects of the job search like tailoring resumes and cover letters for different roles, reaching out to your network to find any connections to these roles/companies, and interview preparations. This framework played a key part in my job search and helped me land my current role as a statistician at RTI International. This job checked many of the boxes that I outlined above, and I have been happy with my job over the last year and a half. 

Once you’ve identified what you’re looking for, the next crucial step is connecting with professionals in your field of interest. Networking can feel vague or even intimidating, but it’s one of the most effective ways to uncover opportunities and gain industry insights. What I did to really get this process going is called an Informational Interview, which is a 10–20-minute chat with someone who has a job, is at a company, or is in an industry that you’re interested in. The objective of this is not to land a job or referral, but to have a casual, career-focused conversation with a professional to seek advice, information, or insights about their career, company, or industry. The questions for each interview will differ depending on the context, but at the end of your conversation, you should always ask something along the lines of “Is there anyone else you know who might be beneficial for me to speak with based on what you’ve learned about me?”. I found this to be the key to building a network from scratch, especially if, like me, you didn’t have a big network to begin with. Some conversations may not go how you want them to and some people may not respond, but reaching out and showing interest in others and slowly building a collection of small conversations is how we learn new information and start a snowball effect of connecting with even more people. 

After all the hard work of job searching and networking, landing an interview is a major step forward. However, it’s important to remember that an interview isn’t just about the company assessing you—it’s also your chance to assess them. You are evaluating the company just as much as they are evaluating you. On top of doing your research on the company and role, make sure to ask thoughtful questions at the end that are related to what was discussed in that interview, on top of whatever pre-planned questions you may have. Relating your questions to the interview can set you apart from other candidates as it demonstrates that you were actively engaged in the conversation and are interested in hearing more about what you’ve discussed.

To wrap things up, here is what I hope you take away from this article that can help streamline your job search and make the process more intentional:

1. Mindset Matters: Accept that no job search is perfect, and no one has it all figured out. Focus on finding a good fit, not a perfect one.
2. Quality Over Quantity: Instead of mass-applying, focus on targeted applications and always apply through company websites.
3. Define Your Priorities: Ask yourself key questions about fulfillment, location, career growth, and work-life balance to narrow your search.
4. Leverage Networking: Informational interviews are a great way to learn about industries and expand your professional connections.
5. Interviews Are a Two-Way Street: Prepare thoughtful questions and use the opportunity to evaluate if the company aligns with your goals.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss your job search further, feel free to reach out to me at carloswpetzold@gmail.com. I’m always happy to help fellow students and recent grads navigate this process.

One of my favorite professors in undergrad loved to start off our classes with a quote or proverb related to the material, so I will end with one here:

“Don’t waste your time chasing butterflies. Mend your garden, and the butterflies will come.”

This resonates deeply with the job search process—rather than chasing every opportunity that appears, focus on building strong skills, clarifying your goals, and fostering meaningful connections. The right opportunities will follow.

The job search can be daunting, but with the right mindset, strategy, and persistence, you’ll find the right fit. Best of luck!