Research Symposium

BIO

Noah Kunkel is a sophomore at Florida State University. He is majoring in Economics, with a minor in Urban and Regional Planning. Outside of research, Noah is involved in the CapitILL State dance group and volunteers at Second Harvest of the Big Bend. He also enjoys running, going to concerts, and reading.

Landing That Job: A Study of Communication Graduates, Contacts, and Careers

Abstract

The time period following college graduation marks a significant transition in an individual’s life and often involves searching for full-time employment. Beyond simply finding a job at all, an important aspect of someone’s job search involves finding a career that they love. By reviewing literature in the field and conducting interviews with recent college graduates, this project defines what is considered to be a “great job” and examines the factors that lead to success in securing one. The factors explored fall into four areas: academic performance, extracurricular activities, networking, and internships or part-time employment. Participants were selected using a purposive sampling method (all were graduates of Florida State University’s School of Communication) and were asked a series of questions regarding their satisfaction with their current job, involvements in their undergraduate career, and what they thought helped them stick out to employers the most. Our findings consistently showed that internship experience provided the most relevant experience for their respective career paths and was also viewed as the most important area (of those studied) for landing a job.

Keywords: Communication, Job Satisfaction, Activities, Involvements, Interviews