This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Clark chapter.
Whether you’re looking for a summer internship, or you’re a current senior looking for a job, searching for employment can be a rollercoaster. First, you think that no one could ever hire you because you lack experience, then someone contacts you and gets your hopes up, only for you to later find out that you didn’t get the job. Maybe this is just my reality, but I often find myself getting my hopes up way too high only to have them crushed. Although there isn’t a secret formula to getting the job you want, there are a lot of things within your control that you can do to increase your chances of getting hired. Based on my own experience, and things I’ve learned from others, here are some tips for getting through your job search.
- Be a fearless networker: One of the simplest ways to find out about job openings at a company is to look through their list of employees on LinkedIn. Find someone in the department you want to get into, and politely ask them for advice, or ask to meet up for coffee to learn more about the organization. Another way to use LinkedIn is to look for alums who graduated from your college, and who currently work for a company that you’d also be interested in working for. More often than not, they will gladly chat with you, and if they get to know you well enough they could even recommend you or refer you for a position! I’m definitely not the first person to have this bright idea, and I’m sure these poor HR people get swamped with invites and messages, so try not to be too overbearing. Connections only hurt those who don’t have them; if you don’t already know someone personally who works in the industry that you want to end up in, then go out and find someone!
- It’s a jungle gym, not a ladder: In her book Lean In for Graduates, Sheryl Sandberg explains how there is a common misconception that there is a one-way path to the top. This could not be any farther from the truth. No two people follow the same path to success, and if you look at every CEO, or manager, you’ll see that none of them followed the same career path. Just because your career idol started off in a certain position, doesn’t mean that you can’t end up in their place if you don’t start off with the exact same first job.
- Be thankful: The simple act of saying “thank you” can do a lot to help you make a good impression, and leave an interviewer thinking positively of you. Handwritten cards have become such a rarity, but I’ve heard a lot of success stories from people who left a pre-written thank you card in their interviewer’s mailbox, and ended up getting the job. If you interviewed over the phone, or via Skype, you can make the same gesture by emailing them a couple hours after your chat saying how much you appreciate them taking the time out of their day to talk with you, and for giving you this opportunity.
- No doesn’t always mean no: One piece of advice that I learned from my dad was that when you get declined for a position, you shouldn’t be afraid to reach back out. Ask them if they have any feedback to give you on how you can improve your interviews in the future, or ask them if they have any other positions that they’re still hiring for. Letting them know how driven and interested you are in the position might let them know that they made a mistake in passing on you. If anything, this will put you at an advantage when they look for future hires because you will be fresh on their minds.
- Stay positive: I’ve had my fair share of rejection letters (maybe one too many), so I know how grueling it can be to get back out there and write yet another cover letter for a position that you only feel somewhat interested in, after being rejected from what seemed like your dream job. The way I cope with rejection is by convincing myself that the universe could have been protecting me from something. Isn’t kind of weird how when we want something so bad, we never get it? I’ve learned a lot from adults who are successful and settled in their careers who admit that they once felt defeated after being rejected from a dream job, only to later realize that it wasn’t actually their dream job. Never forget that the grass is greener where you water it! AKA everything might seem perfect in someone else’s life, but they probably feel the same amount of dissatisfaction and inadequacy that you sometimes feel – that’s life!