After years of hard work, you are finally graduating from college. You are very excited and eager to start a new career in your field of study. Prior to starting your job search, you need to develop a job search plan. Write a research paper of 5–7 body pages using APA style to outline a job search plan that thoroughly addresses the following items:

• Develop a professional career goals statement that is suitable for use on your resume. Explain the rationale underlying development of this statement, and describe how you expect it will be perceived by prospective employers.
• Prepare an in-depth analysis of how your skills, experiences, and education match the type of jobs for which you will be applying.
• Identify at least 3 jobs for which you will be applying, and discuss what you will need to apply for these jobs. For instance, will the employers require each perspective applicant to fill out a job application prior to the interview, or do they only need to submit a resume and cover letter?
• Research and analyze 3 different companies where you are planning to apply for the types of jobs listed above. Discuss your findings, and assess how your skills, experience, and education would allow you to contribute to the attainment of each company’s mission.
• Research and discuss best practices for resume and cover letter writing, and explain how you will incorporate these into your job search strategy.

Submitting your assignment in APA format means, at a minimum, you will need the following:

• • • Title page: Remember the running head and title in all capital letters.
    • Abstract: This is a summary of your paper, not an introduction. Begin writing in third-person voice.
    • Body: The body of your paper begins on the page following the title page and abstract page, and it must be double-spaced between paragraphs. The typeface should be 12-pt. Times Roman or 12-pt. Courier in regular black type. Do not use color, bold type, or italics except as required for APA level headings and references. The deliverable length of the body of your paper for this assignment is 3–4 pages. In-text academic citations to support your decisions and analysis are required. A variety of academic sources is encouraged.
    • Reference page: References that align with your in-text academic sources are listed on the final page of your paper. The references must be in APA format using appropriate spacing, hang indention, italics, and upper- and lower-case usage as appropriate for the type of resource used. Remember, the reference page is not a bibliography, but it is a further listing of the abbreviated in-text citations used in the paper. Every referenced item must have a corresponding in-text citation.