In your final year of school, there is a lot of emphasis on making sure you’re prepared for graduation. From ordering the right number of tickets for your family to attend your graduation ceremony, to getting fitted for a convocation gown and ensuring you have all the required convocation attire, your last few months can certainly feel a bit overwhelming. It’s easy to get drawn in and focused on finishing the year off with a bang, but don’t forget that at the end of it all, you’ll need to start your career and find your first job. Waiting until your convocation gown has been worn and your graduation cap thrown high in the air is not the ideal time to start your job search. Ideally, you should begin your job search well before you graduate, as it is normal for the process to take several months. Securing your first job after college or university can be a daunting prospect, however, if you take charge of the process by following a few simple strategies, you will be able to get your career off to a positive start.
9 Useful Tips For Finding A Job After Graduation
The following tips can be used to help you build a solid foundation and enable you to find your first job as a graduate, ideally before graduation. You may notice that posting your resume or responding to hundreds of job listings is not among the tips listed below. While you should include targeted job boards and job search-engines as a small part of your job-hunting strategy, many new grads waste too much time doing these activities when they could be spent on more useful job-hunting strategies. And if you have family or friends asking what to get you for a graduation gift, a great portfolio or professional work bag is a useful tool when it comes to a successful job search!
Ready to get started? Here are some tips to help you get going.
1. Start early.
A job-search will take much longer than you think it will. It’s best to start the process at the beginning of your final year and make the bigger push in the second semester.
2. Use career services.
If you’ve never been to your campus career services office, now’s the time. From conducting a self- assessment, to identifying prospective employers, and creating a resume, they have plenty of helpful resources.
3. Build relevant experience.
Use your final year to gain experience in your related field. Internships, part-time work, or volunteering opportunities are all excellent options.
4. Continually write, edit, and revise your resumes.
You’ll need more than one resume as they should be tailored to specific employers or jobs. Resumes should never be a stagnant document.
5. Create an online career brand.
Use tools such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram to build your brand by showcasing your expertise and passion online.
6. Actively network.
For the vast majority of job-seekers, networking results in the most job opportunities. Start with the basics, such as your classmates and professors, and then work to continually add new contacts.
7. Attend career fairs.
In the final semester, there will be several local career fairs. Most post-secondary institutions host their own career fair or share hosting with other nearby schools. Career fairs are a great opportunity to track down job leads and make connections.
8. Conduct informational interviews.
If you have the opportunity, interview someone in your career field who can offer you insights and advice.
9. Be prepared for all job interviews.
Before you even get called for your first interview, work on developing responses for common interview questions. Once you have an interview booked, research the employer, know your route for getting to the interview, dress appropriately, and arrive about 10 minutes early.
Be Prepared For All Your Final Year Has To Offer
As you work your way towards finding your first career position, don’t forget to celebrate the achievement of earning your diploma or degree. To make the process easier, contact Harcourts for your convocation attire. Whether you are looking to purchase graduation attire or rent your cap and gown, Harcourts can help you find exactly what you need. Visit our downtown Toronto office and showroom or call us at 416.977.4408 to learn more.
