‘Tis the season for us seniors to continually be on the search for that coveted “first” out-of-college job. Many of my classmates and those I have heard stories from have had mixed reactions to finding a job and the importance of this goal to them. But through all the stories and observations I have been privy to, the common thread is that finding a job wasn’t (for those lucky enough to find one), or isn’t (for those still struggling) as easy as Pepperdine has lead us all to believe.
Through your journey of trying to land that post-college job, here are two tips to help you achieve going from job searching to the workforce.
Continually Update your Resume
This may sound frightful, especially if you are anything like me and spend uber amounts of time on your resume. Not just the cultivation of each word on your resume, but the time in planning the perfect internships, volunteer and extracurricular activities that you did throughout your life. If you haven’t already, you should consider re-formatting to move away from Pepperdine’s career center suggestions on how to lay it out. For example, now that we are approaching graduation in the coming month, it may be important to move your “work experience” to the top and bring your “education” section to the middle/bottom. The more “out of college” your resume looks, the more work credibility it gives you. Make sure you are painting the correct picture of yourself.
Network
Even though resume updating is important, making connections is far more important. At the end of the day, your resume will only be looked at for a total of nine seconds. It is really about trying to get those connections that are going to make your career take off and become all that you want it to be.
Networking is so important that knowledge or an actual advance specialization of a skill set isn’t what is given priority in the job search, it is all about who you know; what you know comes second.
In your networking, it is important to always leave a good lasting impression that makes someone want to help you or mentor you. Make sure that you leave your internships on a good note and that you take the time to always ask your bosses for help or if they know anyone that can help you reach your job goals. Many of the jobs and/or internships I have gotten were because I worked hard, proved my worth as an employee, vocalized my goals, sought advice, and gathered references, job leads, and contacts.