Being a student you dream of a successful career after school. You study hard and complete your units in hopes of making it big someday. You dream of coming to work in a big company and receiving a nice amount of paycheck. All of that is in your list of goals after graduation, and then Graduation Day comes.
It was an exciting event. You are beaming, all dressed and happy. You march towards your school officials, shake their hands, and receive your degree. And after all is said and done you are filled with hope, but you don’t know where to start.
Job hunting is both a science and an art. The science of job hunting is the process by which new graduates commonly follow. It usually comes from a book or the internet where there is a wealth of information.
And then there is also the art of job hunting. This is the time you get creative. This is the time you explore beyond the norm and think out of the box. However, you don’t want to appear wild and obnoxious. You just want to appeal to the emotions of your target company.
Put the science and the art together and you will be off to a good start. Here are tips that you can use to jumpstart your job hunting:
#1 Arm Your Resume
Your resume presents key facts about your professional experience, educational background, and your skills. But you are a student who is looking for a first job so the professional experience part is not necessary. So it will be important to present key facts that will highlight achievements and accomplishments as a student.
And note that the words “achievements” and “accomplishments” are considered power words that can make an impact in your job hunting. Some examples of power words you can use in highlighting your time in school are:
- Led a team of 5 on a Class Project
- Increased the class average grade in Science by 5% after leading a daily group study.
- Passed Trigonometry with the highest average score in the past 3 semesters.
The list may go on, but your goal is to draw the attention of your Hiring Manager on these facts. Remember that your Hiring Manager may be flooded with resumes every day. So you only have 1 to 2 minutes of their attention span. So make sure you highlight the best information about your college life and make them all count.
#2 Invest On Yourself
Investment is defined as “An asset that is created with the intention of making a large profit”. And in this case, you are the asset. So it is important to create yourself with the intention of getting that job and making money. The large money part may not happen yet, but that should be the end goal.
The first step is to look good in your resume photo and during your scheduled interview. Spend some money on a pair of professional clothes and shoes or a nice suit. This is also known as “Dressed to Impress” and you want to make that first impression to count. You want to present yourself as a company asset. Someone who can represent the company to the best of them. So likewise, that should not be considered as an expense but an investment.
A good haircut for men is advised. While something like high-quality permanent makeup will add glamour to a woman’s facial features. Remember that a presentation of yourself leaves a first impression. And it is always a good first impression that lasts. It is also a sign of responsibility and discipline. So by looking good you are subtly communicating that they are about to get a prize catch.
#3 Sell Yourself
Now you are sitting across the table from your Hiring Manager. You are anxious, not knowing what to expect. You are nervous and you feel chills down your spine. Suddenly, the Hiring Manager “dropped the bomb” and asked, “Tell us about yourself?” Suddenly this became the hardest question to answer.
To answer that question you may have the tendency to go on and on. You began to talk about your life, your experiences, your likes, and your dislikes. Suddenly you get lost in irrelevant information. But it is important to remember that this is a sale. You want to get hired. And in the process, you want to set the foundation for a relationship with your employer.
It is important to keep your response short and sweet. Go straight to the point and bring everything back to the employer. A rough structure is to start with your name, where you came from. Then say your school and your college degree. Then tell him your best skill and what you can offer the company. After saying all these you can end your response by saying “…that is why I am the best fit for your company.” And that is how you close the deal and get “the sale”.
The start of your professional journey is your formative years. You may be a graduate from school, but you will never graduate from life. And there is so much to learn from job hunting. Don’t stop learning and treat every day as an adventure.
