Finding your niche means you’ve found work that gives you purpose, keeps you challenged, and makes you excited to get out of bed in the morning.
Below contributing editor Olivia Smelas’ offers a college student’s perspective on how you can use your hobbies and interests to find your niche and kickstart your career.
Undergraduate students are placed under an incredible amount of pressure to differentiate themselves from their classmates and eventual competitors for the ever-elusive, shiny new jobs post-grad. As an undergraduate student at a large state university, I can attest to this, as competition exists for literally every resource available to us.
We as students are constantly in search of the “x” factor to make ourselves the most competitive we can be. Whether that’s LinkedIn certifications, courses in Adobe, or learning the latest coding languages -- you name it, we’ve tried it.
Though the uniform style of our resumes and the black and white of our transcripts may paint a generic picture of us, in reality, every student is incredibly unique with a vast array of interests, talents, and experiences. Everyone has their own niche, and what most of us don’t realize is this can be our greatest power.
Finding and exploring your niche is not only an invaluable tool to stand out to employers down the road, but is a rewarding journey that helps us develop confidence and leadership qualities. But the question is, how do we find our niche in the first place?
4 Questions to Help You Identify Your Niche
It’s no secret that passion is an essential ingredient to success. So, when trying to determine what your niche might be, consider the following questions:
What makes you thrive?
Your niche should be something that you enjoy, so consider what your hobbies and interests are first. What do you like to do with your free time? If you could spend a day however you wanted, what would you be doing? Personally, I love listening to music. I thrive and feel the most myself when I’m putting together playlists and talking to others about music.
What makes you feel challenged?
There’s a difference between things coming to you naturally and the work being too easy. Your niche should have some element of challenges as well as possibility for growth to keep you from feeling stagnated.
Personally, I am challenged by music because there is constantly more to learn about, new artists to discover, and countless avenues to pursue music business experience. Though music had nothing to do with my ever-changing majors, it has remained the only consistency in my interests, and the one thing that has never failed to excite me.
What makes you feel invincible?
Though insecurity is part of the human condition we’re all subject to at one point or another, your niche should be something that makes you feel confident. I am confident in my music taste and love showing others songs or artists I think they’ll love too. The simple act of listening to the music brings me inexplicable joy and makes me feel unstoppable.
How can you serve as a source of information or inspiration to others?
I chose to get involved in my university’s radio station my freshman year of college and created a music blog and an Instagram account where I write album reviews, publish playlists and interview artists. Then, I decided I wanted to pursue music on a business level, and used my niche to leverage myself as an applicant for an internship with Sony Music.
My niche project served as a main talking point throughout the interview process, allowing me to demonstrate how I took a passion and created something tangible out of it. I ended up landing the position as the youngest intern the company had ever hired. After a year with the company and about a year running my music blog, I know I can serve as a source of information and inspiration to others.
I’ve Found My Niche, Now What?
In today’s digital age, sharing your niche via social media is easier than ever. Countless Internet subcultures exist, constantly inviting new creators and fresh content into the spotlight. Making use of the countless digital storytelling platforms out there like social media, podcasting or blogging sites makes it easy to share your interests and become a leader in your space.
I found a new audience and connections through the radio station, perhaps you join a marketing club or a college influencer organization, or a culinary club or sports management position at your university. Your everyday hobby can become your niche, and eventually it can transform into something financially lucrative.
The notorious “Tell me about yourself” interview question is not limited to your name, university and major. Your niche can act as a storytelling vehicle, allowing you to narrate who you are instead of stating your basic information. Think of how the skills you’ve learned while working on your passion project can be translated to the position you’re applying for, and showcase those connections during the interview.
For example, if I was to apply to a digital marketing position, I might say something along these lines: “In managing a music blog, social media accounts, and a radio show, I have learned how to grab my audience’s attention and retain it while developing my brand identity through digital/face to face advertising and personal audience engagement. Despite a variety of obstacles, I have built my brand from scratch, culminating in my love for marketing, music and creative problem solving.”
Finding and owning my niche was one of the most empowering and fulfilling experiences of my two years of college so far. Let’s make, “Tell me about yourself,” the easiest question of your next interview!