Congratulations on your graduation! It’s a major achievement and you deserve all of the accolades that come to you from family and friends. Whether you are a traditional student or you returned to school to further your career—you’ve done something great for yourself and your job search.
Now is the time to start putting the degree to work, for you. With the rest of your career looming large, it can be overwhelming to figure out where to start. Let’s cover a plan to help you move forward confidently in your search.
Leverage your career center.
If you didn’t go to your career center as a student, make sure you contact them and find out what services are available to you as a recent graduate or alumni. In many cases, they can help with almost every aspect of your job search, from resume reviews to interview preparation, and even connect you to employers that recruit students from your school or program. Remember your university or college as a resource as you continue in your career. Alumni services are usually different than those provided to currently enrolled students, but they can be just as helpful, including offering special presentations or mixers to help you connect with other alumni.
Connect with other alumni.
In addition to the gained knowledge and skills, the value in graduating from an institution is expected career and financial benefits, but there is also the networking value associated with that school or university’s network. Other people who have graduated from your school will want you to be successful, as that adds to the value of their degree as well. So reach out on social networks, go to alumni events (some schools even hold them in other cities around the country, so be sure to look for one where you live), and reap the benefits of your newfound connections. You can get together to watch a big game, go back to your school for an event or lecture, or simply meet an alum for coffee. It can feel strange at first to reach out because you might feel you have nothing to offer a new connection. But as a recent grad, you’ll have a stronger memory, along with details a less recent grad may have forgotten. You can help an alum remember what they loved about their time at school and provide them a growth opportunity as a mentor, or even offer a new perspective. In return, alums can show you the ropes, provide connections, and share the details of their career path and success.
Empower your network with the information they need.
Develop a short statement that encompasses: the types of people you’d like to talk to, a brief explanation of your ultimate goal, and what value you bring to the table. Try to distill the statement down as much as possible, make the information manageable and understandable so other people can use the information to introduce you to others in their network. Make it easy for people to make these connections by being clear, direct, and brief in who you are and what you’re searching for.
Don’t just clean up your social media presence, make it represent you.
Take the time to review your social media settings, check out your “digital tattoo,” and adjust anything that might reflect negatively on you professionally. The bigger picture, however, is that you need to begin cultivating a professional presence online. Do that by engaging in online professional networks, joining online conversations about your profession (Tip: asking questions is a good start), and by following thought leaders and industry giants. Participating in your profession digitally is a good way to show a potential employer that you are serious about your field; that you have already begun the process of personal professional development to advance both your career and the field itself.
Show up.
This is the partner activity of developing a professional online presence. Pair all online activity with in-person actions. As a recent grad, you probably understand the power of connecting virtually and can do it naturally, but how do you translate those online connections to real success? Start by going to professional events, industry events, conferences, meetings and whatever other professionally-focused groups you can find near you. Attend a professional association meeting for your field, the local chamber of commerce monthly meeting, or Toastmasters—all can provide you with opportunities to expand your network. For high-value connections, strive to connect both digitally and in person.
Market one of your biggest strengths—your ability to learn.
When crafting a value statement, this is an area that is often overlooked by recent graduates. However, in today’s job market the fail-fast ideology of yesterday has faded out of favor and instead has been replaced by a push for quick, continuous learning as a strategy for sustained business success. Lead with your learning and growth mindset, your recent degree will help that value shine through.
Consider the tradeoffs of your first job.
Chances are that the idea of your coveted first job will go through many incarnations. Stay flexible and weigh out what each role can provide. As you develop your vision and start to apply to jobs, and ultimately consider offers, think about what knowledge, skills, and abilities you can develop there and what overall value it will help you gain. You can’t know what every job will lead to, and although the first job you take may seem crucial, it might be your second or third job that becomes the pivotal role in your career. Take some of the pressure and expectation off of this first job by focusing on what value it might add to various paths you could expand into or pivot to later. And remember it’s what you accomplish in your first job that can truly set the trajectory for your career.