It’s officially Spring, which means that millions of college students will soon be graduating and will find themselves in the real world. For most, that means finding a job that’s good enough to pay the bills in a not-so-friendly labor market.
Fortunately, if you’re a college student, there are several things you can do in order to increase your chances of finding a job by the time you graduate, from networking and checking out your career center to sprucing up your resume and practicing interviewing.
Here are five crucial things to do before you graduate so you can easily find a job:
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1. Set up your professional network – online and off
Cultivate your social media presence, especially on Linkedin, so that all of your profiles are appealing to potential employers – highlight all of your accomplishments and experience and get rid of anything unflattering (including negative status updates or pictures that paint you in a bad light). In addition, try to connect with anyone who may be able to hook you up with a position, whether an alumnus who works for a company you like or a friend who has already landed a job. And don’t forget that you can reach out to these people both online and off – use every outlet at your disposal: social media, the telephone, in-person networking events, etc.
2. Visit your career center
Your college’s career center is probably one of the greatest assets you have. Companies who are hiring often post-physical job ads inside the career center or virtual job ads on the career center’s job board. In addition, it would be helpful to make an appointment with a career counselor, who can help you figure out your goals, research companies you may want to work for, connect with alumni, spruce up your resume, and practice interviewing.
3. Polish your resume
Having an up-to-date, organized resume is always important, but it’s especially crucial when applying for your first real job. If you’ve never had a real job before, it might seem nearly impossible to come up with enough information to fill a resume, but there is plenty of information you can focus on. Make sure to include any part-time jobs, internships, special classes, and recognitions or awards you’ve received.
4. Practice interviewing
Whether it’s in-person, over the phone, or via video, you’ll need to execute the art of interviewing in order to land the job you want – or any job, for that matter. You can practice interviewing with your career counselor, a friend or family member, or even by yourself in front of a mirror. Try to practice answers to common interview questions and make sure you look and feel professional and confident.
5. Search for jobs
This one seems obvious, but chances are you won’t have a job simply fall into your lap, so it’s important to spend a lot of your free time applying to positions. Search everywhere you can: online job boards, social media sites, company websites, etc. A lot of companies target new college graduates, so keep your eye out for those as well. Essentially, the more work you put into job searching, the more likely you are to get called in for an interview.
Conclusion
If you follow these five steps before you graduate, you should be on the right path to finding a job in no time.
