Job Search Tips for Unemployed College Grads

Job Search Tips for Unemployed College GradsJob Search Tips for Unemployed College GradsThe news is filled with stories about the robust job market and historically low levels of unemployment.Does that mean it will be easy for unemployed college graduates to find jobs? Not necessarily, especially for graduates in non-technical majors and those with limited internship experience. Research by theNational Association of Colleges and Employersindicates that it takes 7.4 months, on average, for a new college graduate to find employment. How to Get Hired for Unemployed College Grads Take heart if you are one of the many college graduates who have elend yet found jobs.There are many constructive steps that you can take to increase your chances of finding a meaningful post-grad job in the near future. Here are some suggestions for the not yet hired grad Contact your college career sekretariatand set up a meeting as soon as possible to explore options and make sure that you have tapped in to all the resources that are available. Set up a telephoneorSkype consultation if you are no longer near your college. Do not believe the common myth on many campuses that the career office cant do anything to help you. Ask employed friends who have utilized the office whom they would recommend that you seek out for help. Dont Postpone Your Job Search Resist the temptation to take several months off from job searching. Postponement will only put you further behind other motivated grads. Set aside at least 1-2 hours a day, 6 days a week for job search activities. This will still leave you plenty of time to decompress or work your old summer or part-time job. Update Your Resume Update and fine-tune your resume and cover letters to make sure you are presenting the latest and most compelling information to employers. Have career office staff and other trusted advisors critique your documents. Ask employed friends to give you some feedback. Dont obsess over your documents to the point that you dont move forward with other job search activitieshowever. Work at Networking Networking works. It is absolutely true that most graduates who find work after they have left campus do so through some form of networking. Ask your career office and/or alumni office for a list of contacts in geographic and industry sectors of interest. Also, ask these offices if there are any social, cultural or career events scheduled where you can interact with alumni. Request an Informational Interview Approach as many contacts as possible forinformational interviews. Ask about their career fieldandseek advice about your resume and suggestions for finding opportunities. Request referrals to other alumni or colleagues in roles and organizations appropriate to your interests. Thank each contact in writing and keep them posted as your search unfolds since this might prompt your contacts to supply additional referrals over time. Ask Your Contacts for Help Meet with your favori te faculty members before leaving campus, if possible. Share any career fields of interest and ask if they can refer you to any of their prior students working in those areas of employment.Ask if your faculty contacts would send an email to those individuals with a request that they consult with you about your career. Another option is to send a communication to those alumni mentioning that Professor Jones recommended that you reach out to them for advice about your career.Review your list of Facebook friends who graduated a year before you. Reach out to anyone who is employed for advice and referrals to hiring managers at their firm. Enlist the support of your family network, defined as the people who would be invited to your wedding and/or people on your familys holiday card list.Ask your parents to pull together a snail mail address list of these folks. Compose a newsy flyer detailing some interesting developments in your life, like your travels, school activities, summer plans, etc.Then let them know that you would like to be connected to any of their contacts in fields of interest for informational consultations. You have no idea who they know from college, their neighborhood, company, etc. unless you ask. Include a current photo or two with your mailer. Ask your contacts if you can set-up a job shadow. If you hit it off nicely with any of your contacts during informational consultations, ask if you couldshadow themfor a day or more. This will give you a nice exposure to their work arena and the opportunity to meet some of their colleagues. Enhance Your LinkedIn Profile Create or enhance yourLinkedIn profile. Join groups for your college and career fields of interest. Reach out to fellow group members for informational interviews. Generate Cash with an Interim Job or Consider an Internship If you need to generate some cash flow, consider getting an interim job that will not interfere with your job search and leave you at least some daytime hours f or networking meetings and interviews. Service jobs that involve interfacing with the public can also provide some networking opportunities. Consider working with atemporary employment agencyif you are targeting administrative/office jobs. Once you are inside an organization, try to meet as many staff membersas possible and work hard to make a positive impression. Consider aninternship. If your career research indicates that your chosen field normally requires prior internship experience (and you dont have any), consider completing an internship after graduation. Pair unpaid internships (you can often arrange part-time internships) with a paid service job if you need to earn some money. Reviewentry level job siteslinked to your colleges career office website and set a goal of applying to at least seven jobs each week. You dont need to be 100%positive that you would love the job beforeapplying,sodoyourresearchandrememberthatyou canturn down an offer ifyoudecideyourenotthebestfitforth e position/organization. By following some of these suggestions and engaging in an active job search, you can minimize the anguish of post-college unemployment and launch yourself onto a satisfying career path.