We don’t need to mince words; landing a job after college is not the easiest of tasks at all. On the one hand, there is the challenge of most organizations asking for a certain level of experience and, on the other hand, is the issue of finding a position that really suits your qualifications and tastes. But you need not dread the process actually;, you just need to take charge of the situation by following the few tips below.
Develop your resume
First and foremost, do you even have a resume? If you do, how compelling is it? You don’t just go out approaching organizations if you haven’t first taken your time to create one of the best write-ups of your life.
Regardless of your level of qualification, your language proficiency, and your problem-solving skills, your resume is the first thing an employer asks for before deciding whether to grant you an audience (interview) or not. But the danger with resumes is that even though you have the best of skills and you’re really qualified for the position under consideration and your resume does little to convince an employer, there is a great chance you wouldn’t be considered for the job.
So if you still haven’t created that convincing resume yet, now may be the time to do so. And if you have but not really convinced about whether it is convincing or not, you can check out Ladders resume examples for some inspiration. There you will find some of the best examples of resume to guide you through the process of creating yours. But if you still can’t create something convincing, then you should consider outsourcing your resume project, there are different resume creators and writers out there, so you shouldn’t have a problem finding one.
Tips for landing your first job after college
Now to the actual business of the day, how to land your first job after leaving college?
Start with your school career center
Although it is a common practice to hit the labor market immediately after college in a bid to find a job, there are actually many options around you to consider first. And one of them is the college career center. Begin your job hunt by tapping into some of the available resources around you. Visit the career office and meet with a career advisor to discuss your options. Advisors can help you devise a job search plan, give you some helpful tips on resume development, and even network you with employers of labor.
Networking
There is no better strategy than networking when it comes to landing your first job. In fact, according to a recent survey by LinkedIn and the Adier Group, it was revealed that 85% of all jobs are obtained through networking.
Although networking can work in both ways – direct and indirect – the best approach is still the indirect one. The reason is that many employers of labor might be reluctant to recruit an inexperienced personnel into their organization when you approach them directly to ask them to hire you. But when you reach out to contacts for information and advice, there is a far greater chance that you’ll be listened to.
To make indirect networking work, you should contact as many professionals as you can for informational consultations. Get lists of alumni volunteers from your career office or alumni association, attending networking events and ask those alumni with whom you develop a rapport if you can follow up with them to gain further insight into their work environment.
Get your LinkedIn profile up and running
LinkedIn is the best place to find potential employees and employers know this. If you haven’t created a LinkedIn profile yet, please try to do now. Not only does LinkedIn give you an avenue to network with different organizations and employers in your industry, but it also gives you a chance to showcase what you have to offer. With a detailed LinkedIn profile, highlighting your skills, education, background, work history, qualifications, and lots more, you can attract some job employers to your page and land your first job that way.
Alternatively, you can also join LinkedIn groups for your college and reach out to alumni in fields of interest.
Join a professional group
While still in school, you can join a professional organization that is relevant to your field of study as a student member, and when you graduate, you can upgrade to being a professional member. Many professional associations put on conferences where you can rub shoulders with seasoned pros who are often eager to help newcomers to their field. Volunteer to help run the registration table, and you’ll meet lots of potentially helpful people.
Find companies
Finally, you can look up available companies and opportunities online. There are lots of websites out there known to help job seekers generate more job leads. Alternatively, you can visit the employment section of the website of a target company and look for a college or graduate opportunities.
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