With less than a month till graduation, people have been giving me advice after advice about what the “real world” is like or how to handle job interviews. Post-grad is scary. For the first time in my life, I will not be attending school in the fall. Instead, I will be (hopefully) working a 9-5 job and using my degree.Â
Post grad becomes a little less scary when you have people to lean on for advice and reassurance. I am going to share some of the post-grade advice I have been given over the past couple of months.Â
- Know the business as if you own it
Now I do not mean go into an interview and act like you know the business more than the owner or the people who actually work there. I mean familiarize yourself with the business so much that you could start the job the next day. When going into an interview, it’s important to know the business’s mission, current and upcoming events, who is most important, etc. If you do not do your research prior to the interview, you will be able to tell, and you’re most likely to make more of an impression if your answers to questions can relate back to the business.Â
- Be willing and availableÂ
If you are willing to learn and willing to make yourself available, people will choose you over someone who is stuck in their ways. Interviewers want to see that you want to be there, and they want to see that you want to learn and strive to be better. While making yourself available to change, there is still a need for boundaries. It is important to be willing to adapt to new environments, but also don’t break your back for a company when they wouldn’t break their back for you.Â
- If you’re tech savvy, say it
Media is necessary for a business to grow, so if you have experience in Canva, Adobe, Capcut, or any social media platforms, say it, especially if it’s a business that is not necessarily tech-savvy. Even if you are not tech-savvy, be willing to learn and say literally any experience you have, or let them know you are at least familiar with what the platform offers.
- Negotiate!
This one is coming from businessman Michael himself (my father), and his key advice when getting a new job is to negotiate. This may come more with a second interview or during a meeting with HR after getting hired, but it’s important that whatever deal is settled on benefits both you and the company. An example from my dad regards benefits, as mostly 22-year-olds, many of us still may be under our parents’ insurance plans; therefore, you may not need the insurance the job offers until you are 26. Because of this, you can negotiate for more pay in place of those benefits.Â
- Ask questionsÂ
Not only do you impress the interviewer by asking questions, but you yourself are learning more about the company and the people you may work with. If you can get the interviewer talking about themself, it takes the pressure off of you to do all the talking.Â
Happy post grad and happy interviewing! Remember to be yourself and to be brave!