4 Steps to Getting a Post-Graduation Job

4 Steps to Getting a Post-Graduation Job4 Steps to Getting a Post-Graduation JobAre you a recent grad whos still looking for a post-graduation job? When I graduated from college without a job already in distributionspolitik, I was petrified Id be searching forever.Each day, I vacillated between holding out for the right opportunity and taking whatever position I was offered just to have a job. My fear got the best of me and I went the second route. As you might guess, my first job out of college wasleid a good fit.Since my own experience, Ive learned a lot about the job search process and finding not just any job, but the right job. Sometimes new grads are so focused on getting a job, period, that they miss important details that can improve their outcomes.Those details can make the difference between simply landing a job, and landing a job that truly fits your interests and your life. Which would you rather have a job that gives you the Sunday night blues, or one that gets you excit ed to head back to work after the weekend?Follow these four steps to get a great post-graduation job1. Define your job goals.Its common for new grads to have multiple, if slightly vague, career ideas. And thats okay. But the more you narrow your career ideas down to, say, three or four different jobs youre truly interested in, the more targeted and ultimately successful your job search will be.Use time spent searching for jobs to conduct research. The descriptions written on job listings can give you a sense of what different jobs entail. For even more info, the Occupational Outlook Handbook by the Bureau of Labor Statistics is probably one of the most comprehensive databases of detailed job information.Narrow your focus to several specific types of jobs youre most interested in and go after those.2. Shift your focus to companies instead of jobs.Once you have three or four job ideas, shift your focus to researching companies you might want to work for.Which companies seem to be hiri ng for the types of jobs you like?Of the products and services you use regularly, which do you particularly love or admire?Where do your happiest friends and family members work? has a company guide with over 40,000 companies that support flexible work options- not a bad place to start your research.3. Think about not just what you want to do, but how you want to do it.Flexible and remote work options like working from home, freelancing, and working a flexible schedule are more common than they were when you were just starting college. In the last 10 years, telecommuting has increased 115% and nearly 40% of millennials are freelancers.New grads, think about how youd ideally want to work- is it in an office every day? Working from home or while traveling? Being able to set your own hours? Choosing your own clients and workload as a freelancer?There are some surprising flexible and remote jobs out there (for example, climate and energy digital campaign strategist, television opinion w riter, sound designer, vaccine scientist, and freelance stationery designer), and many with big-name companies new grads might not expect to offer this type of work.These 60 companies offering flexible jobs were ranked the best companies for millennials.4. Make hiring managers feel that they simply must talk with you.If its one thing many college grads lack in their job search, its confidence. But that lack of confidence may force hiring managers and recruiters to feel a lack of confidence in you, too.Its your job as an applicant to make hiring managers feel confident that they should invite you for an interview. Heres howIm sure Im not the first person to tell you this, but it bears repeating customize every application you send. This doesnt mean you have to write a new document for every job- far from it, actually. Follow these steps for the most effective ways to customize your resumes and cover letters.Remove these five words or phrases from your interactions with employers actu ally, sorry, hopefully, just, and kind of. Theyre unnecessary and they can make you sound unsure of yourself.Pump yourself up with motivational quotes as you craft resumes and cover letters or prepare for a job interview. Here are 25 to get you sitting up a little straighter and shaking hands a little more firmly.Prepare answers to common (and a few not-so-common) interview questions, and include a short story for every single one. Stories help you explain your experiences in ways that hiring managers will remember. And all that preparation (and practice) ensures youll stay confident even in the heat of the interview.Start Your Job Search