How I Got Six Job Offers Before I Graduated College
Going to school while navigating the job market is challenging and stressful; however, if you have a game plan and a strategy you can reap the benefits. Approximately five months before I graduated from college, for instance, I received six job offers.
Here are my four tips for becoming a successful job hunter…
- Start Early: Every company follows a slightly different recruitment schedule. Some start as early as July and August, while others begin in May. I created a spreadsheet of companies I was interested in the summer before I graduated. The spreadsheet included a timeline of when I needed to turn in my application, as well as all the components I would need to submit for the application. (I realize I’m writing this in December, so for some companies the recruiting season has already passed, but it’s not too late to get started.)
- Network, Network, Network: Connecting with the right people can make getting an interview or an offer significantly easier. In fact, I networked with someone at almost all the companies where I was offered an interview. Now, many of you are probably reading this and thinking you don’t have a robust network. If you don’t, start building it. Reach out to friends, professors, college alumni, and colleagues. They likely know someone at the company you’re trying to get an interview at. If that doesn’t work, try cold emailing professionals. I’ve found that if you are genuine in your request, people are more than willing to chat, help, and offer advice.
- Quality Over Quantity: Don’t just submit applications left and right to every company. Take time to truly figure out what you want in a future job and career, and only apply to jobs and companies that will help you meet those goals. Furthermore, you should tailor your cover letter and resume to each job you apply to. By doing so, recruiters will be able to understand how your skills and background will match with the job, as well as if you will be a cultural fit for the company.
- Cast a Wide Net: Every year or so, magazines release a list of the best companies to work for. And yes, those companies are amazing and wonderful places to work. That being said, there are also companies that aren’t featured on those lists where you can constantly learn, contribute, and gain a meaningful experience. So, keep your options open.
If you follow these tips, I guarantee you will have great job offers just like I did.
What other tips would you add to my list?
If you have any questions about job hunting, please let me know in the comments and I’ll try to answer!
To stay up-to-date on my posts, click the follow button at the top of this post and follow me on Twitter.
#StudentVoices #JobHunt
Senior Implementation Engineer at InfoEdge India Private Limited
7 年Thanks for ur suggestions.... I m an engineering student(ECE), 7th semester How can I get more information about offcampus drives that are scheduled for the selection process? Can u please suggest the websites that would help me?
Monitoring and Reporting Assistant. IOM
7 年This is so helpful thank you dear
Outside Sales Representative at HOUSTON FREIGHTLINER
7 年My nephew just graduated from Texas A&M, I gave him the same advice.
Preclinical Technologist
7 年I just graduated and I have had a difficult time finding a job opportunity since my experience in my field is still low. this article is quite resourceful and I would love to know the best techniques to network on social media. Thanks
Contract Manager at Internal Revenue Service
7 年I would agree with all the comments this author has stated. However, there is one occassion where quantity is often as important, if not more important, than quality - the federal job. Federal resumes are very thorough and very long. Typically, you have to include everything you did in detail, even if it is not relevant for the job you're applying for, just to meet the requirements for human resources to be able to properly rate you. Leave anything out and you risk not getting a referral. Consequently, quantity with a proper resume is very important if you want to get referrals and interviews to federal jobs. However, the caveat is that you must have a proper quality resume prior to doing quantity, and you should generally include a profile of the most important skills at the top with the job where it is found and ensure you bullet each skill individually for the hiring manager and HR to easily distinguish your skills quickly. This will get you the ratings needed for referrals and the interviews for the jobs. After that, all you can do is wait as the hiring process is typically long at each stage.