Job Hunting Tips for the Will-Be Grads

May 5th, 2008 by Luke | in Getting a Job, career with No Comments

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In case you missed it, Jeremy over at Generation X Finance wrote a post today full of job hunting tips for the new college grad (how fitting, right?). It’s definitely a great read (as most of the stuff at Gen X Finance is) worth the time it takes to check it out. He breaks the job hunting tips down into three super categories:

1. Experience Matters:

Those with real-world work experience in their field will have a significant edge over those without such experience. If you have done any work in your field while in school, either through an internship, summer job, or work-study program, this will be a great asset.

2. Start Early and Plan Ahead

Even if your friends and classmates haven’t begun searching for jobs yet, don’t delay. You’ll want to begin looking for opportunities as soon as possible. Not only will this give you a head-start, but it may provide flexibility. Getting an early start will put you in the position of being able to turn down jobs without the potential you’re looking for and holding out for a job with more promise.

3. Networking

Networking is one of the most powerful methods of finding a great job. Make a list of your contacts and how they might be able to help you. Talk to people who are working in the field you’re interested in and in the companies you’d like to work for. Don’t limit yourself to newspaper help wanted ads or online job postings. This is where it can be a good idea to begin building a LinkedIn profile so that you can begin to network with others in your field. There are also a lot of recruiters and HR personnel who use the service to find talent.

Definitely all good things to think about - especially as graduation looms (and thus so do millions of recent grads across the country descending on an ever-tightening job market). For more tips, check out the rest of Jeremy’s post here or read some of the “getting a job” tips & tricks we’ve covered here at Real World Really.