If you just graduated college and haven’t found a job yet, don’t panic. The good news for entry level employees is that many experienced people changed jobs in the last year or so, so employers are looking to make entry level hires. But in order to get noticed, you have to put in the work. The labor market for entry level jobs is competitive. Follow these tips to make a smooth transition from unemployed to employed.
1. Update your resume
One of the most important and beneficial things you can do for yourself after college is to update your resume, and even tailor it to specific jobs you apply to. You should update your resume so that employers can get an idea of your personality and work skills by just glancing at it for a few minutes. This is one of the key steps in finding a job. A good resume goes a long way. You can search online for templates using something like Canva for example, or you can ask a friend or a professor to help you. Make sure to include contact information, where you studied and what you studied, as well as any experience you have, whether it’s volunteering or clubs or internships.
2. Apply for internships
If you haven’t volunteered much or been in many clubs and have not been in an internship at all, now is the time to apply. Fresh out of college, fresh off the boat, many companies are looking for interns to help out. This is good for you because it gives you a sense of what work will be like and you also get a chance to learn and develop your skills. If you’re lucky, you might even be able to find a paid internship as well, but when you just got out of college, forget about the money and focus on developing your skills instead.
3. Network
An incredibly helpful thing to do before, after, and during college is to network. Network, network, network! Put yourself out there and meet lots of people. One day, a person might be able to help you and you might be able to help them. Networking and meeting other people is great because you can discover and learn new things from them, and there’s also a chance you could make friends as well. It really doesn’t hurt at all to network and meet people so make sure to do it. You can do this by going to career events related to what you want to do, or also just meeting up with local people in your town.
4. Apply to jobs and follow up
After updating your resume, applying to internships, and networking, this is the time to apply to the actual jobs. Apply to as many as possible. It’ll be worth the effort in the end when you finally get something you enjoy doing. Your first job out of college might require a lot of work and probably won’t pay a lot, but it’s the first step in developing your career. As you research and apply to jobs keep track of the positions you submitted applications for and make sure to follow up if they haven't responded. This shows you’re interested in the job and can only help to make a better impression.
Follow these tips to set yourself up for success.
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