Everyone knows that finals are coming, along with presentations, papers and late nights riddled with exhaustion, anxiety and caffeine.

However, for a number of students this will be the last time they embark on the dreaded final stretch.

For some, graduation is less than a month away and that means the real world will soon come knocking, and not just to collect loan payments.

The initial purpose of attending an institute of higher education is to eventually secure a well-paid position, hopefully one with a salary and benefits.

Surprisingly, when students graduate from college, employers do not actually come to their doorstep and beg them to take a position within their company.

Students who wish to join the work force need to start applying for positions and getting in touch with prospective employers well before graduation rolls around. The task seems daunting, but there are ways to manage the process.

Resumes and cover letters must be written, work experience must be made and emails need to be sent.

Students need to solicit themselves to the best of their abilities as professionals to prospective employers.

This means actual, non-fictional work experience relating to their field of study, references that students do not refer to as “Nana,” and a relative knowledge of the business they wish to join.

Start a resume early, like freshman-year early.

Students should keep their resume updated as information changes, such as job experience, GPA, and extracurricular activities and organizations, so when an employment or internship opportunity arises, they will be ahead of the game.

This is all a lot to take in, so Career Services offers a variety of seminars, workshops and one-on-one resume help for students.

Everything students need to succeed is right here, on campus, at their fingertips.

Students tend to complain about the fees added into their tuition, but they should use these opportunities while they have them because they will be few and far between after graduation.

The daily editorial is the majority opinion of the editorial board of The Daily Eastern News.