You recently graduated college and now you’re out there hustling for your dream job. Or maybe you’ve landed a pretty great job already, but you want to be prepared for what’s next career-wise.
Searching for jobs can be stressful, especially for recent college grads, who often have less interview and work experience than some of the competition.
But don’t fret! There are actually many reasons why companies like hiring recent college graduates, and if you play your cards right, you’ll find a job you love in your chosen field soon enough!
We’ve assembled some of our best advice for job hunting right out of college—take a look!
1. Network
So many jobs are staffed based upon connections. In fact, many people land jobs that haven’t even been officially posted yet. How? Networking. You can find networking events on social media, through alumni emails from your Alma mater, through friends, or on various networking sites. These events provide a great opportunity to meet and make a positive impression on potential employers, putting a face with your name. Also, it’s a good idea to take business cards with you to hand out, and to sign up for any email lists circulating at these events so you can stay updated about job opportunities as they arise.
2. Change Your Social Media Game
Potential employers will look you up on social media. We repeat: employers will look you up on social media! So first of all, make sure anything you post publicly is “employer friendly.” This content is somewhat subjective, obviously, but use your best judgement. If you’re even somewhat worried that you may offend or alienate a potential employer you’d love to work for, don’t post it. Hopefully college was a blast, but if you’re on a serious job hunt, it’s time to shift your social media away from party photos and towards meaningful content that could help get you hired.
More importantly: use your social media to network! We all think of LinkedIn as the go-to social media platform for finding a job (and it’s great), but don’t underestimate the power of Facebook for job hunting either. You can join all kinds of industry-specific or college alumni groups to find out about opportunities, or even share public posts about the type of job you’re looking for. You may be really surprised at who bites.
3. Do Your Homework
Every now and then, a perfect job will just fall into your lap, but most of the time, you’ll have to go out and find it. Conduct Google and LinkedIn searches for the job titles and companies that most appeal to you. And then spend some time doing actual research on your ideal companies. Read their websites thoroughly, check out their CEOs’ and employees’ profiles on LinkedIn, etc. Be super clear on the mission and ethos of a company, and know precisely what you could contribute to their work environment. And then follow them on social media so you know when they’re hiring!
4. Be Proactive in Your Communication
Searching for current job openings is a great way to find a job, but don’t be afraid to reach out to prospective employers even when they aren’t hiring. Sending an email to the HR director (or general contact email) expressing your interest in working for the company indicates that you are a driven, proactive individual and has the power to make a great impression—so that when they are hiring, you spring to mind! Be succinct, professional, and direct in your email, providing specific reasons why you’d make a great addition to their team. You can also attach your resume, so make sure that it’s polished and updated.
5. Get Creative With Your Experience
The #1 challenge recent grads face when job searching is lack of experience. It seems like a catch-22: how do you ever get more experience if you don’t have any to show?! Keep in mind that having “experience” doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ve done the job advertised before. You can include internships, job shadowing/observations, volunteer work, temporary work, etc. on your resume if you feel that the skills demonstrated could be valuable to the position you’re currently applying for. Along those lines, be open to applying for jobs that might not be a perfect scenario or fit, but that will get you the necessary experience to serve as a stepping stone to your next job. These include part-time jobs, temporary contract work, jobs with odd hours, etc. When in doubt, you can always sign up for a temp agency, as many people get hired to full-time from temp jobs.
6. Put a Positive Spin on Your “Freshness”
You’re fresh out of college and maybe you’re worried that you’re unqualified for any of the jobs you want. Well, there’s another way to look at your greenness in the career world! You’re a blank slate in some ways, and that’s exciting to employers. In your cover letters and interviews, stress that you’re willing to adapt to and grow within a company’s particular culture and protocol. And because you’ve just left college, you’re a wellspring of contemporary knowledge within your filed. You’re up to date on the latest technologies and advancements in your field, and ready to put your education to use!
Here’s How Scholly Can Help Recent Graduates!
Use Scholly Editor to instantly edit and improve all of your job application materials, from cover letters to personal statements!
And, if you’ve got student loans, be on the lookout for our ever-expanding, exclusive opportunities to help you get out debt.
Best of luck, and happy job hunting!