We hear so much about how difficult it is for new grads to find work these days and just how many of them are in low paying (read ‘minimum wage’) jobs trying to find their way up the ‘ladder.’
Some are fortunate to have graduated at the top of their classes from the best universities in the country and are highly sought after. They may have already had great internships or summer jobs that transition into regular full time work after graduation.
But what about the other 99%? How do they find their first jobs? How do they even know what it is they want to do?
I received a request to ‘Link In’ from a young woman who had just graduated from university. She asked to connect with me and asked if I was willing to speak with her and offer some guidance and advice. Of course I was!
We spoke this morning. She appears to be a bright, well-spoken young woman. She went to one of the top schools in Ontario and has worked in a variety of positions during her summer months away from the classroom. Her focus is on HR and marketing and she would ideally like to combine the two.
What advice did I give her and give to you now?
- Self-Reflection. Ensure you do some self-reflection and try to get a better understanding of what you like to do, what you are good at, what you struggle with. As a recent grad, I recommend you think about the courses you took and which you liked and which you never, ever want to see again. What about your summer and part-time work? What did you like/dislike about each role you held and what type of working environment sets you up for success? How about the people? Do you like to work in teams? On your own? What type of manager works best for you? Your experience at this point may not be extensive, but you can get a sense of where your strengths lie and where you might want to work and at what.
- Branded Marketing Materials. Review your marketing materials and make sure they are fully optimized and reflect your accomplishments and what it is you want to do. Be clear in your opening paragraph on your resume about what you’ve done and what you are looking for. What do you bring to the table? Where have you worked and what have you accomplished? I could write a whole post on the resume alone but there is a wealth of information on-line. Check it out and ensure your resume is clear, concise and error-free. If a recruiter reads it and can’t figure out what it is you do or want to do, forget it – reject pile it is!
- Never ever underestimate the power of networking and don’t be fooled into thinking you don’t have a network. You do. Think of your friends and family first. Think of your classmates and your professors. Think of people with whom you worked. Don’t be afraid to reach out and let folks know you are looking for work, what you want to do and what you bring to the table in terms of education and experience. As you progress in your career, your network will become one of your most important assets – it may be already!
- LinkedIn. Is your LinkedIn profile optimized? Have you written a headline that accurately reflects what you do and is searchable by recruiters and hiring managers? Do you have a good picture? Have you written a compelling summary which tells the reader who you are, what you’ve done and what you are looking for? If you are indeed a new grad, include a paragraph that lists the relevant key courses you took. You may not have experience as a Compensation specialist but, if you took that course and it’s on your LinkedIn profile, you will come up when recruiters search for someone versed in compensation. That’s how it works. List your past roles and ensure you put in a paragraph about what your role was and what you accomplished. Add your education and any certification, volunteer work, interests, etc. Be sure you connect with folks who might be able to help you and always, always, always include a personalized invitation to connect. When the invitation is accepted, follow up to thank the person and then come up with the ‘ask’. May we meet? Can you provide career advice/guidance? Can you refer me to someone in your HR department? Whatever the ‘ask’ (and, again, I could write a book on LinkedIn alone), follow up. Otherwise, why connect?
- Company Websites. It’s important to do your research into companies of interest for you. Where might you want to work? Which companies have jobs that would be relevant to you? Make a list. Go to their websites. Learn all you can and apply directly to them. Maybe there’s a job of interest posted on their website, maybe not. There is undoubtedly a way for you to upload your resume even if the right job isn’t posted. This is where their recruiters will go first when looking to fill a role. Why should they ‘post and pray’ they’ll find the right candidate when they can go into their database and see who has already expressed an interest in their company? Maybe reach out to people in that company and ask for an informational interview. Ask for advice on how best to land a great role in the company. Ask what they did to join that organization.
- Job Boards. Despite my belief that job boards work less than 1% of the time, you are just starting out and it is important that you use a multi-pronged approach to your job search. Your network (and that of your friends and family) will be key in opening doors for you – there’s no doubt about that. Never, ever underestimate the power of networking. But searching on various job boards for relevant roles is something that should not be overlooked. Some you might consider include LinkedIn, Bullhorn Reach, Indeed, Workopolis, Monster, Kijiji and WowJobs. There are undoubtedly more and you should also look into the career centre at your college or university. But remember, most of the time your resume will go into a black hole and you will hear nothing back. Do what you can to reach out to folks in the company to which you applied or to the recruiter who posted the role. Who do you know in that company? Who can you find on LinkedIn and reach out to? It takes work to find a job!
- Search Firms/Placement Agencies. For the most part, agencies and firms will be interested in speaking with you if they know they can place you. They get paid by making placements and are less inclined to speaking with people they know they can’t place immediately. However, good recruiters who are people focused will usually take the time to speak with you and offer some good advice or market intelligence. Do your homework. When you see a role posted by a particular placement agency, don’t just apply. Apply and then reach out to the agency and ask if you can meet. Talk to people in your network and understand what firms they might have used to find roles of interest to you. There are some good search firms out there and some talented recruiters – you just need to find the right ones. But, bear in mind, you are in the best position to find your next role and no one is going to ‘do it for you.’
At the end of the day, finding a full time job IS a full time job. What you put into your job search is what you will get out of it. Plan your job search, keep accurate records (including a spreadsheet of all of your contacts and status so you know what you’ve done and what still needs to be done) and devote time each and every day to your search. Network, network, network.
Don’t just sit and hide behind your computer, find interesting roles, apply and sit back. Hundreds of people do that and it gets them nowhere. Be pro-active. Know who you are and what you want. Practice your ‘elevator pitch’ and deliver it in a way that is appealing to people. That gets them excited about you and wanting to know more. After applying, try to follow up.
And, most importantly, follow up with people. If someone says it’s OK for you to call them, then call them! Be timely with it. If you do speak with people, follow up with a thank you note. If someone recommends someone to you and you meet with them, go back and thank the person who made the connection again. First of all, it’s the right thing to do. Second of all, it keeps you front of mind.
Now go out there and land that first great full-time role!
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