You’re on a high because you graduated college and you no longer have to take another test or see some of your least favorite professors ever again. Now that you’re out of college, though, you may be starting to think about what you want to do with your life since you’re in the real world. I don’t know about you, but applying for jobs post-college can feel like the Hunger Games. After all, you’re competing with everyone else that has recently graduated as well.
Luckily, not all hope is lost for you recent grads. There are plenty of wonderful websites out there that are great guides to help you find your first jobs out of college. Sure, you still need to get a follow-up interview, but you’ll never get that if you don’t apply for jobs. Now, open another tab in your browser and get ready to find a job to apply for.
- Generation Hired
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As a reader of Her Campus, Generation Hired is the perfect place to start your job hunt. Just like Her Campus, Generation Hired has a focus on uplifting women and underrepresented groups, but specifically with the aim of getting them hired.
To utilize the website, you have to create an account. Once you do, though, you will have access to internships and jobs that are only for college and postgrad students, virtual “office hours” where the leadership team sits down with top industry professionals that offer career-ready advice every week and a breakdown of career advice that includes sections: “Finding the Job,” “Landing the Job,” “Crushing the Job” and “BYOB: Be Your Own Boss.” Generation Hired makes navigating your job hunt an easier process than you might expect and will help you stand out to future employers.
- Indeed
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When people think of applying for jobs, Indeed may be one of the first websites that come to mind. For good reason, too. Indeed is extremely easy to navigate when applying for jobs. Not only can you upload your resume onto the website, but you can also filter the jobs that you’re looking for by categories such as the salary, resident requirement, experience level, and your degree. The ability to filter through those allows you to really examine what jobs you want to apply for and somewhat gauge what your chances might be of actually getting the job. Another advantage of Indeed is that whenever you go on the site, there’s a feed of jobs you haven’t applied to yet that might interest you based off of your previous searches.
- Glassdoor
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Much like Indeed, Glassdoor is another popular website for job seekers. Like Indeed, Glassdoor allows you to filter through jobs by salary, distance and location, company review, and company size. However, there are also plenty of other advantages of Glassdoor that will allow you to look into your potential company such as the salaries, interview process, benefits, and diversity reports. If you’re concerned about the company or have any questions regarding any of those categories, Glassdoor has those for you.
Glassdoor is also a wonderful site to just get advice on your career and job searches. There is a “map your career” section where you can put in your ideal profession and see the average salary, example interview questions, and what steps you need to take to get a job and succeed in the profession. Glassdoor also has a blog where they post articles that will give you more advice about applying for jobs and for managing the workforce.
- ZipRecruiter
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Though ZipRecruiter may not be as popular as Indeed or Glassdoor, it’s still used by many job hunters. With ZipRecruiter, you can search for any job that might interest you by salary, location, and employment type. ZipRecruiter is also nice because you can store all your files that you’ll need to apply for a job, including your resume and reference list, on the site. If you’re looking for the average salary of a profession in your city or state, you can also find it on the site so that you know what you’re getting into or if you might want to relocate. ZipRecruiter may not have as many capabilities as some of the other sites on this list, but it could lead you to a job you’ve never thought of.
- HigherEdJobs
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Unlike the other websites on this list, HigherEdJobs focuses on jobs open for those that want to work in the college setting. If you loved your college experience and now want to give back to other college students and influence their experience, HigherEdJobs is perfect for you. You can filter through the jobs by location, community colleges, universities, dual career, or part-time positions. Besides finding a job on a college campus, though, you can also use HigherEdJobs to get advice on how to write a resume and cover letter and how to ace your interview. If you need help writing a resume or cover letter, you can also pay HigherEdJobs to help you write and perfect them.
- Handshake
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Whether or not you’ve heard of Handshake, it’s a website that will completely change your job application process. Unlike most of the other websites, Handshake was specifically created to help college students and recent college grads get jobs. Handshake is also an app as well as a website, so you can use it whenever you want. With Handshake, you can find jobs that are perfect for your major and also meet with employers one-on-one.
Because it’s made for Gen Z college students, all the reviews of the jobs are by people in similar stages of life as you, so it will be much easier to apply their reviews to your own life and experience level. Along with applying for jobs, they have a blog section that has articles on advice for getting your dream career, working remotely, interview advice, post-grad life, resumes, and cover letters and internships. Handshake truly is the perfect app for those that feel lost when applying for their first job post-college and navigate the scary world of the workforce.
- Monster
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Monster is yet another website that college students gravitate towards when the time comes to apply for jobs. Like the other websites, there’s an extensive database of job postings that you can filter by job type, industry, and location. The salary section of the site is also a bit different. Not only are you able to look up the salary by profession, but you’re also able to look up the salary by what your major is. This could help you find a job post-grad because it will give you an idea of what careers you could pursue.
Monster also has an advice blog section that features articles on job searches, resumes and covers, different career paths, interviews, career development, and leaving a job, which I’ve realized isn’t typically focused on when it comes to job advice.
Like HigherEdJobs, you can also pay Monster to help you write and edit your resume. If you don’t have any career ideas once you graduate college, Monster can be a great starting point for you.
Graduating college is an incredible milestone that you should be proud of. Now that you’re on your own in the world, though, it can be scary. There are so many career paths you can go down that could be the perfect fit for you, but you’ll never know if you don’t try to look for them. Best of luck with your job search, recent grads!