How to Find a Job After College

How to Find a Job After College How to Find a Job After College Congratulations, you did it! You just graduated (or are soon to be graduating) from college. This will be the greatest accomplishment of your life ...so far, anyway! Unfortunately, it is time to get back to work, which means finding a job. Landing a job after college is not an easy task. Ideally, you already have internships and years of relevant work experience under your belt. But let’s be honest, doing well in college is tough enough as it is. It’s even harder to find a job in your desired industry while balancing life as a full-time student. Believe it or not, less than one-third of university graduates have a job secured upon graduation. We want to help! So, we have laid out a “How To Find a Job After College” guide below. These points will show you how to optimize your efforts to find a job after graduating from college, regardless of your work experience. Optimize your relevant experience Whether you partied every day or struggled to keep your grades up, the fact is, you graduated! That expensive piece of paper hanging on your wall serves as the symbol to bettering your career path and finding a job after college. You may not have made all the ideal career choices during your schooling. However, there are a few ways to enhance your job-hunting skills now. Increase your chanceof receiving callbacks. As you fill out job applications, remember: You must be able to translate all relevantexperience. This includes experience from your classwork. It also includes any volunteer work you have done. Hiring managers only look at what is relevant to the job you are applying for. In other words, unless you are applying to become a caregiver, don’t include the years you babysat a younger sibling. (Want to learn how to find your niche without a single day of work experience? Read more tips on How to Apply for Entry Level Jobs.) Solidify your resume At this point, you’re probably saying, “I know I need a strong resume in order to find a job after college!” Unfortunately, “strong” is a relative term. If the quality of your resume doesn't match that of other candidates, you will likely get left behind in your job search. Research the lingo and business terms of your desired industry. Companies use scanning programs to filter out irrelevant resumes. If your wording is not strategically chosen, the hiring committee will not even look at your resume. Make sure the details in your resume fit what they seek in a candidate. If you have been on a campaign for finding a job after college and have not received any response, perhaps it is time to fix what is broken! Still feeling overwhelmed? Our services may increase your chances of job success. Take a look at Find My Profession's resume writingservices. (To learnHow To Write a Professional Resume on your own, click the link.) Be open to all opportunities As a new college graduate, you might feel on top of the world. I don't want to be the one to break it to you, but someone needs to say it: the world owes you nothing! You have to go out and find a job after college; it will not be handed to you on a silver platter. All cliches aside, some new grads expect to get offered asix-figure salary job. You must be realistic in your job search. Don’t assume you are above an assistant position Your best fit might be a job that requires no experience. This is a long-term process. You will progress in your experience (and salary), but it takes time. But be encouraged, because you will not regret starting at the bottom of the right job opportunity. Use all available avenues There are many resources at your disposal to find a job after college, souse them all to increase your chances of being noticed by hiring managers. You are at a severe disadvantage if you only use one avenue to apply for jobs. These options include: Job boards Company websites Staffing agencies The career center at your university We won't spend time debating on which option is best ... becauseyou should be using all of them! The more you explore your options, the better your chances get of landing that dream job after college. (To learn exactly where to apply for jobs, take a look at Where to Apply for Jobs Online.) Avoid common mistakes At this point, you should have a general idea of the etiquette and unwritten rules of the job search process after college, but I would like to emphasize a few key mistakes that are easy to correct. 1. Assuming success Like I stated above, it is best to be open to all opportunities after graduation. Do not show up for an interview assuming you have the job “in the bag.” Confidence is great, but arrogance is easy to pick up on. In fact, ahiring manager is trained to sniff out these types of candidates. Treat all employees at the company you are interviewing with respect. 2. Refusing to consider relocating It is also important to be open to relocation. You do not want to miss out on a great job after collegebecause it is a short plane flight from family and friends. Eventually, you can be pickier about location, but currently limiting your job options because of location can prove detrimental to your long-term goals. Change can be scary, but so can unemployment! 3. Failing to follow up Follow-up contact is also very important. It shows you have determination towards the potential opportunity. It can be as simple as sending a “thank you” email to the hiring manager/interviewer. Thanking them for their time can speak volumes about the character of a candidate. Final thoughts on finding a job after college Most important of all, do your homework. Yes, you might be done with school;this does not mean you are done learning. Do not let your ego get in the way of your job search. Don’t assume your resume or cover letter is rock solid. There is nothing wrong with admitting you do not know everything about an industry or desired skill. Take advantage of the numerous resources at your disposal. If you are not getting callbacks, there are reasons for this. After all, you are entry-level as you look for a job after college, but we all have to start somewhere, right? Let a professional help you find a job If you need help landing a job after graduation, here at Find My Profession, we would love to help. We have dedicated writers who specialize in all levels of resumes - including entry-level for recent graduates, socontact us today. Find My Profession has more 5-star reviews on trusted third-party sites than 99% of executive resume writing services.