About 80% of the people who graduate from college say that they feel their college degree was a great investment. It’s why everyone should consider trying to get a college degree, if possible.
But just because you obtain a degree doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to land your dream job straight out of college. In fact, many college grads struggle to find a job once their college careers end. It’s not always easy to land a job when you don’t have a wealth of experience in your preferred field.
Are you concerned about finding a job as a college grad? Then there are some job search tips for recent college grads that you should keep in the back of your mind when you begin trying to enter the workforce.
Here are ten tips that should help new college grads get the jobs they’re looking for when they begin applying for them.
Table of Contents
1. Begin by Thinking About What Kind of Job You’d Like to Get After College
Far too often, college grads begin their first post-college job search by looking at a list of job openings and picking and choosing the ones that look the best to them. You should avoid doing this if you can.
Instead, you should sit down and come up with a list of jobs that you’d like to apply for without knowing whether or not they’re available at the moment. This will help shed some light on what jobs you would truly be passionate about.
By performing this exercise, you’ll gain a better understanding of what it is that you want to do in your field. You’ll discover what you’re naturally interested in doing and put yourself in a better position once you’re sitting in front of a list of job openings.
2. Figure Out Where You’re Going to Look for Jobs You Might Like
Once you have some general idea of what kind of job you’d like, you can start searching for job openings that are out there as of right now. But prior to doing this, you’re going to need to know where to look for jobs.
Are you going to:
- Look for jobs on job boards?
- Speak with recruiters operating in your area?
- Browse through the jobs listed on companies’ websites?
- Talk to those in your industry about job openings they’ve heard about?
There are so many ways for you to find out about jobs that are open to college grads. You should figure out which techniques you’re going to use to educate yourself about open positions.
3. Make Sure You Have a Strong Resume Put Together for Yourself
Regardless of how you plan on finding job openings in your area, you’re eventually going to start to come across them. When you do, you’re going to need to have a strong resume put together so that you can begin to send it out to prospective employers.
Take some time to learn how to create a resume for yourself. This is going to be especially important for recent college grads who don’t have a ton of experience under their belts just yet. You need to find out ways to make yourself look like an attractive candidate even though you’re just getting your feet wet in your industry.
4. Create a List of the Jobs That You Might Want to Apply For
Before you begin haphazardly sending out job applications to whatever job listings you can find out there in the world, you should come up with a long list of the jobs that intrigue you the most. It’ll help you stay organized through your job search.
Your list should include:
- The job position that a company is trying to fill
- The company that is trying to fill this position
- The location of a job
- The salary associated with a job (if available)
You’ll feel so much better about how your job search is going when you keep yourself as organized as you can. You’ll also be able to prioritize your job-hunting efforts more effectively by keeping tabs on which jobs you’re applying for.
5. Research the Companies That Have Job Openings to See What They’re All About
If you’re going to apply for a job at a company, it’s going to help you to know what that company is all about. Whether you’re applying for a job at a fast-food restaurant or a more prestigious place like Roivant Sciences, you’re going to want to know everything you can about a company.
Visit a company’s website and read through the “About Us” page to get some sense of what it is that they do. This could help you in a big way later on if a company asks you to come in for an interview and asks you about what intrigued you about working for them.
6. Create Unique Cover Letters for Each and Every Job Application You’re Going to Send Out
Oftentimes, college grads will apply for dozens of jobs and use the same cover letter for each and every one. While this is an efficient way to send out job applications, your cover letter isn’t going to do you any favors when it’s very general in nature.
Rather than taking this approach, you should craft a unique cover letter for every job that you apply for. Or at the very least, you should create a standard cover letter and include one paragraph that makes it unique to a company when you send it out to them.
This will make it appear as though you’ve put some real effort into creating a cover letter specifically for a company. They’ll be more likely to take your application seriously and to give you some real consideration for whatever position they’re trying to fill.
7. Work to Create Connections With Those Working in Your Industry
Towards the end of college, many of your professors should begin to talk to you about the importance of networking. It’s going to be extremely important for you to form connections with those in your industry, both before you enter the workforce and when you’re in it.
You would be surprised by how many people are able to land jobs at companies simply because someone puts in a good word for them. With this in mind, you should do your best to network with those at different companies in your industry in the months leading up to your college graduation. You should also continue to network throughout your entire career.
By creating connections with people in your industry, you’ll find out about jobs before they hit the job boards. You’ll also always have people to vouch for you when you apply for different positions at companies.
8. Be Open to the Idea of Accepting a Paid Internship or a Low Paying Entry-Level Job
Are you going to be trying to find work in an industry that’s very competitive? You might find it almost impossible to land a lucrative job in this type of industry unless you have a brilliant mind and know people on the inside at different companies.
You might want to at least think about accepting a paid internship or a low paying entry-level job to get your foot in the door in your preferred industry. It’s an excellent way to get into the industry even if you aren’t able to land your dream job in it right away.
9. Consider Moving to a New City That Offers More Job Opportunities
If you spend a lot of time looking for work after college and continue to come up empty, it might be your location that’s holding you back. You may not live in one of the best cities for college grads.
If you don’t mind moving to a new city for work, you should do it when you’re still on the younger side since you won’t have too many responsibilities that will slow you down. You could find a job in another city or even another state with ease if you’re willing to make a move.
10. Trust the Job Search Process and Try Not to Get Too Down on Yourself
Some college grads think the job search process is going to be easy when they finish school. They dream up scenarios in which employers trip over themselves trying to hire them.
This is not how things go, though! It can take months for even the brightest college grads to find work following graduation. You should keep hope alive and continue to hunt for a job until you’re able to find one.
College Grads Can Find Great Jobs If They’re Willing to Work Hard Enough at It
A college degree will usually help you make more money throughout your working days than you would otherwise. But it’s not automatically going to get you a job straight out of college.
All the college grads out there should keep that in mind as they kickstart their job searches. It might take you a little bit of time to find a company willing to hire you.
Read Also: Why You Should Consider Enrolling in an Online College
Use the job search tips for recent college grads found here to help you through the process. They should make it easier for you to track down the right job in the end.
Read through the other articles on our blog to find more tips that will help recent college grads.
