College graduation is lurking...as are your Student Loans and the harsh reality of moving back in with your parents.
These undeniable truths have the majority of college seniors panicking as they attempt to ace finals, drink as much jungle juice as possible from questionable bathtubs while still socially acceptable to do so, as well as, secure that first full-time job.
Some of you may already have a job lined up. Good for you.
Others of you are reading their Facebook statuses about said job while verbally abusing yourself for not having a family friend at Google to hook you up with a sweet gig, post-grad.
Having been out of college for about a year myself, I've picked up some valuable knowledge about job hunting so I'm writing this, to hopefully help guide and ease the minds of those of you who are ready to jump off a bridge because you can't even get McDonald's to call you back about your resume.
So here are the 10 things you need to know if you're looking for your first job.
1. It's IMPERATIVE that your resume is strong before you let anyone outside your trusted group of intellectuals (parents, professors, well-read friends, etc.) read it.
I wrote about this in my previous article, the 10 Things to Do As You Near Graduation (shameless self-promo), but perfect your resume. Besides a cover letter (which, face it, may or may not get read), your resume is supposed to sell you to the company to which you're applying. It needs to be brief, easy to read, with the most shining items highlighted.
I noticed a considerable upswing in companies calling me to set up interviews after I re-worked my resume.
At any university, you should have a Career Center in which one of their jobs is to help you perfect your resume. Many schools also offer resume building workshops, including my alma mater, Radford University. And of course, your professors are always there to help you. Go visit them during office hours and have them give your resume a once over and see where it could be improved.
You don't know everything, just because you Googled, "What should a resume look like?". Utilize your resources so that you're putting your absolute best foot out there when applying to positions.
2. Networking will get you a job.
Again, I touched on this in my previous article, but here it is again- NETWORK!
There are whole professional organizations that you can join for free and go to meetings, which usually wind up being drinks with people in your field. Universities have Career Fairs, multiple times a year, where you can go charm recruiters, entrepreneurs, alumni, etc. into helping you land a job. Talk to your professors. One of my professors helped secure the internship that I held right after graduation and that internship gave my resume a huge boost.
You never know who is going to wind up being in the corner so if you're serious about getting a job, put in the work and get to know people.
Make a LinkedIn. Keep it updated. Every time you meet someone new, connect with them. Keep that line of communication open.
3. Internships are massively important and you can never do too many.
If you aren't graduating just yet, do an internship.
If you are graduating in a week or so, and you haven't completed a legitimate internship then APPLY FOR INTERNSHIPS.
If you are graduating in a week or so, and have completed a legitimate internship, but aren't getting any nibbles when it comes to full-time positions in your field then APPLY FOR INTERNSHIPS.
Many companies offer internships to both current college students and recent college grads. Internships are often times easier to secure than full-time jobs; they give you the opportunity to live somewhere new and gain new experiences; and they give you a real chance at networking and securing a full-time position if the company likes you.
And even if you don't get anything full-time through that company after your internship program is over, internships are still extreme resume boosters and not having one on your resume can really drag it down and cause potential employers to not even consider you.
So, if you're only applying to full-time positions because you think that that's what's expected of you- STOP! Apply to anything and everything and please, for the love of God, apply to internship after internship.
4. Securing a job varies from place to place.
When I was still in college, I wanted desperately to move to Los Angeles. I even got an interview for an internship at a popular media company (not naming names because I don't want to risk burning any bridges), but was denied because I couldn't get out to California fast enough, seeing as I live in Virginia. They went with a candidate from the area who was able to start immediately.
I figured that I was applying to too large of a company and that maybe a smaller one wouldn't be so quick to dismiss me, solely because of the time it would take me to move out west.
I was wrong. In Los Angeles, they can afford to make demands such as, "be here Monday", because so many people are vying for the same positions. In fact, upon talking to people who have lived in the area for a while and doing further research, I learned that sometimes, companies in popular cities just throw away resumes from distant candidates because they don't want to wait around, pay for moving costs, etc. and the fact is, that they don't have to.
Meanwhile, smaller cities have companies that would gladly work with a candidate who is moving from far away, if they see something special in them because they don't know when someone who matches those credentials will come along again.
So do your research on finding a job in your preferred area before starting the application process so that you know how to best appeal to your dream company. And yes, that could mean moving to the area without a job or living out of a suitcase while applying to places so that you're ready to move at a moment's notice.
5. You (probably) won't get your dream job right away.
By all means, don't settle, but don't let yourself acquire a giant unemployment gap that will forever mar your resume because you dismissed a social media job at a smaller company because you were waiting for a larger media corporation to follow up on your resume.
Taking a job you're less enthusiastic about doesn't mean you'll be stuck in it. Just give that position your all, make the best of it, and continue to build your resume/ portfolio and chase your dream job. Besides, most of the time when you don't get a call back from a potential employer, it's because of your lack of experience so never turn your nose up at a job that could gain you experience in your field.
6. You might not get ANY full-time job straight away.
Due to the application process being so heavily online right now, many resumes that are submitted wind up falling through the cracks. Sometimes you need to apply to an insane amount of jobs in order to get even a phone interview and even then, that might turn out to be a dead end.
Don't get down on yourself if and when this happens. It happens to everyone. Just keep improving and networking and something will come your way.
7. Temp agencies are a thing.
If you don't know what a temp (temporary) agency is, it's a company that finds work for the unemployed. You simply submit your resume to them and if they decide to take you on they look for work in your field. This may be filling in for a receptionist for a day somewhere because they had a doctor's appointment or working for a company while their regular employee was on leave. Sometimes, you even get set up with temp to full-time positions, in which after a few weeks the company either decides to hire you full-time or you go back to the temp agency and start the process again.
I have done this myself and it's a great way to network, try out different types of jobs, and just make money and stay busy while you're looking for something full-time.
It also takes the stress out of applying to jobs, as the temp agency takes your resume and does the heavy lifting for you.
8. You need to know the company that you're applying for.
If you're interested in a company and you apply for a position with them, they really know what will make you stand out to them.
For instance, a carefree media company catering to millennials might enjoy a colorful fun resume that cites your Harry Potter trivia championship win under "Awards", in addition to a whimsical cover letter that really shows your character.
On the other hand, an accounting firm may be less enthralled with this approach to applying for a position with their company.
Additionally, your funny yet vulgar social media presence may be appreciated or even encouraged at certain companies, while it could disqualify you from a position at another.
So follow the companies you apply for on social media, read up about their inception, and really make sure that they see exactly what attributes make you the best fit for them.
9. Mass applying and staying organized is a necessity.
Mass apply to jobs and keep a spreadsheet of where you applied (I recommend Google Sheets as it's the easiest to access, edit, and share), which position you applied for, where the job is located, and some unique fact about the company so that if they call you, you don't get flustered and make it obvious that you're not sure which company you're talking to and which position you're talking about. You always want to sound informed.
Additionally, if you're in the process of applying to jobs ALWAYS answer your phone, even if you don't know the number. You don't want to be playing phone tag with these companies. They don't want to feel like they're wasting their time and you could lose out on the position, should the attempts to reach one another continue on for too long.
10. Your worth.
Do some research on the average amount that people in your area make in the position that you're applying for, starting out. Also, do research on how much the companies you're applying for tend to pay others in the position that you're applying for.
Know all of this before you wind up in salary negotiations, nervously agreeing to an unfairly low salary which will be far more difficult to ask for a raise later on.
On the flip side, you also need to use this research to know if what you ideally want is too high for someone just starting out in that position. You don't want to get greedy and lose the job over an uninformed salary negotiation.
The job market is difficult to navigate right now and it's scary to know that you're graduating without a job lined up. However, if you do what you need to do and continue to work towards your dreams, you'll get there eventually so don't panic.
