A guide to getting your first job out of college
By Hanin Najjar
The most stressful question for any college senior is “What are your plans after graduation?” We go from the safe bubble of our college campus to the real world with no real warning or idea of what it’s going to be like.
Finding your first job can be stressful and time-consuming. Resumes, cover letters, interviews. There are so many components and you may not have much experience with any of them. Here are a few steps that can guide you to getting that first adult job.
1.Update your resume
Your number one task is to spend some time updating and improving your resume. You should have a master resume with all of your experiences on it so you know everything you’ve done, but the resume you submit in job applications should only be one page long. That single page should only include your most recent and relevant experiences.
2. Update your LinkedIn account
If you don’t have a LinkedIn account yet, make one. Right now.
LinkedIn is an excellent place to look for jobs and to network. Update your LinkedIn profile with your experiences and education. After you do that, go into your profile and mark yourself as open to finding a job. This will allow recruiters to see your account and reach out to you.
3. Make your 100 list
Instead of getting overwhelmed by looking for jobs, without a strategy, on multiple different websites, use this strategy.
Make a list of 100 (or as close as you can get to 100) companies and organizations that you would be interested in working for. At the top of the list should be your dream jobs and at the bottom should be places you could work but are not your top choice. Next, make a list of the positions that you can and would like to work in.
Go through the websites of each company/organization and see what positions they have open. From there you can start applying for those positions. This allows you to have a strategy when applying and not waste your time with organizations and positions that you will not like.
I got this tip from a college professor and it helped me land my first job.
4. Reach out to the companies
At least 70% of jobs are not even listed. If you have a company you want to work with, reach out to their hiring manager or recruiter on LinkedIn or in an email. Tell them a little bit about yourself and why you want to work for their company. Ask them if there are any opportunities available.
Don’t be afraid to reach out to people who work at the company to ask them how the work environment is.
5. Tailor your application
Once you start applying for positions, tweak your resume and cover letter to fit the specific job description and organization. Use some keywords from the listed job description throughout your resume.
For your cover letter, share a specific story from one of your experiences and tell them how your experience would benefit their organization. Do your research on the organization, its projects and its business strategy and include your knowledge in your letter.
6. Balance
You should apply to many jobs but not blindly. Instead of wasting your time, with jobs you would not accept if they were offered, apply to jobs and organizations that you can see yourself at. Making that list of 100 places helps you think outside the box regarding different positions and organizations. When you start applying and reaching out, you will get responses (sometimes good, sometimes bad) but it will help you feel like you’re making progress.
A rejection from a job is not a bad thing. It just means you are one step closer to finding the job that’s yours. What’s meant for you will not miss you.
Bonus tip
If you are a person of color in a creative field like writing, graphic design or advertising, C0ffe3 is an asset for you. C0ffe3 is a fake company on LinkedIn that makes it easier for recruiters to find creatives of color. Just add C0ffe3 to your experiences and put the title of the position you are looking to find. Don’t worry, recruiters know it’s a fake company. You won’t be lying on your profile.
Header photo by Anna Shvets vis Pexels
