6 Essential Steps to Secure a Job After College: A Guide for Graduates
Other than surviving freshman-year roommates, attempting to secure a job post-graduation–preferably in your field–is one of the most stress-inducing parts of college life. So, you may be wondering how to find a job after college.
Here are six steps on how to find a job after college to improve your employment chances after graduation…
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Start your job search early.
You should begin applying for jobs a minimum of 2 to 3 months before you want your first start date. Before applying to jobs, though, you will want to ensure your resume, cover letter and LinkedIn are on point, and the people you plan to reach out to in (and out) of your network is solidified. Because each of these can steps can take a few weeks, and the job market will be heavily saturated with fellow graduates, you should start your job search as early as possible. If you graduate in June, begin working on your resume and other application materials by March, at the latest. If your university has a career center, make use of it—the people who work there are literally paid to help you with your job search.
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Leverage your education.
You just spent four, five or even six years (*raises hand*) working toward your degree(s). Unless you have considerable professional experience, your degree(s) deserve more than just a single line on your resume. Highlight relevant coursework and a few class projects on your resume. But don’t just list the names of the courses and projects, and call it a day. Tie your coursework and class projects to the positions you are applying to. Showcase how and what you learned in the classroom will benefit your future employer.
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Brand yourself as a professional.
While your education is a noteworthy achievement, don’t allow your brand to become professional student. You want to be branded as a professional…professional.
In other words, you want to be seen as someone who can perform well outside of the classroom. Achieve this by highlighting the experiences you have outside the classroom walls:
- Part-time jobs (on and off-campus)
- Internships
- Volunteer work
- Board positions
Again, make sure to tie these back to the job posting.
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Up your LinkedIn game.
Once your resume has been updated, it’s time to move on to LinkedIn, a more friendly, first-person narrative of your resume. Since your LinkedIn doesn’t have a page limit, you can expand further on your passions, strengths and personality. You can also add relevant school projects and volunteer experiences, as well as request recommendations from classmates, professors, colleagues and others you interacted with during your college years.
But the point of LinkedIn is not to stay on LinkedIn. You want to move off LinkedIn. You want to network, network, network. Then, cultivate those relationships to land a post-graduation JOB! This article shows you exactly how I used LinkedIn and networking to land FOUR jobs.
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Find mentors.
As you take note of all of the components of job searching—your resume, LinkedIn, networking—it can get overwhelming. But you’re not alone. There are people out there who want to help you succeed. Sometimes, those people turn into mentors. Rarely, though, do mentors fall in your lap. You have to be on the lookout for them.
I’ve found most of my mentors through LinkedIn. You can use the platform’s handy search bar to target people who are in positions you aspire to. It’s okay—and totally expected—to reach out to total strangers on LinkedIn. A vast majority of people on LinkedIn are responsive and friendly. Once you have found a prospective mentor, ask these three questions to identify if they’re right for you.
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Find a tribe.
Beyond 1:1 mentoring, I’m also a huge fan of joining tribes of people with similar interests. LinkedIn has some decent groups, but I have had the best luck with Facebook (I am a millennial after all). Groups allow you to share your story, connect with like-minded individuals all over the globe and network, network, network. One of my most favorite Facebook groups is Mentors & Mentees, hosted by Tim Salau. (If you see me in the group, make sure to say hello!)
Kyle Elliott, MPA, CHES runs CaffeinatedKyle.com. His goal is simple – to help people find jobs they LOVE (or at least tolerate). This help takes many forms, from Career and Life Coaching to resumes and cover letters to interview prep and salary negotiation. Kyle loves coffee (if you couldn’t tell), writing and eating the same thing at different restaurants. Connect with him on LinkedIn where you’ll often find him talking about work, life, and Starbucks.