When should a college student start applying for jobs?

You should already be researching employment opportunities, prospective employers to send out your resume + cover letter package. Availability date you will state in cover letter as a date you select after graduation & the year-end holidays (or state available from 1 January 2020). Start sending out your packages by the beginning of September. Also start networking as that's the best way to find a job.

Start today. Make contacts. Keep in touch. Show interest. Then in the fall you will be well ahead of the others

Really before they even start they're second to last semester of College . You wanna do it kinda similar to how people in their Junior year of High School start applying for Universities, sending off Essay's, and taking SATs.

Seriously this isnt something you want to wait till the last minute on. Otherwise you are just going to end up back in your parents house working at Starbucks.

How early in your senior year should you start applying for jobs for after graduation? Prospective graduates often wonder when they should begin applying for jobs since they won't be available to start work until after graduation.

Recruiting windows for college seniors will vary greatly by employment sector. So, the answer is that it depends on the type of job you are applying for - and it's never too late even if you haven't started your job search early. Some students will elect to wait until the spring of their senior year to get serious, while others will begin planning as early as sophomore year.

1. Employers With Early Deadlines
Many organizations with competitive training programs will begin recruiting early in the fall and start making offers as early as late November. Hiring managers from these fields often begin recruiting early because there are multiple rounds of interviews and testing to complete. Additionally, those typically interested in banking, consulting, and other business management roles are usually involved in a business track with internships or development programs, making it easy for companies to recruit already interested students.

2. Employers Recruiting Later in the Year
Seniors who start late shouldn't give up hope since there are still many opportunities available during the spring semester. Smaller companies which don't have training programs tend to recruit later in the year. So do employers in fields like broadcast communications, advertising, public relations, social media, the arts, and publishing. Some employees also prefer to wait until the Spring to hire recent graduates, after promoting current employees internally and properly assessing the company need.

3. Start as Early as Possible
Start your job search as soon as possible and invest as much time and energy in your personal campaign as you can if you are committed to finding a job by graduation. Since most graduates find jobs outside of their college's formal recruiting program through networking strategies, which can take time, it makes sense to start as early as the summer before senior year.

4. Applying for Unadvertised Jobs
When reaching out to employers that haven't yet advertised a job, you can send a resume and cover letter indicating your interest in an entry-level job. When you follow up, ask when they might be scheduling interviews for their entry-level jobs.​

It depends, in part, on the type of job and the industry. People in investment banking, as an example, often are nailing job offers down a year in advance while elementary school teachers may not get started until they've nearly finished their student teaching a month or two before graduation.

Large corporations tend to have somewhat structured programs for hiring a larger number of recent graduates and the process starts early. Smaller companies are more flexible and hire based on actual need/openings. You have to know what's true in the industry/area of work you plan to do and act accordingly. If a company needs someone today, they aren't going to hire someone who can't start until next January.

If you're looking for a state government job, like geological engineering at PennDOT, apply at least three months in advance because they're super slow and processing applications.

Now would not be too soon.

About 2 months before they're about to leave college