How to Market Yourself after College
By Amira Smith
In the job market of the 21st century, there’s no road map to guarantee success. The faceless nature of the recruitment system means that graduates are required to use all of their skills and cunning to build out their own route.
The hardest part of all of this is undoubtedly getting the ball rolling after graduation. It’s easy to become bogged down in self-pity and despair, but if you’re willing to make one or two small alterations to your routine, you might find the right opportunity is waiting for right around the corner.
In the face of some serious competition, turning ourselves into a self-sufficient digital PR agency is a must. With a little organization and by following the three steps below, it won’t be long before your career hits the freeway.
Find a Part-Time Job
It’s natural after four years of studying a certain subject to want to find a job that relates to it in some way – after all, it’s why we spend thousands of dollars on tuition fees in the first place, right?
In a competitive job market, however, opportunities can sometimes be few and far between, leaving us stuck in a state of limbo that can actually damage our chances of finding full-time employment.
Times like these require us to put ourselves in an employer’s shoes. Between two college graduates with similar qualifications, would you rather employ someone that has shown that they’re used to the grind of nine to five, or someone that has sat at home waiting for an opportunity to fall into their lap?
From a personal point of view, it makes sense to earn some extra pocket money that will help us get used to the realities of working life. Living in the real world costs money and the sooner we get used to that after the college, the better.
Think About Your Brand
The notion of thinking about ourselves as a brand is an alien concept to a lot of us, but thanks to the invention of social media, the way that we present ourselves online can have both a positive and negative impact on us finding employment.
All that means is that it’s time to hide certain photos, delete any inappropriate content, and to make sure there’s some correlation to your online presence across different platforms.
Of course, the industry that you go into can have a big impact on the importance of all this, but a profile picture of you sitting in a shopping trolley will set the alarm bells ringing for any recruiter.
Use the Phone
If there’s one thing Millennials and Generation Z hate to do, it’s to speak to people directly. Growing up in a world of emojis and emails means we’re often much more comfortable making first contact with an employer over the web.
As you imagine, if everyone has this approach, it’s always going to be hard to stand out. That’s why sometimes it’s best to take a leaf out of Marty McFly’s book and to step back into the future. The good old fashioned telephone can help you get in contact directly with an employer, giving you the platform to sell yourself directly.
Bio: Amira Smith is a photographer and recent college graduate, who still cherishes her life in the college. She writes short novels and devotes her time to helping animal shelter in her hometown.
