As a college graduate, you leave school with a degree in your hands and enthusiasm for the career you want to build. But when you start looking for employment in earnest, sometimes getting that career started does not go as well as planned. Fortunately, there are things you can do if your job hunt stalls.
Graduates looking for work should keep in mind that they are in a much better position than job seekers who have not completed a degree.
Finding a job as a recent college graduate can be challenging in the best of circumstances, especially coming out of a pandemic like COVID-19. However, there are some mistakes many novice job seekers make that may be getting in the way of getting hired.
Common mistakes recent graduates make include:
- Not knowing what to look for or where to look
- Poor preparation
- Not being proactive
- Making the search about yourself, not the employer.
- Not starting the search early enough
All job hunters make mistakes at some point. Even if you have had some of the job search hiccups listed above, you can still get back on track and land the position you want.
The best Tips:
- Get in front of employers
Take advantage of every available opportunity to connect with employers in person, such as job fairs, campus interviews, and other networking events. A resume cannot tell your whole story to an employer, so an in-person meeting (no matter how brief) gives you an opportunity to provide details about your skills and
experience. Having an in-person interview provides the employer with the ability to determine who they want to see again for an in-depth interview.
- Use a computer, not a phone: For any job-search related communications, sit down and use your computer. Why? Communications look unprofessional via a text, and the subsequent message to the recruiter or hiring manager is “This is not that important to the candidate. If it were, they would be taking the time to send an email.”
More importantly, college graduates should type their important communications in Microsoft Word, use grammar and spelling tools, remove all typos, then copy and paste into their communications. Formal formatting and grammar are critical in making a good impression. A phone text does not offer a good check-in option.
- Make the job search about what you can do for the company.
The job search process is all about the hiring team at a company. Everything you do and say should focus on their job description, their company values, and you knowing what the business does.
For example, when asked “Why should we hire you?”, most graduates answer “I can do this. I can do that. I have a degree in X.” Pivot the way you present yourself by saying “Well, there are three reasons you should hire me. One, you are looking for someone with strong analytical skills, which I possess. Two, I was successful in my last internship because I can learn quickly on the job, an important skill for a company like yours. Thirdly, I work well both independently and as part of a team. I just get the job done!
Study the job description and make yourself relevant. Paint yourself as the best choice for the position. You do not have to have every skill in the job description to win that job. Do your research and you should have it in the bag!
Contact me to help establish your career strategy.
Website https://cindyfassler.com/gethired/
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