When the Graduation Cap
Hits the Ground: Finding a Job after School
Melanie
Massey, Research Consultant
As the initial excitement of having received
a degree wears off, many new grads find themselves thrust into what seems like
an unnavigable job market. And trust me; I know personally that The Search can
be a daunting and exhausting experience. After being focused on school for so
long, getting into a corporate mindset is a difficult task. You’ve done the
work and obtained your basic set of tools: now you will need to make yourself
stand out from the crowd. Here are few pieces of advice from seasoned workers
and recently-hired grads alike, to get you on track.
Finding the right job begins with
doing your research and building connections.
The first thing you need to tackle is the
basic question, what do I really want to
do? You may have a particular job in mind, or you may have a general idea
based on your field. Try researching what kinds of jobs your degree can confer;
a simple Google search will yield answers. Don’t be so broad as to accept
positions you wouldn’t truly be passionate about, but at the same time, don’t
shoehorn yourself. In an article by the Guardian[i],
Laura Brammar, a senior careers consultant at The Careers Group, says, “You will change. The world of work will
change, so try to think instead about what you'd like to do in the next 12-24
months to make the decision more manageable.” Ask yourself what valuable
skills and experience you want to gain from your first job.
While you’re doing all of this, one of the
most important things you can begin to work on is networking. Think about the people you’ve met over the years – they
can be family, friends, peers from school, professors, or even people you
haven’t met but are connected with – and ask yourself who is in a position to help me. Add them on LinkedIn and connect
with them. It could be as simple as sending an email, or, if they are a few
years your senior and you have a palpable connection (school, friends), ask them
out for a coffee and get some advice on getting a position. In fact, Forbes[ii]
stated that in a survey of almost 60,000 people, 41% were hired through
connections.
Once you’ve done your networking and industry
research, you should be able to come up with a list of about ten companies you
want to reach out to. Take some time to assess their corporate vision, their
culture, and their goals, and choose companies for which you are a good fit
both experientially and personally. Never
settle for a position simply because of salary! That’s a great way to end
up hating your job, and the person hiring you will be able to tell.
The next thing to do is the active step of
application.
Personalization and presence go a
long way.
Now that you know where you want to work, it
is time to tailor your resume and cover letter to both your unique offerings
and the position you are applying to. Never send a generalized resume: it’s a
sure way to have it wind up in the trash. Add in details about yourself that
coincide with the position and company.
Here’s a success story. When applying for a
position at a health supplement company, Kyle, a friend of mine, made sure to
include information about his genuine passion for health and nutrition. He’d
been an organic food fanatic for years. This sort of information created a
tangible connection between the company he applied to, and his own personal
interests and goals – his hirers could tell right away that Kyle and the
position were just right for each
other. Needless to say, he got the job.
Resume Tips:
Presentation: ensure your resume is attractive. Use one
font throughout or two fonts (one for headings and one for text). Make sure it
is a professional font, such as Arial or Times New Roman.
Proofread: make sure there aren’t any spelling
mistakes, grammatical errors, or anything that would indicate you were less
than thorough when creating your resume.
Cohesiveness: does your work history timeline make sense?
Do the dates match up? Are they in reverse chronological order? Did you divide
your experience into relevant sections such as Work Experience, Volunteer
Experience, and Education? Ensure a reader can easily navigate through your
resume, and that it is organized.
Descriptiveness and Personalization: when you note a position you held, you need
to ensure you accurately describe its duties. You can also tailor your
descriptions to different positions, depending on what the position entails.
For example, someone applying as a childhood educator at the Science Center may
want to stress that their previous life-guarding position involved supervising
many children. You can also feel free to add a Summary (or Objective) section
beneath your contact information, where you provide a brief description of your
personal strengths and professional objectives.
Since many recruiters out there use online
social media to find candidates, another good step would be to update your
online presence. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, make one ASAP, and add all of your friends, family, colleagues,
mentors, coworkers, and bosses. Also ensure that you join groups related to
your field, in order to build your network and get involved with your field’s
community. Building a well-connected online presence may allow you opportunities
in the future. In fact, a study[iii]
of 400 HR hirers showed that 45% of them already actively use online social
platforms to as a tool for recruitment. On the other hand, make sure to tone
down any personal online presence – set your privacy settings up and get rid of
unprofessional posts.
You have all the materials you need. You’re
set up online. Now go out with your customized resumes and cover letters, and
apply, apply, apply. The trick here is resilience.
Do not give up. This is one of the most draining parts of the Job Search.
The Final Steps: Acing the
Interview
Congratulations! The company (or companies)
you applied to have called you in for an interview. You should know by now to
dress appropriately, in business formal wear, with neat hair and accessories. This
may be the first non-“McJob” interview you’ve had, so one of the key things you
should do are research and subsequent
preparation.
Before you head into that interview, ensure
you’ve found out all you can about the company you are applying for; their
history, corporate philosophy, internal structure, where they operate, etc. I
cannot stress enough how important the fit of the corporate culture is. Get a
sense of the social culture in the workplace.
All of these details can give you more
information on how to better tailor yourself and your answers to the position.
Any details you could not research, you can ask questions about. Remember to
take down the names of anyone you’ve spoken to from the company, and address
them by name if you meet them. This is a sign of a driven candidate. And
importantly, be honest – but don’t tell your hirer too much.
Let me explain. One horror story of my career
happened to an intelligent young man, Ryan: he had good experience, and did
well in the first series of interviews. But his lack of research into what
priorities the company had (the main one, being someone who would stay with the job, as it involved a lot
of training), combined with an unhealthy dose of honesty led to him losing out
on the role. In his last interview, he mentioned to the CEO of the company that
his band was going on tour. Because they were already scared to have a flight
risk, it was an immediate “no” for Ryan.
Another important part of the preparation is
to make sure you know yourself. Look
back at your experience and employment history and make sure you can explain
them seamlessly. Think about skills you gained, and areas you need to improve.
Remember the full suite of tasks you performed at each job and highlight the
most relevant ones. As a recruiter, it is always impressive to hear that a
candidate mastered their previous position, and I enjoy feeling educated about
their role after our discussion.
Lastly, create a dialogue. Remember the
questions you had about the company. It is better to custom-tailor questions to
the particular role you are applying to, but some good general examples are:
- What kinds
of people work here? What is the culture like here?
- What, to
you, is the key to doing well in this industry?
Try to think of questions that inform you
about the role while showing your interviewer you are interested in the unique
particulars of the company.
The entire process is about
building a relationship.
For a lot of people it’s hard to find the
same fulfillment in a job fresh from school as they did in their studies. But
if you are searching in the right places, doing your research, and finding
organizations that share cultural similarities to you, your chances of getting
hired will increase, you will perform better, and you will be happy with what
you’re doing.
You have the tools you need, now go out there
and get what you want!
***
Happy hunting!
Melanie
