Job Search for the New College Grad

May is such a great time of the year. The weather is warming here in the Northeast (or at least it should be!), there’s a lot of anticipation for the summer season, and you can expect to see people heading to the beach for some early season beach walks. May also marks the time when our colleges and universities unleash their recently minted college graduates on us.

On a personal note this May is also special because it marks 40 years since I graduated from Bryant University (Smithfield, RI), and began my professional career. Wow! I guess not too much has changed when it comes to getting a job! A big LOL on that one.

Congratulations, and Hello New College Graduates

Welcome to the working world! Not that you haven't had experience in the workforce already. After all, it's been drummed into you that you need to get experience by working during your summers, picking up internships, applying for work-study programs at your college, and maybe even working during your winter break. Some of you have even been paying your dues since high school (yes, I'm thinking of you Natalie Shultis ). With all of this experience you're now ready and that day is here. Welcome to the big leagues!

What Does Job Search Look Like in 2024?

My kids have been out of college for a few years now, but as I recall I don't think we ever had much discussion regarding university-sponsored job search assistance when it came to their own job search (and one graduated during Covid, and kids weren't even on campus). If new college grads never made it down to their Career Services office - no worries. After all, there is plenty of information available online. Right? Out of curiosity I did a Google search (job search for recent college graduates), and I don't know how anyone would find anything useful (too many sponsored listings that are irrelevant). Even though we live in the information age a good old-fashioned organic approach may be the most useful. Since I've been through this job search journey more than a few times (and am currently in one) I wanted to devote space to sharing information that I thought could be helpful. Let's start it off with my “Job Search Seven”. These are a few tips for anyone starting out on their job or career search.

"Job Search Seven" - Tips for The College Grad in search mode

1. Seek out job search networking groups.?As experienced job seekers we know all about these, but I think they're even more valuable to the new college grad job seeker for three reasons:

--> 1. Very few people your age seem to take advantage of them. People love to help young people, and if you present yourself well and can speak intelligently you're going to have people wanting to help you.

--> 2. You might learn about opportunities that your competitors (other college grads) may not be aware of.

--> 3. Where else will you ever find such a diverse group of people that are willing to be helpful that are at all different career levels?

2. Polish your “A” game in speaking to older adults?– This may sound stupid, but when I was speaking with my brother (a business owner of 30+ years) recently he pointed out that some kids seemed to lack basic communication skills in a retail setting. They are representing their employer and the “face” of the business and possibly the first point of contact for the customer. It was frustrating to him that they couldn’t offer the most basic of small talk. It was frustrating to me that their manager didn't coach the kid up and set expectations.

3. Try not to under employ yourself (unless it's part of a strategy) – You may not be able to hold out for the "perfect" position, but make sure whatever position you select will offer some challenges and take you outside of your comfort zone. It seems that changing companies and positions is standard operating procedure these days. If you're able to find a great company that can plot out a career path that makes sense to you - fantastic! Every experience should be one you learn from. Strategically speaking, if working in a certain company or doing a certain job gets you closer to a longer term objective then kudos to you for having that kind of vision.

4. Don’t get frustrated – Easy to say. Job search can be an incredibly maddening process that sucks up a tremendous amount of time and energy. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or right out of school you’re going to be facing rejection. Some of it may relate to your qualifications, but much of it might have to do with the sheer volume of applicants. Seek out others (through networking groups) that may be sharing similar experiences. It's not about "misery loving company" - it's about aligning yourself with positive people that will be there for you during the down times.

5. Model someone – This isn’t to say that you want to copy someone else’s life, but with the access to information you have today you may be able to leverage your university’s alumni network to see if you can identify the steps others before you took and determine if that path might work for you. Graduation is the best opportunity you'll have to take a blank canvas and sketch out your own future.

6. Money's important, but a good first manager might be more important?- If you're perceptive you'll learn as much from a bad manager as you do from a good one. But who wants to go through that? What type of training is offered? Are there mentors? What will the relationship with your boss be like? Ask anyone that has a couple of decades under their belt in the workforce and they can probably tell you about their early days - good and bad, and the influences they had early-on in their career.

7. Don't forget Work/Life Balance?- Something tells me I don't have to mention this to today's generation. However, some of you will eagerly throw yourselves into your new opportunity. On one hand that's commendable. On the other hand seeking out a company and a manager that stresses and promotes a work/life balance is pretty important. Establishing relationships - business and personal is going to be important as well - especially if you have to move away from your base of contacts or your family.

Getting Your Head in the Right Place

Since May is Mental Health Awareness Month I think it's appropriate to spend time focusing on this aspect of the job search as well. In the section above I outlined seven ideas (of what may be an endless number when it comes to job search) that I thought are worth considering when starting out as a new college graduate (but could be used by anyone). In the section below I wanted to devote space to address a couple of the mental aspects you will face from a job seeker perspective.?

Phase 1 - Reality Check - Transition from College Student to Job Seeker

Maybe the graduation parties haven't taken place yet, but at this point once you've graduated, "the party is over". Unless you secured a job before you left campus you are now officially "in transition". This means you're going to have some free time on your hands. You are a full time job seeker now. The good news? Everyone works at some point. The mental aspect of this period in your life is that there's a natural letdown that occurs following graduation and moving back home. Time for Phase 2.

Phase 2 - Where Do I Start? - aka Time to Get my S*!%# together

There is a plethora of information about job search. Whether you visited your career center in college, your local library in your town, spent hours searching online for jobs and career advice, or have been to job search networking meetings you're going to have to make some decisions about how to spend your time, and how much time you can devote to any given activity.

Planning on traveling before you start your search? Taking some time off to decompress after four years? My vote is to do it. You'll have the rest of your life to work. Job search can take weeks/months so take that into account as you're planning any post-graduation trips.

Phase 3 - "Who Am I, and what am I looking for" - a.k.a. 5, 10, 30 Second Elevator Pitch

Nothing can derail you faster than not knowing what you want or not being able to communicate it. Time to develop your (short) story so if you're introduced to professionals you can quickly convey who you are, what your situation is, what you're looking to do, and the kind of assistance you might need from them.

This, of course, assumes that you know who you are and what you're looking for. By the way...there are plenty of 30, 40, 50, and 60 somethings that are still trying to figure out what they're looking for, so don't worry, you're in good company.

Phase 4 - Getting my documents in order - Resume, Cover Letter, Success Stories

As one job search coach said, "There is no Director of Resumes". Meaning, there are lots of people offering advice on the layout and structure of a resume, and everyone seems to have an opinion. Make sure that whatever you end up with is representative of you, and that you know the material on the resume well enough that you can effortlessly tell your story.

Your resumes, cover letters, emailed thank-you notes, handwritten thank-you notes, and success stories (we will leave that one for another day) are all tools of the trade. The key is to utilize the right tools for your situation.

Phase 5 - Where do I start? - Job Search Strategies and Tactics

This may depend a lot on what you just spent the last four years studying. There are a lot of interesting jobs in the market, but in the very beginning there's a good chance you're going to have to spend time, as they say, "paying your dues" - doing basic (grunt) work that is needed by the company, but offers enough "meat on the bones" to keep you engaged and motivates you to do your very best and strive to advance in the organization. Balance the value you place on yourself with the opportunity that you've been offered (meaning - everyone has to start somewhere). As you've seen, jobs and companies are not forever, and mentally speaking, it may be good to start somewhere.

Phase 6 - Generating Activity and Monitoring Performance - Selling a product, and that product is "me"!

For you business types you may be familiar with customer relationship management (CRM) software products that are designed to help salespeople keep track of selling activities and customer communications. You now have a product to sell, and that product is you. It's in your best interest to organize your search so you can stay on top of all of your activities. For some of you more ambitious or analytical types, keeping track of your statistics may offer value - especially if you feel that you're not being as productive as you could be. There's nothing like measuring your activity and then striving to improve on it.

Phase 7 - Evaluating and selecting opportunities - How do I know what job I should take?

Wouldn't it be great if we could look into a crystal ball and be guided to the work we want, to the manager that will coach us, and to a company that pays us well, values our contributions and is concerned about our development? Sign me up! Unfortunately, we're on our own. Use your best judgment, but take input from those closest around you (that you respect). Most importantly, once you decide to do a job, put yourself into it and don't look back with regrets, but look forward to where this job can lead you - or what it can lead you to.

While all of these are not tied directly to mental health, your ability to be in charge of your own search will do wonders for your approach.

That Important First Job Out of College

Closing Time - Every New Beginning Comes From Some Other Beginning's End

I hope you're excited. I'm certainly excited for you. You've made it through three, four, five (or more) years of college, and are ready to join the working world for real (no more internships, camp counselor positions or slicing meat at the supermarket deli). The decisions you make (or don't) will have a bearing on not just where your career, but your life heads. I've been told that many of you are going to have a number of jobs, companies, and maybe even careers in your future. I wish I could be around in 40 years to see how it all turns out for you.

Have a great weekend!

Dave

About David Shultis

For the lion's share of my career I have been a B2B marketing and product management professional. Since I'm on what you might call "the back 9" of my career I'm redirecting my efforts to opportunities that will allow me to do some customer service, some writing, and whatever else an organization needs.

When not in pursuit of my next opportunity you can find me biking in and around New Jersey (or other states), as well as trying to get my walking in with a 15k step goal each day.

Photo(s) of the week.

Last week I shared an east/west route I took over to Pennsylvania. This past Saturday I took a north/south bike ride along the Jersey Shore. I started in Sea Girt and rode all the way north to Sandy Hook, then turned around and rode all the way south to Seaside Park and to the end of Island Beach State Park - then turned around and ended my ride back in Sea Girt.