What To Expect When You Enter The Workforce After College
Taking the first step toward landing your first professional job is an exciting opportunity for recent college graduates!
It can also be quite intimidating!
While your college courses and internships helped you gain and strengthen your skills, they don’t fully prepare you for the reality of the job market. Many recent college grads don’t know what to expect when searching for jobs. And many don’t know the best resources for navigating this sometimes complex and confusing process.
That’s okay! The experts at Elite Personnel are here to prepare you for your job search ventures.
In the following article, we’ll illustrate some of the essential tools, key techniques and solid advice you can use to have a more successful job search.
Create And Refine Your Job Search Tools
Applying to a job is similar to applying to a college or university.
In order to gain acceptance to your preferred college, you had to convince the admissions office that you met their qualifications. To do this, you used the various tools at your disposal, including school transcripts, SAT scores, an application and an essay. In some cases, an interview with an admissions counselor may have been a part of the process.
If this reflects the process you experienced when applying for college admission, then you’re well-prepared for what lies ahead. You can easily transition that experience to help you better navigate the hiring process.
Much like your college admissions experience, your job search process starts with identifying the positions that best suit your interests, skills and career goals. Applying to jobs that don’t appeal to your sensibilities and/or don’t match your specific skills, is not beneficial for you or your potential employers. Applying to and accepting a position that is out of your comfort zone or doesn’t pair with your qualifications will only make you, your coworkers and your employer unhappy.
After that you’ve bookmarked the positions that are of interest, it’s time to assemble the tools you’ll need to support your qualifications:
A concise and accurate resume that clearly reflects your skills and experience.
A well-written and engaging cover letter that conveys your qualifications, your interest in the position, and the reasons why you would be a good fit for the position.
To give you some insight on the importance of a solid resume, it may help to think of it as your professional transcript. Just like your college transcript reflects your grades, SAT scores and achievements, your resume serves the same purpose for the next phase in your life.
To create an effective resume, you'll summarize your professional experience and qualifications on paper. In addition to providing your contact information (name, address, phone number and email), your resume also provides the hiring manager with details about your educational experience and job history. Since your job history may not be as robust as more experienced candidates, listing any volunteer opportunities, additional certifications, and/or membership in educational/professional organizations can bolster your credentials.
As we previously mentioned, your resume needs to convey all this information concisely. Hiring managers review numerous resumes. When they spot resumes that are poorly written, improperly formatted, incomplete or too lengthy, they’ll quickly dismiss them from consideration.
Craft your resume with proper grammar and punctuation, an easy-to-read font and font size, a professional format, and short, complete sentences. This method not only helps attract the attention of hiring managers, it also provides for a better reading experience.
Another important tool for your job search is the cover letter. Similar to your college admissions essay, a cover letter paints a more refined picture of you as an individual. Since the resume serves as a snapshot of you and your background, the cover letter allows you to be a bit more detailed about yourself. It’s also the proper outlet to explain why you are applying for the position and demonstrate why you would make a fine addition to the company.
Please be aware that your cover letter and resume are not one-size-fits all tools. Every job and company you apply to is unique. So your cover letter and resume require refinement and revisions for every job/company you are applying to.
If you’re a candidate who enjoys extra credit, you can support your cover letter and resume with additional tools such as an online portfolio and a complete and up-to-date LinkedIn profile.
Expand Your Professional Network
A great way to make inroads in the job market is to rely on your professional network. These are family friends, professional colleagues and acquaintances who would be happy to assist with your job search.
As you are just beginning your career, you may not have a considerable network. That’s ok. The number of individuals in your network is not the key. It’s better to have a network of people who can attest to your value.
To build your network, reach out to your parent’s friends (if appropriate), teachers, former managers/supervisors, instructors/professors, coworkers, and members of any professional or volunteer organizations that you belong to. They may be able to point you in the direction of companies currently hiring in your field or keep you at top of mind next time their company is hiring. Your network of professionals can serve as references when needed.
As your professional career grows, let your network go right along with it. With each new role and professional experience, you’ll encounter new individuals who you can add to your network.
Just remember to pay it forward when the next generation of job seekers enters the market!
Practice Interviewing With Experienced Professionals
If you’ve previously held a part-time or full-time job, then you’re probably familiar with the basic concepts of the interview process. Yet, for the type of positions you’ll be interviewing for now, the process is a bit more involved.
Most part-time or full-time jobs available to college students often require a simplified interview process. These employers are not looking for candidates who will revolutionize their industry. They’re looking for candidates who are dependable and trustworthy. In most cases, the interviews for these positions are more of a formality.
However, interviewing for your first position in the professional workplace is more intricate. Instead of meeting with a supervisor for a brief conversation, you may meet first with a recruiter or HR professional for a more detailed question-and-answer session. Hopefully, you do well during this interview and have the opportunity to meet with the hiring manager for a second interview.
If you impress the hiring manager, they may call you back for an additional interview with other members of the team. This allows the team member who you would be working with directly to gain more insight into your skills and help the hiring manager determine whether or not you are a good fit for the company.
Since this is a professional interview environment, it’s necessary for your appearance, behavior and language to be professional as well. Dress appropriately for the occasion by performing some research before your interview. If the company has a more refined dress code, wear business attire. If they have a more casual dress policy, you don’t need to wear a suit but you most certainly should wear professional looking clothes. Avoid wearing anything you would wear on your day off such as jeans, shorts, activewear, tank tops, t-shirts, sneakers or sandals.
In addition to being prepared to answer the hiring manager’s questions, be sure to bring your own questions to ask them. Avoid asking questions about salary and bonuses during this phase of the process. Those should be saved if or when the company extends an offer. Still, use this as an opportunity to ask questions about company culture, workloads, expectations and goals.
One of the best ways to prepare yourself for the interview process is to speak with others who were in your place at one time. Whether they’re a seasoned professional or a school friend who graduated a year or two ahead of you, these folks can provide invaluable insight into the process. Plus, they may be willing to participate in a mock interview with you to help you feel more relaxed, confident and prepared for the real thing.
Check out our Good Interview Tips!
Contact A Trustworthy Job Recruiter
While all of the above advice and techniques can help prepare you for the professional job market, there is another resource that may be even more beneficial: a professional recruiter.
Trustworthy job recruiting agencies like Elite Personnel look for top talent across the spectrum of job seekers. From professionals looking for new opportunities to recent graduates eager to start their career, Elite’s expert team of recruiters can match qualified candidates with the best companies. Plus, they can help alleviate some of the stress and frustration that many job seekers experience during their search.
If you’re a recent grad who is looking for their first professional position, visit our current job opportunities page to begin your journey!