A lot of people think that getting a job after graduation is a given, but it’s not always the case. You could find yourself surrounded by a lot of competition, or employers looking for people with hands-on experience. And, in some cases, you might be the one going about it the wrong way. However, if you’re qualified, use the right methods, and are ready to do the work necessary, you should eventually be able to find some offerings. Here are a few tips to help you find a great job out of college.
Use Your Career Center
Your career center is there to help you find a job, so use it and use it wisely. The first thing you should do is ask to talk with an advisor and look at your options. You might also ask if you could get career counseling if you’re still unsure of what you want to do. In addition to counseling, they will help you with things like drafting a resume and how to perform at interviews. This is an invaluable resource, and this is the perfect time to take advantage of it.
Make a List of College Contacts
Another thing you should do is make an inventory of all the friends and contacts you’ve made in college and compile them. If you’ve lost touch with some of them, we suggest you use a service like publicrecordsreviews.com to search phone records. You’ll be able to enter anyone’s name into their phone records search engine, and it will allow you to get the contact information of the person you’re looking for. This could be a great tool to use if you just knew someone in passing but never had the chance to get their information.
Doing this will give you a solid base of people you can contact for possible opportunities. If they were in the same program as you, chances are some were able to find positions already and could be able to help you get in the door. Others may have started a venture or in leadership positions, and might be open to giving you a job.
Create a LinkedIn Page
People often forget, but LinkedIn wasn’t created for startup owners, marketers, and consultants; rather it was created for people looking for jobs. So, if you can’t seem to find a position, then you should have a LinkedIn by now.
This is a great way to show potential recruiters what you have to offer and will allow you to search for thousands of jobs. You could end up making some important connections, and it’s one of the most efficient ways to network you can use. LinkedIn could also allow you to join groups for your school and connect with alumni.
Get a Website
Some may see this as ambitious, but you’d be surprised at how many doors having a website could open. As a matter of fact, over 50% of hiring managers surveyed in a recent study stated that a website was the number one most impressive branding tool a candidate can use.
Building a blog could be a great way to show your expertise, and is not complicated at all. You could also decide to build a resume website that complements a LinkedIn profile perfectly. You could show some work samples, and allow people to see what you’ve got. If you have some coding experience, you could build a WordPress site in minutes on a shoestring budget, but there are other tools like Squarespace and Wiz that will allow you to build a professional website on a penny with limited experience.
Expand Your Horizons
A lot of graduates also tend to limit themselves when it comes to searching for positions. However, you may need to consider other options if you can’t find anything. You could consider looking at a position somewhere else in your state, or in a different state completely. There are also cases where you could benefit from looking at positions outside of your college major. While these might not always be ideal, they could be used as a springboard to the position you actually want.
Look at Internships
Last, but not least, make sure that you do not overlook internships. Some students might not like the idea of getting an internship after college, but there are few tools that are as powerful for seeking a job. As a matter of fact, it was estimated that over 60% of all paid internships lead to a position. Even if you don’t get a position, you could gain valuable skills and connections that will help you for the rest of your career.
Getting a job after college is not always easy. However, if you apply these few tips, get organized, and execute, it’s only a matter of time before someone gives you a chance.