These recent college grads bucked employment trends and landed great jobs after graduation. Read what they have to say:
- Join organizations that get you out there. Once you do that, you will have many more options to get an internship.
- Because of our reliance on technology, email, texts and social media we forget how important face-to-face contact is. The ability to sell yourself face-to-face and eye-to-eye with people who are going to determine your future is critical.
Don’t be completely utilitarian; it’s more than “what can you do for me?” Relationships work both ways. See how you can help others.
- Take advantage of every opportunity, even if it doesn’t appeal to you in the beginning. Network, talk to anyone and everyone you can. The power is in the follow-up — if you say you are going to do something, do it.
- Do not be discouraged. If you spend time reflecting on what you’re good at and passionate about, you will likely end up applying for jobs that are more suited to you and end up having a high success rate.
Know that you might not get your dream job as your first job, and that’s totally OK. In this day and age, people switch jobs a number of times, so it’s best to just focus on getting your foot in the door somewhere.
- Don’t wait until graduation. Be determined and be aware of the challenges that come with finding employment. Your attitude, drive and determination are most important.
- In-person communication is vital. You have to be confident and you have to own it.
Get an internship, it doesn’t matter if it’s paid or unpaid. If you don’t have experience on your resume you are going to be put to the bottom of the pile. You might not get your dream job out of college — you have to be open to the idea of working your way up.
Read their individual stories at http://money.cnn.com/gallery/pf/college/2013/06/20/college-jobs/index.html
And visit us in Career Services, 212 SEC, to get additional tips and to get your questions answered. We have Quick Question Drop-in hours on Tues. and Wed. from 11:30 am – 1:30 pm. If you need more than 15 minutes, we will set you up with a specific appointment time. Looking forward to meeting you!