Youve Graduated, Whats Next - Walrath Recruiting, Inc.

Youve Graduated, Whats Next - Walrath Recruiting, Inc. If youre reading this, it means youve likely  graduated college recently, so congratulations! You worked through the long nights, balanced your social and student life, and managed to get passing marks. These are all fantastic achievements!  Riding the wave of success can be extremely beneficial to hit the ground running in the job market. When many graduates begin looking for job opportunities, theyre unsure of where to start, and failing to be proactive right away can be a big misstep if youre someone who is easily caught in a lazy daily routine.   Use Your Momentum Right after graduating, youre accustomed  to sitting in class, doing homework, and generally dedicating time to completing tasks. Continuing this practice after graduation is extremely helpful. Instead of writing essays and discussion board posts, now youll be writing cover letters and updating your resume. The temptation to take time off is extremely powerful, and its not a bad idea to take a break for a week or two to celebrate. However, if you feel like youll lose momentum doing this, try to consistently  be working, even if its only an hour or two a day. If youre a late sleeper, get in the routine of waking up early and starting to look for jobs. Once you land a job, youll already be adapted to waking up early, and the transition wont be as harsh  when you wake up at 8 am. Its okay to take some time off. Catch up on Game of Thrones or take that trip youve always wanted to, but dont make it a habit and fall into a bad routine. Get Some Experience If you havent already, try and land an internship, paid or not. If youre someone who already has an internship under your  belt from college, skip this paragraph and move on to the next. For those of you that havent though, consider getting an internship while you continue to look for jobs. This will allow you to get experience during a time where your search will probably be its slowest. If you perform very well during it, impressing your boss during an internship is a great way to get your foot in the door. While a job offer isnt guaranteed with an internship the experience is, as long as you work hard.  Finding something in your field will be rewarding when you  realize you now have a year of experience, allowing you to apply for the job youve always wanted. Use Your Connections Another important tip: do not judge yourself based on the successes of others. You may see fellow classmates land jobs right out of college, or only a month or two following. While its easy to start criticizing yourself and wonder what skills you lack, remember every case is different, and you cant judge your success against other graduates. There are a number of resources you can utilize in order to help your job search which you may not realize. You may have continued to hear how important networking is during your degree, and now is when it comes into play. Reaching out to other alumni who have established themselves in the workforce can be extremely valuable, even if you just ask  for advice to break into the job market in the field you share. You also may not realize just how far your network extends. This includes friends, family, and coworkers. You wont know  that your Uncles cousin has worked in your field for 10 years and is looking for a recent graduate to fill a position unless you ask. While this is an extreme example, you will certainly be surprised who you are connected to by only a few degrees of separation. After doing some investigation, getting the job at your ideal company may be less out of reach if  you realize you have a contact there already. A young professional on the road to success after reading our blog posts. The Power of Positive Thinking Like most things in life, your success will vary depending on your attitude. Having a positive outlook on your search and continuing to be excited and motivated to land a new job will do wonders for you. Inversely, feeling like youll never be good enough to land a job will destroy your urge to keep searching, and will only go downhill. There is plenty more advice to be offered, and there is a (nearly) endless wealth of knowledge in the vault of our past blogs, which I encourage you to seek out if youre looking for a little more advice. Lastly, best of luck to all of you, and we hope to see you on your way to work soon!