Did you know that only half of 2020 college graduates managed to find full-time jobs six months after graduating? While the pandemic certainly played a role in less job availability, it can still be a difficult journey for college graduates to land the job of their dreams.
Whether you are a recent college graduate or you have been in the job market for a while, you may be wondering about how to find work after graduating. Here are some tips and tricks for finding a job that utilizes your degree and fits your needs.
Update Your LinkedIn Profile
The power of social media is a wonderful tool these days to find a job. Social media networks, the biggest being LinkedIn, are tailored to find jobs and connect with others in your field.
Make sure that your LinkedIn profile is completely up to date so that potential employers know what you have to offer. Include your educational background, jobs you held during school, and even volunteer work.
Take advantage of the option to add descriptions to your LinkedIn profile. The more specific, the better. Recruiters and employers can see exactly what you did at your old jobs or studied at university.
LinkedIn also has a newer feature for skills. Ask your friends and colleagues to endorse you for certain skills so that you stand out from the pack during candidate screenings.
Once you are confident in your LinkedIn profile, the last you want to do is turn on the setting that shows you are looking for work. This will attract more people to your profile so they know you are serious about getting a new job.
Make Connections in School
One of the biggest keys to find work after graduating is to take advantage of connections while you are still in school. Forming connections with professors and staff in your department is imperative if you want to get a job in your field.
You can also use these professors as references for job applications, or ask them for letters of recommendation if you want to pursue a graduate program. Form good working relationships with professors who are tenured or higher-level faculty members.
Through your professors and mentors, you may be able to get a lead on job postings before they go out to the general public. Having an early advantage will give you time to perfect your resume and tailor your application to what the company wants.
If you are in a cohort or small group within your program, stay in touch with other students. Some may have gotten jobs before graduation, so they can give you valuable advice or offer you an advantage if you apply for their place of work.
Use a Recruiter
Weeding through job applications online can be overwhelming, especially when you have a lot of options in your field. Sometimes it is difficult to narrow down your search to your area, your expertise, and the type of pay that you want in your new job.
Enter in job recruiters. These are experts who have specialized training in finding the right candidate for companies. Usually, they act as a go-between for businesses and candidates, doing the screening as a third party for the company.
There are many recruiters who are active on social media. They will look at your profile and experience, and reach out to you with job opportunities.
One of the biggest trends in hiring lately is pairing recruiting with applying for jobs in the same space. Recruiters will post jobs that you can apply for, and they will reach out to you about whether or not it is a good fit.
Sites like Gigzio are a great place to start if you want to work with a recruiter. You can do an internet search for “Jobs near me on Gigzio” to learn more about the recruitment process on the best job sites.
Join a Social Media Group
Gone are the days of social media for fun videos, memes, and updates from your family and friends. Although you can still find those things on your Facebook or Twitter profile, you can also use these sites to network for a new career.
You can join a group on social media with experts in the industry that you want to enter. These groups will often have screening surveys to make sure that members are serious or legitimate about finding a new job and connecting with others.
With these groups, you can get valuable advice from leaders in the field. You may also learn about new opportunities during your job search after college. Members who work for these companies may give you a slight edge over other applicants.
Another advantage of these groups is that you can get people to review your resume. Professionals in the field will be able to give you tips and tricks to make your resume stand out from the rest.
Create a Portfolio
If you are in a field that is heavily based on creativity, then you should definitely have an online portfolio. To find work after graduating, you need to show potential employers what you have to offer. A resume is a great start, but direct references to your past work are even better.
Many websites offer free templates that you can use and a domain name at little to no cost. Sometimes you can get a package deal by linking the domain name to the web hosting platform.
The templates are often tailored to your specific type of industry. For example, if you are a creative writer, look for portfolio formats that emphasize text, rather than photos or other forms of digital media.
Make sure to have a clear space where people can contact you from your website. You can also provide helpful information such as your past experience and rates for your services.
Sign Up for Job Alert Emails
Since there are thousands of job search websites out there, sometimes it can seem overwhelming to sift through them all. You may not remember which sites you check every day for new job openings in your field.
One way to avoid repetition and save time is to sign up for job alert emails. Once you make an account with the best job sites, they will often ask you if you want to receive alerts in your inbox.
When you go through your email every day, you can look at a list of jobs provided to you by the job search websites. You can click to open up the job directly from your email and decide whether it is worth your time to apply.
If you are busy and do not have as much time to invest in the job search after college, job alert emails can save you hours of combing through the website postings one by one.
Go to Networking Events
Online networking can be a wonderful tool in the age of social media, but putting yourself out there in person is also vital to finding your dream job. Networking events provide a great glimpse into the industry and allow you to meet higher-ups in the field.
When you join social media groups, ask about networking events. The group may have a calendar or people who regularly post about meetups in your area.
Conferences are also a great organic opportunity for networking. You can learn about innovations in your area of expertise, listen to inspiring talks, and meet leaders in the industry.
Bring business cards with you whenever you go to networking events so that people will remember who you are and how to contact you. You can also exchange social media information. One of the best innovations in the past couple of years is the QR code business card.
Volunteer Your Time
The ultimate job that you want includes good pay, but it may take you a while to work up to that. Although it might not be ideal, sometimes unpaid opportunities are great ways to add experience to your resume and form vital connections.
Internships allow you to work part-time while in school, but they also serve a purpose after you graduate. You can gain your experience through an internship a few hours a week while looking for jobs or working for money in your spare time.
If you are in a creative field, you can volunteer to create content for companies to gain exposure. Once you complete the content, ask them if you can add it to your portfolio and use the company as a reference for future job applications.
You can also look for volunteer opportunities with nonprofit organizations. They can always use extra help and they may not have the funds to compensate you. However, they are more likely to take on people for exposure.
In addition, showing your volunteer experience on your resume will show employers that you are passionate about causes outside of work.
Know Your Worth
One of the biggest obstacles in your job search after college is finding something that is worth it to you financially. Unless you have a second stream of income, you should focus on salary when you decide which postings to apply for.
When you look at online job boards, it is easy to filter out pay below what you expect using a search tool. However, many job listings do not have a clear pay scale. This can be frustrating, as you need to determine if it is worth your time to apply.
A good method is to ask directly when you respond to a job application. If you converse with a recruiter or someone from the company, make sure to ask them about pay when you interview.
Before you ask about pay, do your research online to see how much you should ask for. You can use search tools such as job, experience, and location to get a good estimate of your salary potential.
There are many guides and tutorials available online for negotiating salary. If there is a position that you really want but the salary does not quite meet your requirements, consider trying to make a compromise.
Continue to Graduate School
As a recent college grad, you may be wondering how more school could land you the job of your dreams. However, a graduate school education poses many of its own benefits to boost your profile in the job market.
If you search for the right program, you can find many that have teaching assistantships or even associate professor positions. These usually cover a portion or all of your tuition. They also provide a living stipend so you can pay your bills.
You can get real experience teaching in the field and obtain valuable job recommendations for when you want your first post-graduate position. It is also a good way to network with professors in your department for job leads later on.
Graduate school also provides a way for you to postpone student loan repayment. You can save money by not dedicating hundreds per month towards student loan payments. Put those funds in a rainy day account or use them to cover other living expenses.
Find a Job as a Recent College Graduate
If you are a recent college graduate, you may find yourself stressed out about how to find work after graduating. With these tips, you can organize your job application process and land the job of your dreams in no time at all.
Want to learn more about how you can get a new job or advance your career? Check out our site for all of the information and answers that you will need.
