Fresh Graduates? Get your 1st job..

Millions of people graduate from colleges and universities around the world each year. Students put in many hours of hard work in projects, assignments, paperwork, practicals, and exams throughout their courses in order to achieve high grades and land a job of their choice at the end of their degrees. However, for the majority of graduates each year, the dream of finding a good paying job does not come true. The figure below is an excerpt from OECD research that shows the percentage of unemployed graduates in OECD countries.

As a result, millions of graduates remain unemployed each year. Observing this, I discovered a strategy that a recent college graduate should employ to land a job. If a student takes this approach, the chances of landing a desired job are extremely high. Let's take a closer look at the steps in the strategy.

Skills to be developed

Recognize who you are and what you want - The first and most salient point is that a student should assess their knowledge, skill, traits, and aspirations to determine what comes naturally to them and thus what one‘s target should be, regardless of what studies people have completed. Because even if you have graduated from a wrong course, you still have the option of enrolling in a course that interests you. It will be far preferable to contemplating a career change after ten years of working in a field you dislike. As a result, it is the most important point. Realizing who you are and what you want is directly proportional to possibilities of a successful professional career.

Let's take a look at some of the most popular educational disciplines and the kinds of jobs they attract.

There are Bachelor's and Master's degrees after which most students begin looking for jobs, and these are in science, arts, music, literature, and modern-era professional courses have also emerged as the demand for graduates in management, engineering, nursing, and other fields has increased dramatically around the world. These are also known as job-related courses. In the last three to four decades, information technology has transformed the way every industry operates, and therefore the demand for engineers has increased everywhere. As a result, students choose engineering degrees more than any other course around the world, and thus the market demand for engineering jobs in various fields such as information technology, chemical engineering, manufacturing/mechanical engineering, civil engineering, and so on is high. Arts graduates, depending on their major degree, can pursue a career in creative fields such as photography, illustration, graphic design, fashion design, and so on.

Understand your options to get started - Before you begin your job search, understand the market conditions, which locations in our industry have jobs that you are looking for, do they hire fresh graduates from college or off-campus, and do you require certifications. Do you require internships? Networking here can be advantageous. Speak with some people who are already doing the job you are looking for; otherwise, your journey will be very bumpy. For example, you may have studied bachelors in commerce and are looking for a job of accounting and finance, but you know that in the current market, there are several multinational companies offering roles into several functions that require finance background, such as fund accounting trusty administrator anti-money laundering. The best way to find out is to search for finance jobs online and see how many active jobs are posted in your country's top three job sites. From there, you can choose to connect with people who do that job in your peer group, seniors, or friends and learn from them what the best approach should be to secure a job.

Be factual and precise - While we have job-related conversations, interviews, and discussions, please do your homework and find facts to back up your points. A narrative story is less effective than a story with specific examples and facts about past events. This demonstrates that the person has an analytical mind, makes decisions based on careful observations, and believes in selling a point through fats rather than stories. Take some time to consider the job for which you have applied, what qualities are required for the job, and how you will demonstrate those qualities through the projects you have completed, your dissertation, your Summer Internship, and how you will explain its relevance to the job you have applied for. This will reassure the employer that you have the necessary skills and behaviour for the job.

Most of the time, I've noticed that graduates tend to listen less and talk more. Speaking up is a good quality, but the content must be precise. Take a pause when a question is asked and think about two or three key points you would need for your answer. Avoid story build-up and long answers because people's attention spans are very short and one can lose interest if you don't get to the point quickly, which can work against you in your interview.

Communication abilities and other soft skills - Everyone is aware that when we speak, there are four types of communication: verbal, nonverbal, written, and visual. Understand the differences between these types of communication and the best practises for success in all forms of communication. There are numerous soft skills that can help you succeed in your job; please research what you need in your target job and work on improving these soft skills. As an example, you must communicate with the sales and marketing teams to understand how you can convey the message to these groups in a concise and timely manner.

Internship/Project - You have already decided what type of job you want to do, so please first understand the role, what they do, what skills are required for the role, which tools will you be required to use, and what other knowledge you need to do a specific job. Any employer would prefer to hire someone with similar experience, if not exactly, then someone who understands the fundamentals and know-how of the job. To accomplish this, we must first identify the best internship programmes. Networking will be essential here; speak with your professors/seniors to get introduced to the right people and seize an opportunity to gain exposure to the job you want.

Practice - The identified technical and soft skills of the job must become second nature to us, and we must practise to hone these skills and behaviours. Perform simulation exercises, consider scenarios in which you will demonstrate these skills, and, if possible, apply these skills and behaviours in your internships. This will set the stage for you to begin showcasing your experience for the role you intend to apply for.

Networking - It is one of the most important aspects in this day and age, and it is especially important for recent graduates. Make contact with your lecturers, alumni, and seniors who are already in the industry. They have walked the same path as you and have paved the way for you to achieve your goals. Begin somewhere, and connections frequently form a chain, one after the other.

Progressive environment - Discuss progress with your colleagues in small or large groups, and conduct constructive reviews of actions taken and outcomes. Learn from each other in the group and follow what works for some while also learning from the mistakes of others.

Qualities to develop

Be available on time - A common problem in this world is that people want things to happen at their own pace, which does not always work. Therefore, when looking to start your career, be punctual always for your interview, sharing your documents, and delivering what you promised. This shows trust in your prospective employers and demonstrates that you possess one of the desired qualities they look for in an ideal candidate, which is the ability to do things on time.

Be humble - We must recognise that people come from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and upbringings, and that their perspectives on various issues may differ. This necessitates paying close attention to what people say and not reacting negatively. The world needs graduates to fuel growth, and one should be grateful for the opportunity. Don't forget to thank people for the opportunity, and be an active listener during a conversation. incorporate discussion points and lessons learned into your story Be prepared to be a desirable candidate trait of flexibility and learning from everyone. This also projects the desirable trait that an ideal candidate should have, which is humility and a learning attitude.

Eager to learn - We must admit that when it comes to launching our careers, we do not know everything. As a result, we must network and try to learn as much as possible from both online and offline sources. Attend webinars tutorial videos on YouTube Take some online courses, talk to friends and seniors, and figure out what works and what doesn't when it comes to starting your career. Learn from the mistakes of others and follow the successful path of others to increase your knowledge and reduce your mistakes. Both of these will assist you in obtaining your desired job.

Be positive - There will always be people who complain and are filled with negativity in their lives. They will always look for reasons to say things aren't working. Please avoid such people and believe in yourself and the system you are using to secure your first job. Understand that an employer looks for skills and behaviours to offer a job, and you are in your quest to first identify what those skills and behaviours are and fill that gap if there is any, so if you have done well in working on the above two points, it is just a matter of time you will get your job very soon. There is a proverb that says if you do not give up, 8 out of 10 times you will get what you want, and 80% is a good reason to believe in something.

Believe in yourself - I've met people who believe that saying phrases like this is meaningless. Believing in oneself causes mental affirmation, and the mind searches for a reason to make it happen. It creates the conditions for your success. On any given day, someone with conviction has a better chance of success than someone with less conviction/self-belief because he or she is always in a state of self-doubt and their efforts do not have full throttle energy behind them. It is a tool for releasing trapped potential in us, and something difficult begins to appear achievable. Believe in yourself and the approach you're taking, such as researching the right job, identifying the skills required, getting into internships, completing projects, and networking, and you'll notice your confidence growing and you'll feel closer to your goal.

My postings reflect my views and do not necessarily represent the views of my employer, Accenture.

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