As your graduation day approaches, you might feel excited to start your new life as a professional. However, some of you feel more overwhelmed by the question “What to do after college?”Finding your first job is more stressful than finding your second job since every employer is looking for hands-on experience in professional fields. You thought that you would land your dream job as soon as you send your resume to companies, and perhaps you realized starting a career is more challenging than you think. Here are our beneficial career development tips to help you with what to do after college graduation.
What to do after graduating from college?
You may be thinking, “I graduated college now what?” There are many ways to do the job that interests you and earn a good salary. You can create a resume and apply to the positions that match your skills or be a solopreneur and start your own business. As a recent graduate, you have long years ahead of you, and many opportunities to explore. Finding the right fit may take time, but it’s worth the journey.
4 practical career tips for new grads
Here are four tried and tested career success tips to help you transition to professional life after college:
Act beyond borders
After the thrill of graduation wears off, most fresh grads wonder about how to find a job after college. In today’s world, you don’t have to be geographically mobile to access opportunities, which used to be the case for many new graduates in the past years. You can now consider applying to jobs in an area with more opportunities than your current location since most companies work remotely. Suppose you are looking for the highest paying jobs out of college and thinking of applying for the biggest companies like Facebook, Google, and Apple, which are currently working remotely. It would be best if you stopped worrying about what to do after college and send your resume to those companies regardless of your location.
Find an internship or volunteer opportunity
You can start applying for internship positions on career sites and job boards. Also, you can try applying for temporary positions and volunteer roles. To make your search process more comfortable, you can filter your searches to internships or volunteer jobs on these career websites. LinkedIn or Indeed are more mainstream job sites where you can search for internship and volunteer roles. With a few adjustments to maximize your exposure, LinkedIn can help you connect with the right people.Be sure to build your profile on these platforms carefully. Define your skills, qualifications, and experiences. If you want to do your research on less traditional platforms, you can check social media groups. Approaching companies directly is another option to ask if they have any short-term jobs available.
Build a social network
Choosing a career after college is stressful if you don't have a network to send your resume. You might feel isolated at the beginning of your career. However, social media now lets young professionals make new connections. You can let your social network know about your job hunt, and you can land great job opportunities. You can start social networking on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to connect with people who can provide referrals. On these platforms, you can also learn more about the sector dynamics. It is also essential to communicate with professionals in the fields you are interested in. You should also check your college's social platforms since they provide career planning resources to their graduates. Again, you can always start building your professional network by adding some of your professors and advisors to your circle who can introduce you to their former students who are now thriving.
Be a self-starter
If you feel confused about deciding what to do after college, you can consider starting your own business. If you have talents and skills that can make you an entrepreneur, instead of trying to find a job after college, you can kick start your own business by starting as a freelancer. Seth Godin defines freelancers and entrepreneurs’ goals as: “The goal of a freelancer is to have a steady job with no boss, to do great work, to gradually increase demand so that the hourly wage goes up and the quality of gigs goes up too. The entrepreneur’s goal is to sell out for a lot of money or build a long-term profit machine that is steady, stable, and not particularly risky to run. The entrepreneur builds an organization that creates change.” As Godin mentioned, the goals of freelancers and entrepreneurs are different. However, the aspects that make them successful are the same. If you are a successful freelancer, you can be a successful entrepreneur as well. Adopting entrepreneurship as a mindset will set you up for success in all areas of your life.So what are the everyday things that make a freelancer and an entrepreneur successful? The most critical aspects are being hardworking, having excellent communication skills, professionalism, time management, persistence, responsibility, flexibility, and self-discipline.
Take the next step in your life with Ruul
Congratulations on your graduation! Whichever direction you may go, Ruul is here to help you take the reins of your life and career. Keep checking Ruul Blog for tips, guides, and news on navigating modern work on your terms. Follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn, and never miss an update.
