As soon as you get graduated and pave your way into the “real world”, there would be many challenges and issues that would make you go through a lot of problems. Therefore, it is important to arm yourself before you set your foot into this new phase of your life.
Here are a Few Tips and Advice for College Graduates Looking for Dream Job:
- Be sure of what you want – Be certain of what you want, both from your life and your career. Your values will matter to you the most in your life as it will determine your view of your world, the direction that you want your life to take, your beliefs and your attitude. Therefore, you must be clear and sure of what you want to do in life and besides, when the interviewer asks you “What do you want to do?” you must be prepared to answer this question.
- Try different industries – Gone are the days when people were expected to stay in one career for 40 years. The millennials are all about experimenting, challenging themselves and pushing boundaries. Go for this approach: try before you buy and pick any of the entry-level jobs for the industries that you’re interested in. According to Forbes, employees who stick with a certain company last longer than two years and are likely to get paid 50% less whereas the “job hoppers” are believed to have a higher learning curve. They are considered as better performers and more loyal than their counterparts. Also, at this point in your career, you’re allowed to take risks as nothing is set in stone. Therefore be open to every opportunity and make sure to learn from them.
- Work on your CV – Your CV provides you the first chance to make a good impression on your prospective employer. So you must invest a great amount of time and effort in order to make your CV presentable and tailor it according to the roles you’re applying for. Research the companies and pay attention to the job descriptions to highlight the exact skills that are being demanded. Graduate students should focus more on highlighting their academic achievements since they often do not have much work experience to talk about. However, if you’ve done any volunteering work, internships, etc, make sure to include them in your CV. Also, make sure to add a Cover Letter to point out the specific qualifications you’ve for the job. Make sure that your CV is keyword friendly and submit it only after proofreading it several times.
KNOW MORE: 100% JOB PLACEMENT PROGRAM FOR F1 OPT & CPT
- Take advantage of Social Media – In this digital age, social media can prove to be a great tool for graduates to not only establish their network but also land their dream job. Social media sites such as LinkedIn provide a great opportunity to network with professionals in your desired industry and receive information, ideas, referrals, recommendations, leads and support with others. Interestingly, 90% of recruiters use LinkedIn as their primary search tool and you should use it to your full advantage. Create your professional profile, include your resume and join groups to connect with other professionals. You can also utilize sites such as Facebook and Twitter to access various job opportunities. Hundreds of jobs are posted on Twitter daily, therefore look for appropriate hashtags and search for the opportunities. You can also create a page on Facebook to promote yourself professionally. According to various studies, 92% of companies are using social media for hiring—and that three out of four hiring managers will check out a candidate’s social profiles. Therefore, it is also important to delete any controversial content from your social media profiles so that hiring managers won’t come across them and drop you from the list of their potential employees. Social media can prove to be a great tool if used wisely.
- Do an Internship – Internship is a great way of getting your feet wet before going off the high dive. It not only allows you to gain firsthand exposure to working in the real world but also helps you to refine your skills, knowledge, providing opportunities to interact with professionals and gain connections and also lays the foundation of your career. Sometimes your internship can also transition into a full-time job.
- Find a Mentor – Having a good mentor can accelerate your career growth as they guide you through every stage and phase of your early career and beyond. A mentor helps you to set you measurable goals, assist you in developing your skills and competency, expand your network of contacts, inspire and motivate you to never give up and keep moving forward.
- Prepare for interviews – An interview is your chance to convince the hiring manager that you have got the knowledge, skills, and determination required for the job. Therefore, it is very important that you nail a job interview if you wish to land your dream job. You can do this by conducting mock interviews with your family and friends so that you’ll get an idea of how you’re going to be performing at the actual one and taking notes to improve yourself. You can also practice your answers to the most common interview questions and also make sure to dress appropriately and professionally so that the hiring managers can take you seriously. Also, greet your interviewer with a friendly smile and a firm handshake. You must also do thorough research on the company that you’ve applied for to show your prospective employer that you’ve taken the initiative and effort to gain knowledge about the company. Most importantly be confident and make sure to follow up after the interview.
- Don’t be Discouraged – Develop patience as you look for jobs and do not be discouraged if you’re unable to find one. It can take time to find a job and start a career. You need to stay positive and keep moving ahead without giving up in order to achieve your goals.