According to a study performed at the University of Washington, the average job search time for a college graduate is 6 months. Chances are if you are currently attending or plan to attend college in the future you are struggling with where or how to begin your career search. We’ve compiled a list to help guide you in the right direction of landing a position post-graduation.

START EARLY

It is never too early to begin preparing for your future. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? How do you shoot the arrow without a target to aim for? In other words, you must know where you want to be to know how to get there. When choosing your major, know the avenues that are available to you for employment. For example, if you major in Accounting, do you want to be a Bookkeeper, an Analyst, a Compliance Officer, or perhaps a Controller? The opportunities are endless, and you want to explore all avenues until you find what position will align with your goals.

SEEK OUT INTERNSHIPS

Take advantage of career services that may be offered by your school which could gear you towards an internship. Internships are a great way to not only gain hands-on experience in your field of study but also give insight into what each position looks like day-be-day. Similar to how a resident surgeon must gain hands-on experience in all areas of surgery before choosing their specialty, it is important that you explore all of your options before ultimately choosing your career. As you approach your final semesters of college it is not a bad idea to reach out to a recruiter to potentially land a part-time role. If you are successful in the role, it may land you a full-time position post-graduation.

BUILD YOUR NETWORK

If you do not have one already, create a LinkedIn profile to highlight your education as well as any relevant internships or work experience you may have under your belt. Be interactive with companies of interest, recruiting firms and other business professionals as LinkedIn is a popular source used by recruiters, HR associates, and talent acquisitionists when searching for candidates. Also, make sure to compose a professional resume (see “How to Compose a Resume”) which can be handed out at career fairs or posted to websites like Indeed. Career fairs are a great way to meet local professionals and market yourself, so bring multiple copies of your resume along and hand it out. Your resume, like your LinkedIn profile, should highlight any internships or relevant work experience you have as well as clubs you may have been involved with.

It is also important to stay active within your school. Chances are your professors only teach part-time. They more than likely hold a full-time position as well and they can be great advocates for you post-graduation.

CONTACT A RECRUITER

As you approach your graduation date, it is not a bad idea to reach out to a recruiter. Their services come at no cost to you so they can only benefit you in your job search. By this time, if you have followed the steps above, you should have a clear idea of the position you are targeting. Though you may have completed multiple internships, been president of some club, and scored that 4.0 GPA, you are still considered “entry-level.” By no means should you settle for less than your worth but know that it is unlikely that you will land that $70k salary fresh out of college. The recruiter is looking to build a lasting relationship with you so if by chance they do not have a position available that will target your requirements/specifications, you can be sure that when they get a position you are the first person they will reach out to.

As always, for further assistance feel free to contact our office by phone at (518) 275-4816 or by email at jobs@walrathrecruiting to get the conversation started.

 

 

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