Grads, Follow These Tips to Get Hired!

Congrats, grads! You made it to the finish line. And now, I’m excited to help you power up and dive into the job market. You got this but you definitely need a game plan! With the right job-hunting strategies, smart networking, and a healthy dose of resilience, you’ll be on your way to finding the right job for you.

So, let's dig in!

First, let’s remember: it’s competitive out there. (Yes, we’ve talked about it before .) Hiring is down almost 10% and a third of Gen Z say they are planning to leave their job this year and may be in the market too. However,? there are just as many entry-level jobs as last year right now on LinkedIn — that’s almost a third of all jobs!?

To help new grads and early career starters navigate these tricky waters, LinkedIn just launched its 2024 Guide to Kickstarting Your Career . And here are a few of my own tips I’ve learned along the way as an added bonus.

Network Like It’s Your Job (For Real)

I bet you’re hearing the same thing from everyone: network, network, network! You might think, “But how?” or “I don’t have a network.” But, guess what? You DO have a network and it’s probably more significant than you think.?

Reach out to all your contacts, yes all of them! This could be a former boss from an internship, co-workers from your summer jobs, your best friend’s mom who runs a marketing firm… you get the gist. The connections you build and foster now will power your career for years to come. Your network should be wide, not limited to just your best or closest friends and contacts. Did you know an acquaintance is 2x as likely to lead to a job opportunity than a close friend?

Your college and its alumni can also be a strategic and powerful network. Find who is working in your target industry, or better yet, at one of your target companies and reach out to them.?

By the way, don’t limit your outreach to only asking for favors or intro requests. You can also reach out and say hi when you’ve mastered a new skill, received a new certification, or just read something interesting that you think they might also like.?

The AI Edge Is Real - It May Be Time to Upskill!

Embracing AI is no longer a nice-to-have, it’s a must-do. And the secret is, it’s your edge. Your differentiator, your hook in the door.

AI skills are in high-demand right now. Employers aren’t just looking for deep AI tech talent, they want candidates with AI aptitude skills.?Recent data shows two-thirds of business leaders wouldn’t hire someone without AI skills and the majority of business leaders agreed they’d rather hire a less experienced candidate who has AI skills (for instance, Copilot, ChatGPT, Github) than a more experienced candidate who lacked them. You simply can’t afford to ignore AI.

And learning a new skill doesn’t need to be overwhelming. In fact, you probably already have AI skills and don’t even realize it (for example, using AI to craft your next post-interview thank you note.) But how do you school up even more to do things like prompt engineering? LinkedIn Learning has more than 600 AI courses, including 50 AI courses we’ve made free and available through July 8 for learners of all experience levels like What Is Generative AI and Tips for Using ChatGPT for Business .

Once you’ve nailed down some AI skills, remember to add them to your LinkedIn profile. Include examples of how you’ve used AI to help with your job, whether it was to be more productive or more efficient. And don’t forget to include those human skills — think leadership, communication, and flexibility — recruiters and hiring managers are looking for those too.

Take a Deep Breath — And Play the Long Game

You absolutely do NOT need to know what you want your career to be when you start out in the workforce. Most people don’t! For example, I wouldn’t have dreamed about being a career expert when I started out.??

Careers are not linear. It takes many twists and turns and that is actually how you grow —so please, give yourself some grace as one major part of life winds down and another winds up.?

As you kick into gear on your job search, keep an open mind, be ready to adapt, and be curious! Don’t turn your nose up at jobs — or even entire industries — just because it deviates from your major or you haven’t thought about it before. We’re in a skills-based economy now and many of the skills you have can easily transfer to a role you’ve never even thought about. And, if along this journey, you discover you don’t like something, that’s also a good data point for you to have.?

The Party’s Not Over

People love to tell new grads that “the party’s over” now that college has wrapped up and ‘real life’ is beginning. But real life is just as fun and rewarding as college – if not more so! Look at the job hunt as the first adventure of many — because that’s exactly what your career is, a collection of experiences and adventures.

And always remember, do good work once you’re hired. Be proactive and solution-oriented, maintain open lines of communication with your manager, and say yes when opportunities and more responsibilities come your way. Even if an opportunity might seem a little bit outside of your comfort zone, you’d be surprised how much it can help you grow or lead you to a role you didn’t even know existed.

So, dive in! Commit to the job-hunting process, network like it’s your job, interview as much as you can, play the long game, and you’ll land a job.