8 things college students should know before graduating

You need a mentor

Mentors are there to help us move forward and they also come in handy when one is in a dilemma. For example, you will need a mentor if you are considering working remotely or if you would like to make a career change.

It is important to find someone who will lead you through the right path to follow as you proceed with your career journey. It’s important to treat your job search very seriously if you are looking forward to making significant job search progress.

Yes, you can tap into endless opportunities if you take your job search to a higher level. You have the power to turn your job search experience from a boring one into one that is exciting.

Are you wondering where to find good mentors? Well, you can search through your former colleagues and bosses whom you are in good terms with. You can also search through your social media contacts to see if you can find someone who has achieved tremendous results with his or her job search.

Learn to be yourself

As much as you would wish to impress your employer, it is advisable that you strive to be yourself. Yes, employers aren’t interested in hiring robots.

Recruiters are not interested in college graduates who are using business buzzwords incorrectly. Even though the job market may seem intimidating there are more opportunities for the young generation than they may realize.

The willingness to use a wide range of contacts is important to growing companies. Generation Y can come in handy because they don’t see any divide between professional and social networks. The reason behind this is because the young generation can naturally share contacts, new discoveries and information – and that’s a big win for new companies.

Practice for interviews (even remote ones)

You will probably be asked to do a video interview in case you are looking for a telecommuting job. It is important to learn how to conduct yourself during a video interview. So it’s advisable that you try to get used to speaking into your computer’s camera and get dressed as if you are about to have an in-office interview, and spruce up your home office space. This way, you will prepare yourself and be ready to handle the real interview when it finally comes. In addition, you will get well-familiarized with the ins and outs.

Your experience matter a lot

You don’t have to experience something great in order to make it a good experience. What matters is the experience you gained. The experience you gain doing certain tasks will help you handle various situations at work. However, it’s important that you make your experiences relevant to the jobs you are applying for.

You can share the things you have learnt in the past with your interviewers and even include them in your job applications. What training did you have? What skills did you develop? Yes, think back and view the job interview through the eyes of your employer. Consider telling them the challenges you came across and how you tackled them.

Learn to think outside the box

Old ways won’t open new doors. You can’t expect to land a new job if you are using the same ways, day in and day out. If you are not careful, then you may find yourself searching on autopilot. Try out new ways that may lead you to a job you love. Advance your job search tactics in order to find jobs that are in line with your interests.

Don’t ignore the companies

Many fresh graduates make the mistake of ignoring small companies, forgetting that that’s where bulk of graduate vacancies lie. Are you the type that chooses job vacancies after considering the 4 years of full-time education? The problem is that the big graduate schemes seem like the ‘Holy Grail’ for freshly graduated seniors.

You will be doing injustice to yourself by ignoring small-to medium-sized companies, especially the ones with less than 300 employees. Take your time and track down SMEs. Take note that they may not advertise in the obvious sites because it’s expensive. However, the fact remains that thousands of SMEs are desperate to hire fresh college graduates.

It’s not mandatory to have a perfect CV

Many fresh graduates often panic when they are requested to present their CV. Most of them think that the CV should be perfect and outstanding. Well, as much as CVs are concerned, you don’t need to have a perfect one. As a matter of fact, there is no such thing as perfect CV.

Trust me; your CV will get noticed if it is good. You don’t need to stress yourself about this. Instead of worrying about your CV, you can spend that time creating a strong online presence. For example, pay attention to your LinkedIn profile. Always keep it updated by adding new skills and training that you pick along the way. It has proven to be a great networking platform for fresh graduates.

Do a thorough check on industries you have chosen

Today, many industries have been turned upside down due to the digital revolution. Some popular and obvious examples include the print journalism, book publishing, and the music industry. Don’t pick an industry that will die in the next five years. Instead, go for industries that have a career span of more than 40 years. Think literally and take your skills to a growing market.