Job Search Tips for the Class of 2023 (and other recent grads)

As the Class of 2023 celebrates their big milestone of graduating from college, they face a competitive job market. In this article I wrote for the May issue of the?Career Experts Group’s?Your Career > Your Future?newsletter, I offer a variety of strategies that new grads can take to increase their chances of finding a job and set themselves apart from the competition. You can access the May newsletter, and all previous issues,?here.?

Job Search Tips for the Class of 2023 (and other recent grads)

By Elyse Pipitone

According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, college graduates of the Class of 2023 will face a more competitive job market as employers continue to issue layoffs or hiring freezes, and those impacted workers return to the job search. However, there are a number of steps that new and recent grads can take to increase their chances of landing a good job.?

1. Don’t wait until the end of the summer to start your search.?Sure, you deserve a break after all of your years of study. But by being proactive in the summer months, you can get an edge over other new grads competing for the same jobs. See our April 2023 issue’s “Ask the Experts” column April 2023 Your Career Your Future (careerexpertsgroup.com) for more details.

2. Use proper email and phone etiquette. How you present yourself on email and the phone can make a lasting first impression with hiring managers.?

• If you don’t already have a professional email address – something like “[email protected]” – create one specifically for your job search.?If you have a college/university email, please note that the address may not be available to you indefinitely, since you are no longer a student.?
• Check your email regularly, including your Spam or Junk folder. Some employers may email you to schedule an interview. in the email message, they may provide a list of time slots for you to select from or a scheduling link for you to use.?
• Make sure your phone has a professional outgoing phone message that includes your name. If a hiring manager hears your phone system’s default message (which is your phone number read by an automated voice), they may not leave a message because they are unsure they are calling the right person.
• Remember to check your voicemail. Most employers will not text you, and if they call you to schedule an interview and you don’t answer, they will leave a message. Listen to your messages in totality to ensure you have all of the information you need to return the call – including the direct phone number of the person calling you.

Important: the number that shows up on your phone display is usually NOT the number of the person calling you; it’s most likely the company’s main number or switchboard. If you call that number and say, “Someone from this number just called me,” the person answering most likely won’t know who called you or be able to redirect the call.

3. Clean up your social media presence. A 2020 recruitment survey by The Manifest found that 90% of employers review the social media accounts of job candidates. Of those, 79% have eliminated candidates after finding inappropriate content on social media. Check your social media accounts for photos of where you are partying a bit too hard or engaging in illegal or controversial activity. You also want to delete posts containing hate speech or negative content about a former or current employer. Read our June 2022 article, "What Does Your Digital Footprint Say About You?” for more tips.

4. Prepare your references.?Once you have started the interview process, employers will often request a list of references. These should consist of people you have worked with professionally at an internship, work study position, or summer job. A reference can be a college professor, especially if you worked on a project or research study together, or a family for whom you babysat. You can also use colleagues from volunteer and community service activities.?

Make sure you have the most current and preferred contact information for these references – and that each of them will check their voicemail and email regularly and return reference requests promptly.

5. Network.?Let people know you’re looking for work. Some of the most effective networking can be done with people you already know: college faculty, current and former employers, neighbors, and even your friends and relatives.?

• Any of the weddings, BBQs, and other social events and family gatherings you attend this summer can be an ideal time to connect and network. These relaxed events offer great opportunities to let people know you are looking for a job.
• ?The summer is also the perfect time to request an informational interview to investigate a company, position, or career path. Because offices are quieter during the summer, professionals may have less meetings and looser deadlines – meaning more time (and more energy) to talk to you about their career and the corporate culture.

?6. Take advantage of your college’s services for alumni. Most college alumni relations departments offer a directory of their graduates, including current employers and contact information, so you can network, request an informational interview, and get job leads. Additionally, most colleges have a career services department that serves alumni as well as current students. Embrace your college pride and reach out to your school for career assistance – these are free services available to you, after years of tuition and future student loans.

7. Add class projects, leadership, and volunteer activities to your resume. As a recent graduate, you may not have a lot of work experience. Your college activities, including research and presentations, are a great way to add impact to your resume. You can also create a personal portfolio website or GitHub account to highlight your creative and tech projects so that a prospective employer can view your accomplishments.?

Similarly, if you held leadership positions for a particular class club, group, or activity, include those responsibilities. Don’t forget that your volunteer and community service projects also count as experience and should be added to your resume. These can be activities you became involved in through your college (or high school), your house of worship, or a local organization.

8.?Consider enrolling with temp agencies. Also known as staffing or recruitment agencies, temporary agencies offer employment options for those who are looking for income while seeking their ideal job. Sometimes positions can be “temp to perm,” but even those that don’t result in permanent employment can help you gain work experience, learn new skills, and acquire professional networking connections.?

Temping allows you to test the waters before diving head-first into a new environment or role that may be much different than you expected. It also might result in the discovery of a career path or company you had never considered.?

For many more tips and resources for your job search, check out Career Experts Group’s extensive video library here: Videos | Mysite (careerexpertsgroup.com)

Each month, the "Your Career > Your Future"?newsletter provides information on the latest hiring trends and best practices to help you find your next job or grow in your career. You can access all editions of the newsletter?here.?Don't miss our "Elevate Your Career with an Expert" subscriber raffle. Every quarter, one active subscriber will win a complimentary career-related service from one of our Career Experts.?Subscribe by clicking?here.??

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