Graduation day is here-well eight months from now. Yet, the looming question of how seniors will spend their post-graduate years is on the forefront of every student’s mind, or at least it should be.

The answer, get a job, seems simple; but sadly this is far from the truth. The job search is an involved process, and chances are you’re already behind. There are resum?s to write, company contacts to make, job fairs to attend, interviews to complete, countless hands to shake.

Director of Career Services Kathy Day encourages students to start their job search now. “By starting now, you give yourself the whole academic year and end up with more options,” she said.

The most important step is taking that first step. In many cases, this involves finding out what Career Services has to offer for the job-seeking student. Now located in the former Childgarden building, Career Services houses a variety resources that aid in what can, at times, feel like an overwhelming process.

Career Services offers a career road map, which can be found on its Web site careers.slu.edu. The road map gives students an idea of what they should be doing at different points in their various academic years, as well as breaking the senior year into manageable chunks.

Day compares the job search process to choosing a college to attend in the junior/senior year of high school. “The key is to get going. Once a student starts, they get excited about the search.”

The road map as well as members of Career Services encourage students to be doing the following things during September and October: Review and finalize their resume, make an appointment with a career counselor, register in CareerConnections and attend job search workshops.

CareerConnections is an online program that connects students to prospective employers. After registering, students are able to post their resum?s, as well as participate in on-campus recruiting. Through the Web site, employers can contact students and vice versa.

“Employers who higher every year like to get new employees locked in by late fall,” said Day. “As a result the spring recruiting is reflective of the success in the fall.”

A lot of the job-search process is a researching endeavor. Students need to dedicate a fair amount of their time to narrowing their preferred career choice and finding companies that have those positions available. Giving students yet another reason to start searching now. Job fairs are just one way to research companies and careers

However, Career Services and job fairs are not the only ways to find employment. It is important to continue networking through family, friends, faculty and neighbors.

The bottom line: Start now and give yourself time to land that dream job.