Prior to, and during, the daunting adventure of searching for a full-time career, there are many pieces of advice given to us by family members, friends, mentors and peers. Sometimes, we get the hopeless thoughts of never finding a position stuck in our heads, placed there by the people who tell us, "The market is tough— it took me months after graduation to find a job. You’ll encounter the same." Other times, we find ourselves overwhelmed, because we are told, "Apply for every single job you find.”
As a recent graduate who successfully secured a couple of job offers prior to graduation, I want to share three pieces of advice that I personally want to give you that may contrast from what you’ve been hearing, along with my reasoning behind them.
1. Don’t spread yourself thin.
- I can’t tell you how often I heard advice along the lines of "Apply for everything," being given to students entering the job search phase of their career path. I cannot emphasize this enough to you: don’t do it. You’re only doing yourself a disadvantage of applying to every job that’s related to your industry. It’s important to select positions that are tailored to the skills and experience that you have. You’re also setting yourself up for a big letdown if you’re applying for a position that you’re not 100% sure you’re a good fit for.
2. It’s not hopeless.
- Hopefully by now, you have the mindset where, when someone tells you that you won’t be able to do something, you immediately think, ‘Oh yeah? Allow me prove you wrong.’ At least, that’s how I felt, when a woman who worked at a company I was an intern at told me, "It’s going to be a looong time before you find a job. It’s rough out there." Hah! Are you kidding me? I worked way too hard during my undergraduate years, taking on and successfully completing internships with six different companies, to allow myself to be put down by anyone. The truth is, as long as you were serious about your career path and put time and effort into building your resume and personal brand, it’s not hopeless— at all.
3. Keep in touch.
- So, you were asked for an interview but didn’t get the job. Sure, the smart thing to do is send a thank-you email or mail the hiring manager a handwritten thank-you card. Want to go a step further? Keep in touch with him/her/them. Better yet, keep in touch with everyone that you cross paths with in your industry. There are so many genuinely great and helpful individuals out there. While completing research for an internship assignment, I found myself emailing an employee of a nearby county department for help. He was so helpful during that research phase, and we ended up connecting via LinkedIn. A semester later, when it came time to start searching for jobs, he sent me multiple job openings from his county that pertained to my industry— all on his own accord!
- On a separate occasion, I connected with two hiring managers that didn’t end up extending a job offer my way; later on, when I changed my title on LinkedIn to reflect my new job that I’d accepted, they both ended up ‘liking’ the update and messaged me ‘congratulations’ and asked me to update them on my career journey. It never hurts to send an email or message someone’s way to see how things are going on his/her end; it’s so rarely done that it’s always welcomed and appreciated.
I hope these three pieces of advice leave you feeling positive about the job search. I can’t deny that it’s stressful at times, but it’s also exhilarating, especially when you finally get that offer you were hoping for. I wish you all the best during this part of your career path!
About the contributor: Jennifer is a young professional and a recent graduate of the University of South Florida in Tampa, FL. She works as a social media strategist and public relations consultant during the day and devotes her evenings to her passion for blogging and nail art. Jennifer is the creator of Polished PR, a blog that appeals to both public relations enthusiasts and nail artists alike.
Connect with Jennifer on Twitter at @thisjenngirl
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