How to Get a Job Right Out of College
While your last days of college are here, it’s time to start thinking about that dream job. Whether you have work experience or not, these are some of the best tips to use when looking for a job.
Here is how to navigate your way through the job search process and avoid making common mistakes that are popular among new graduates. This guide is designed to better prepare you to get a job as a recent graduate and eventually, land the job of your dreams.
How to get a job right out of college
Gain experience during college
While you are in college, you will have a ton of opportunities to gain experience. There are clubs, organizations, and other events to help you gain this type of experience. Plus, if you are not working an internship or part-time job this could be a great thing to put on your resume.
Start networking!
If you start networking in college, it can make finding a job after graduation a lot easier. It is widely known in the business industry that you should start networking because half of the jobs offered to you won’t be advertised online.
It is advised to start meeting people and making connections within your major and going to professional organizations. This type of networking will open a lot of doors and opportunities for you.
Research the job market
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Researching the job that you are interested in and what the market needs is on way to narrow down your search. If you can provide employers with a new set of skills, it looks better on your end.
This will also help you better understand what the market is looking for and it’ll increase your chances of getting hired if you are studying for the position.
Be proactive
If you are looking to score a full-time job right out of college then you should be proactive within your search. Consistently be searching for a job in your major and follow up with anyone that hasn’t replied to you. Take it a step further and reach out to people on linked in and network to the best of your ability.
Become a volunteer
If you become a volunteer for local companies you are not only creating networking opportunities but also opening doors for yourself to potentially get a job offered to you. This will also boost your communication and interpersonal skills.
Attend job fairs
Another way to stay proactive in looking for a job to secure after college is by attending job fairs. There are plenty of opportunities when it comes to going to local events like this. Not only are you working on networking, but you are applying to jobs that pique your interest as well. The likelihood of you getting hired off a job at a fair is far superior to online.
Create a portfolio
Take your experience one step further than a resume and create a portfolio. This is great when most of your experience is based on what you learned and worked on in college. Putting together a portfolio will also show employers what you are capable of.
Get an internship
Another way to get introduced to the work field is by inquiring about an internship. With internships, you gain experience and also the environment of working for a company. Some internships are paid while others are not. In the end, you are gaining experience and networking within the work field.
Get a part-time job
This is something to consider while in college. Sometimes it is completely unfeasible, but if you have the time, a part-time job is the way to go. Slowly gaining experience with an entry-level position and then growing into more once your college degree is completed. Remember that this can be a challenging task, and it is important to keep up with your studies, but you can very well loop in some experience too.
Keep an updated linkedin
You don’t need to be in person to network. If you have a profile on LinkedIn, it is another great place to communicate with people in the same industry as you. Keeping your profile up to date is important, so post about all the projects you are working on and let people know that you have the experience that they could be looking for.
Leverage career services
Visit the career center at your college. They provide services like interview practice and cleaning up your resume. Plus there are companies that will leave their information with the center in hopes to get college students to apply. This is one of the best places to find new job information especially because the people leaving behind their information are open to hiring college graduates.
Take online courses
Along with learning skills in classes, there are also opportunities for you to take online courses and gain more hands-on experience. If you are doing additional work to learn the material it can also help you figure out if this particular major is the right one for you. That is ultimately helping you decide if it’s the right career path for you as well.
Find a mentor
Having a mentor is common when you are attending college. They are someone that you can trust to give you guidance and constructive criticism. This person is ultimately someone you will look up to, it could be a teacher, friend, supervisor, or coworker.
Level up your resume
Think about how many other people are sending in their resumes to the same job posting that you are. You want to make sure yours is clear and concise. Make yours pop. Make it memorable. There are tons of ways for you to make your resume pop out of all the rest. Once this is achieved, you are bound to get the job of your dreams.
Apply on the company websites
Another way to ensure that your job application doesn’t get lost in the sea of others is to apply to the company directly through their website. Using big job boards can be a downside, whether they lose your application or it simply gets overlooked. Plus if you are applying through their website it shows that you are interested and took the extra time to go through a few more steps.
Ensure you get the job of your dreams
After all of these tips, we hope you have an idea of how to secure the job of your dreams right after college. Don’t forget to research as much as possible, score an internship if you can, and network, network, network!
If you need an advisor or career coach Prepory has a full team of coaches that are ready to help you land the job of your dreams. Our end-to-end career coaching program, Sprout, ensures individuals gain complete guidance for their job search. Our career coaches analyze, improve, and optimize everything from your resumes, cover letters, online presence, interview skills, and more. We help you build, thrive, and grow while earning the salary you deserve and propelling your career to greater heights.