6 Things That The Class of 2020 Needs To Do?Now

As an avid reader who also happens to work in talent management, I keep abreast of trends in my industry by subscribing or following every business publication that my daily mental capacity (and inbox) can absorb. 

This has been a tough year for most of us, to say the least, and even moreso for the Class of 2020 graduates from countless academic programs around the world who are matriculating into an economy that has been described as the “worst job market since the Great Depression”. 

Almost every article that I have covered starts off with an apocalyptic headline, followed with anecdotes from students across the country who are disappointed that their senior spring semester was terminated thanks to the pandemic, or that their summer internship or full-time offer at their dream company was rescinded due to budget cuts and a decreased need for new hires, amongst other issues. 

Believe me, I cherish the memories of my final semester at Trinity College, and it has been disheartening to see these updates splashed across my Linkedin timeline every day since mid-March amidst layoffs and unsettling news about the implications of Covid-19 being posted.

Just as corporate jargon tells us to “digitize the workforce”, I’m writing this is to encourage the Class of 2020 to adopt this mentality and push past the noise of the headlines reminding them of the setbacks ahead. 

For everyone feeling disappointed and destablilized by the current situation: This is a crucial time for you to be agile and use every online tool you can find to connect, learn, and advance yourself while you can. 

Even though there are limitations to certain opportunities that you may have had prior to the health crisis, take the extra time to expose yourself to the following if your health, schedule, and personal resources permit you to do so:

1. Connect and Build Your Brand Professionally — I’m glad that working in recruitment introduced me to Linkedin and the benefits that it provides for my professional development. If you haven’t started an account yet, do it now and add people from your school/s, your previous summer jobs, internships, basically everybody with a pulse whom you think you will stay in touch with after receiving your diploma. 

Spruce up your profile with your credentials and get endorsed for your key skills. If you do not have a high-quality headshot, improvise and ask a roommate/family member to take one for you (self-timer is also an excellent function if you live alone). 

Follow company pages/people that are relevant to your desired industry — companies that are still hiring may advertise openings (especially recruiters, check the profiles of talent acquisition representatives from target companies to see if they’re promoting new roles or offering resume reviews/assistance with job searches/etc.). Don’t be afraid to send a polite, proof-read message to senior team members or recruiters expressing your interest in joining their organization or in having a conversation with them after submitting an application. 

Add them as a connection once you’ve made contact with them and send them a follow-up note to thank them; you never know when either party might reach out again. Bear in mind that you may receive no response or rejection when you start sending InMail messages — move on from it and find someone else who is willing to help. 

Create a strong presence by posting your achievements or industry-relevant content on a regular basis —every one to two weeks is a feasible starting point. An example of how new Linkedin users have been getting a headstart on this is by uploading their graduation photos with a celebratory caption about what they want to pursue as a next step in their lives. Review your content to make sure you are not posting anything inappropriate or potentially offensive that will reflect poorly on your candidacy.

2. Enroll in an Online Course — Luckily for us, virtual learning is now an option with an increasing availability of free platforms to pick up new skills from. Research the industry that you want to enter and think about what qualities might make you stand out as a potential candidate (data mining, financial modeling, digital marketing, etc.), then commit to a timeframe for your learning experience. 

The following websites are good springboards to begin at for free/paid courses and tutorials:

• Coursera
• edX
• Linkedin Learning
• Fullstack Academy
• Youtube
• General Assembly
• Udemy
• Harvard Business School Online

And yes, you should absolutely post your accomplishment on your Linkedin timeline and add it to boost your profile once you’ve completed your selected program.

3. Stay in Touch with Your School Network/Career Center — Many college/university career development centers have been shifting quickly to communicate strategies for job searching and gather support from alumni networks to aid graduating seniors. 

If your school offers a virtual career network, it won’t hurt you to create an account and frequent its jobs page — since alumni members are the ones posting these openings, you’ll be at an advantage to reach out to them directly for a chance to be considered. If your career center promotes mentorship programs, join one and receive advice from a seasoned working professional. 

Another Linkedin tip — run a search on companies that you have applied to to see if there are alumni members from your school whom you can ask for help. Even if the opportunity doesn’t pan out, it helps to expand your network with people from your alma mater.

4. Start a Side Project/Resume-Building Activity — Even if you’re not an entrepreneur who is brainstorming an original idea for the next tech unicorn, you can capitalize on your current skills and interests to start a resume-worthy hobby while under quarantine.

Did you enjoy volunteering in college? Join a local organization and help with a Covid-19 food drive. Are you looking for a job in sales? Sell homemade items on Etsy or Ebay, you can even practice negotiating with bidders if you auction your products. Thinking about working with a more international crowd? Hone your language skills from those two semesters of Spanish or start/join an online polyglot club and practice with other students.

Be sure to quantify the results that you produce from your efforts if you end up listing them on your resume — eg. how much revenue did you generate from selling your homemade banana bread?

5. Practice Interviewing — So you landed that coveted interview spot — Congratulations! Your next move is to perform your due diligence by researching the company’s website/s, Glassdoor account, interviewers and the job description of the role you applied for to understand what the organization does and more importantly, to prepare for your phone or video interview round.

The STAR method has been proven successful for structuring interview answers, so if you are able to, get someone to ask you practice questions so that you can put your best foot forward on interview day. Review your resume consistently so that you can list your strengths confidently when asked.

Video interviews can be tricky, but you’ll need to establish a rapport with your interviewer and cross this hurdle in order to make it to the offer stage. Here is a guide to help you prepare for this round.

Again -remember to follow up with your interviewers after every conversation!

6. Keep an Open Mindset — Now I’m not saying that this process will be easy, nor am I implying that any of this advice will guarantee you landing your ideal job offer. Regardless of your college/university ranking, degree, GPA, testimonials, and the awards that you have won, you may not necessarily start your career off in the way you expect to.

This is not something to be deterred by. 

Many top performers are in the same boat as you are right now, and there may be situations in this market that, unlike raising your grade on your Research Methods final, are out of your control. You’ve made it this far for a reason.

While you may have to set primary goals aside, work an extra job, think about going back to school, or hustle slightly harder to convince a hiring manager that you’re the best fit for a spot on their team out of a pool of twenty hungry candidates, you’ll need to stay humble, resilient, and as active as possible for the duration of your unemployment. 

Challenges will happen as you grow throughout your career — consider this your first one in the real world. 

Now, stop reading this and start sharpening that resume.