Congratulations. After 17 years of school, you’ve graduated and entered the so-called “real world.” (Because apparently where you’ve been living isn’t real?) Semantics aside, now it’s time to learn how to get a job after college so you can pay for all those “real world” bills.
Searching for a job for the first time can be stressful. If you haven’t interned or worked part-time or summers, this might be the very first time you write your resume, go on job interviews, and sell why you’ll be the perfect hire.
But I promise you one thing: Finding a job isn’t as hard as it feels right now. You will find a job, even in a competitive job market. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate for college graduates in March 2018 was 2.2% — that means 97.8% of college graduates find jobs soon after graduation.
Use this guide and tools to make job searching simple and stress-free so you can focus on enjoying your newfound freedom from tests, papers, and homework.
The freakout: Your resume isn’t done
The solution: Writing your resume for the first time can be overwhelming. What should it look like? How the heck will you show off your work experience and skills when you haven’t had relevant work experience yet? When you apply to jobs online does it go into a black hole or will someone see it?
Okay, first things first. Each resume needs to include a few things: name, contact information, education, work experience, and skills. Most entry-level resumes also have a short objective statement and an experiences section for you to describe your extracurricular activities. If you don’t have as much work experience yet, you can start with your objective statement, then your education, your extracurricular activities, work experience, and skills. Organize each section in chronological order starting with the most recent thing and, where it’s relevant, include the organization name, your title, the dates of employment or membership, and the city and state. For education include your college or university name, your degree, your major and minor, any honors like cum laude, and your main GPA or major GPA if either were above a 3.0, and the city and state.
And don’t worry about not having a ton of experience. Hiring managers aren’t expecting you to have four years of experience, multiple awards and accolades, and a Nobel Peace Prize right after graduation. They just want to see that you have what it takes to be successful and you can show that even if you haven’t had internships, part-time jobs, or summer jobs. Share what you’ve learned from your extracurriculars and your education. Instead of listing all 20 of the extracurriculars you were involved in or went to once or twice, share the ones where you took on leadership positions, achieved something, or learned relevant skills. Margie Stewart, a career resources specialist at Missouri State University, says to decide which extracurriculars to choose by asking yourself what you learned and what you accomplished. If all you did was show up for the free pizza (because, let’s be honest, we’ve all done that) don’t include it.
You don’t want to imply that you are detail-oriented and then say that you graduated “summa corn laude” — ask someone else to review your resume and give you feedback before you start applying for jobs. You don’t have to have studied astronomy to get past the “black hole” of applying to jobs online. We’ll let you in on the secret to successfully applying online: It’s all about keywords. When you apply online, hiring managers can search through all of the applications they get (and there could be hundreds) for the phrases and skills they want to see like “engineering” or “coding.” Okay, but how do you know what “magic words” are being searched? Here’s another secret: It’s not a mystery like which roomie kept stealing your snacks. The answers are in the job description. “Spend time reading the job posting and tailor your application materials to each position you apply for,” says Dr. Andrew Quagliata, a management communications course lecturer at Cornell University. Use some of the keywords that are in the job description so your resume gets seen.
The freakout: You’re terrified of interviews
The solution: The key here is to prepare in advance and to practice interviewing. Anne Brackett, founder of the St. Louis-based career coaching firm Strengths University recommends asking a friend, career expert, or someone you know who regularly hires people to do mock interviews with you. “A good coach can help you improve your answers, feel more confident, and make sure you’re selling the best of yourself,” she adds. Ask the person interviewing you to be critical and to ask tough follow-up questions that you might not be expecting. You want to know what it’s like if you don’t get good vibes from your interviewer.
The freakout: You don’t know what your “dream job” is or you don’t get it
The solution: It is stressful to think that you have to have it all “figured out” right after graduation. It can seem like everyone knows their ideal career path and that you should too. Or maybe you know exactly what you want, but you don’t get your “dream” job. “Think of your first job as an experiment, not a lifelong commitment to a field, position, or company. See this first job as part of the discovery process, or as an experiment, to see what you like and don’t like,” says Jennifer Davis, founder of the New Jersey-based leadership and executive coaching company, Jennifer Davis Coaching. ”Good, bad, or something in between, each job will provide data and teach you something. It’s truly a no-lose situation because even if it ends up being the kind of job you’d never want again, that’s some great data,” she adds.
And you might be one swipe away from the right job for right now. But you’ll never know unless you get started. Now use these tips to go get your first post-grad job.
