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Being a senior and graduating from college in May is nothing but excitement, stress and the ability to carry the weight of finding a job before graduation. It's hard work, it's time consuming, it's exhausting. We all go into college expecting to find a full-time job the day we come out, and let me tell you - it takes more than just proving you have a 4-year degree to land your first career.
I have been applying since December. I have browsed through Indeed and CareerBuilder more times than I have through Facebook. I have had a number of phone interviews, a couple face-to-face interviews, a variety of assessment testing and lots of stressful nights feeling absolutely hopeless. And if there is one lesson that I have learned through it all, it is to never give up! Yesterday morning, I accepted a position with a company where I cannot be more proud to be a part of. Below I have listed 5 tips on what has helped me land my first career and hope you all can take something away from it!
1. When people say to start applying 6 months before graduation, that's NO joke.
I applied to various jobs for about 4 months and just received my first offer. Sure I've had some phone interviews, face-to-face interviews and have even done a series of tests for some companies, but nothing is guaranteed right away. It takes time and commitment (which is sometimes hard to believe), but it's never too early to start applying in your senior year!
2. Getting a job isn't going to happen just because you have a college degree.
Although having your degree helps, there is more to it than just the classes you took or your GPA. The way you sell yourself in the interview is what really gets the tables turning! Interviewing for several jobs, my interviewing skills have grown tremendously since I first stepped foot into an interview just a couple months ago. Practice makes perfect, and the only way you're going to get better at interviewing is to keep doing it. If you're still feeling unsure about your interviewing skills after a few rounds of interviews, Career Services on campus provides students and alumni the opportunity to come in to do a mock interview. Like I said, practice makes perfect.
3. Don't get discouraged.
Easier said than done - I know. There were so many days that I felt helpless and didn't even know where I wanted to begin my search. The biggest thing to remember is that eventually something good will come out of it. From my personal experience, you're going to get many no's before you get a yes. It's hard to accept, but it's all a part of the process. Eventually you will be where you're meant to be. Let the process take its course, I promise something good will come out of it.
4. Attend Career Fairs.
I'm not saying that just because you attend a job fair that you are automatically guaranteed a job. But you have the opportunity to put yourself in front of a company and get your resume out to as many companies that you're interested in. It's a great way to get some more insight about a company you may be unfamiliar with, or even just to make connections with others inside your field!
5. Don't let your small amount of experience hinder where you want to go.
Dream big. Don't let your lack of experience limit yourself to where you want to be. The worst thing that happens is you try and they tell you that you are not yet qualified...and guess what? That's okay because no matter what major you're in or where you apply to, it's going to happen.
Being a fresh-grad from college isn't easy. It's stressful - and lots of time - very frustrating. Deciding what you want to do, what companies you want to apply to and then playing the waiting game for many months isn't easy. The best thing is that you learn. You learn over time what you are going to say in your interview, the questions that they will ask you and how you're going to answer those questions without having to think for a long period of time about it. Keep applying, keep going on interviews and keep going after your dreams. It won't come right away, but it will come when the time and place is right!