Posts published on April 15, 2015
Job Searching:Where Should Graduates Start From?
By Julie Petersen
Over the years, the job market has become more and more challenging to the freshly graduate students. Graduates are finding a hard time when it comes to getting their first time employment. According to the infographic about popular professions among grades, in addition to giving information about the most popular jobs, it also gives the stats about the challenge faced by graduate students in relation to their job search. Out of a possible 100%, only 50% managed to become employed on a full time basis.
How to get started
A strategy is required when it comes to searching for a job whether you are looking for your first or the tenth job. You need to know where to start, acquaint yourself with the industries that are hiring and make the most of the different social media channels. The fact that the world’s economy is not currently at its best, jobs are becoming hard to find with time and it will only take those with the will power to succeed and the enthusiasm to push through to land on a lucrative job opportunity. Even with that said, the job market is not all desolate. If you come up with a good strategy to approach the job market, you’ll not only land a stimulating job but get one that is in line with your passion and interest. Preparations should start early enough; probably while on your last semester of college. This will get you psychologically prepared for the real world.
a) Focus on getting a job that will help you land a your dream job
If your attention is to entirely land your dream job, chances are that you might get frustrated along the way if in case it takes you longer than you hard anticipated. You need to start somewhere. While still having your dream job in mind, as a freshly graduate, you may want to consider lowering your expectations and land a job that will in turn springboard you to your dream job. This will not make or break your career but most certainly it will help you in the meantime. What you need to know is that choosing your first job is not an automatic indication of your future. Use that opportunity to explore the different fields and possibly build your network.
b) Make arrangements to meet up with career services
As a job seeker, you need to make this your top priority because these career services are a wealth of experience. These services can provide you with information regarding to internal job boards and self-assessment tests among others. Perhaps one of their most lucrative service which they offer is to link you with career experts who will you a lot when it comes to reviewing your CV, help you with your 90 second pitch, conduct mock interviews and help you to link up with your alumni.
c) Establish your network
Anyone doing an active job search needs to consider everyone they interact with as a potential network source because you just never know where your conversation with them will take you. Whenever you get a chance, mention what you are thinking about to your peers, professors and even you fellow students. Failing to do so is a critical mistake that might cost you. To increase your chances of landing your first job after college, you need to establish your connections as early as possible. Use social media to find new contacts concerning your job search, where Linkedin is considered to be one of the most effective networks to establish connections.
d) Pick a career
You need to know what you really want to pursue as your career so that it becomes easier for you to lay your foundation. If you feel sort of stuck over your career path, you might want to consider doing research on the companies and the roles you feel you are best suited for. After identifying this, you can then start building it. You need to build on your experience if you want to be successful with all your career goals.
These are basic but a few of the tips that can help a graduate student with their first job search. Besides the above, you also need to know how to write a captivating graduate CV, know how to draft a cover letter and know how to approach interviews.
Author’s Bio
Julie Petersen is a young blogger and writer, who features the latest educational and career trends in her writings. At present time she works at Essaymama.com as a writing consultant and a blog editor.
