With winter break over and the end of the school year approaching fast, it’s time to get serious about securing a summer internship or a first post-graduation job.

By now, many of you have become regular users of your college’s career services office and an online career platform. You’ve cleaned up your resume and picked out an interview outfit. You’ve determined your values, aptitudes and economically viable interests and talked with friends, family, professors and advisors about potential jobs you might excel at.

Now, the most difficult part begins.

Over the past decade, I’ve advised thousands of college students on finding internships and first jobs. Here are four steps you should follow follow in this order (more on that later) so you can take the next big step in your career search:

Step 1: Curate your documents.

Three key documents are critical in every job search: your resume, your cover letter and your online profile.

Your resume is about breadth. In a page or two, it should highlight and summarize the experiences most relevant to the job you’re seeking.

Your cover letter should highlight the depth of your experience. It should present specific examples where you’ve been able to demonstrate the skills you possess — and the skills a particular potential employer is seeking.

Your online profile (on Handshake and other sites) is where you can list details that did not fit on your resume. Here, you can include your entire work history, your coursework, the clubs and organizations you’ve joined, your personal interests and locations where you would like to live and work.

Step 2: Do your research.

When you’re looking for an internship or a first job, you need to learn as much as possible by reading articles, following company and industry leaders on social media and keeping up with news, trends and emerging issues.

Start by doing “micro” research. Dig deep into specific companies and jobs you might apply to. Follow up by doing “macro” research on the industries you’re interested in and the major trends impacting them. You should also have a fairly solid gauge on how your industry tends to be structured, what types of job functions are most common, and how it all works together.

Your goal should be to better understand how companies and industries are talking about and dealing with issues and challenges most critical to them. Once you figure out terminology, acronyms and industry-specific jargon, you’ll be better able to talk shop with potential future coworkers.

By doing your homework, you can ask stronger and more informed questions during networking sessions and actual job interviews — and show hiring managers you’re a sharp candidate.

Step 3: Network!

A successful job search requires meeting people and building relationships.

Start by locating alumni and peers at your college and other institutions who might have insight into the companies and industries you’re targeting.

Reach out to them with a simple message. Introduce yourself, explain why you want to talk to them and list a couple of questions you might want to ask them — about industry trends, about the career path they followed, about career lessons they’ve learned along the way.

When you meet, either in person or virtually, ask if there are other peers or colleagues who do similar work who might also be willing to talk with you. Is there anyone they’d recommend or feel comfortable introducing you to?

Try not to get discouraged if you don’t hear back from the first several people you contact. It might take 10 emails to get four or five responses and maybe two or three actual meetings. Remember: Networking is a continuous process that requires you to regularly identify and contact people you’d like to meet.

Step 4: Search for and apply for jobs.

Now you’re prepared to search for and apply to jobs and internships — but only if you do these steps in order. The most common mistake I see college students make is spending all of their time on Step 1, skipping the next two steps and moving right into applying for jobs. That might save time, but it often leaves job candidates unprepared for the application process and frustrated that they’re not hearing back.

If you do enough research and networking, you’ll know exactly how to tailor your resume and your cover letter for the job and company you want. You’ll be able to use the proper industry phrases and jargon. And you’ll have insight on hiring timelines and time frames so you can apply for the right job at the right time.

If you use an online career platform, set alerts so you’ll be among the first to know when new jobs are posted that meet your criteria. Also, engage with employers when they post on social media. It’s a great way to show you’re interested.

As you get closer to the end of the semester — and, for the Class of 2025, graduation — the pressure to find a good internship or a good first job will grow more intense. But by preparing your documents, doing your research and building networks, you’ll stand out in a crowded field of candidates and be ready to grab the internship or job you want.