Finding a professional job after college doesn’t have to be stressful if you take a systematic approach, according to Micheala Bojorquez-Ford and Patricia Turnbull, two expert job search professors at the Craig School of Business at Fresno State. Bojorquez-Ford and Turnbull offer these tips for a successful job search.
1. Recognize that finding a job can take time.
Michaela Bojorquez-Ford
Michaela Bojorquez-Ford: Typically, it takes six to eight months of job searching to secure a full-time position related to your college major. You have to stay organized and work to find a job. You should spend about 40 hours a week researching companies and submitting applications.
If you plan to graduate next year, now is the time to start planning your job search for a professional job after graduation. If you’ve just graduated and are looking for a job, don’t be discouraged if it takes time to find the right job – be persistent and work consistently on your job search.
2. Plan for a long-term career, not a short-term job.
patricia turnbull: You want to find a place where you can learn and grow, not just a job. Once you graduate, you’ll look suspicious if you don’t hold a job for at least a year or more. That doesn’t mean you have to stay in a job where you’ll be miserable, but it does mean you should do your research, so you don’t take a job where you’ll be miserable.
3. Network, network, network.
patricia turnbull
Turnbull: The best way to maximize recruitment is to get involved in clubs, organizations, and internships. Talk to your classmates. Talk to your teachers. Go to meetings and speaker events. After meeting with someone, contact them with a simple email and your resume.
Connecting with fellow Fresno State alumni is a great networking icebreaker. You’d be surprised how much people want to help other people and Fresno State alumni are fantastic people who want to help their fellow Bulldogs.
4. Research companies before applying.
Turnbull: The more research you do, the better you’ll know if a company is right for you. I encourage using LinkedIn, CareerBuilder, and Indeed to search for jobs. Find out if this is the type of company you want to work for. Check salaries. Be careful not to believe everything you read online. But take a look as a starting point.
5. Make use of campus career resources, even after graduation.
Bojorquez-Ford: The Fresno State Career Development Center offers one-on-one career counseling to help with résumés, interview skills, networking, and career skills, and is available to both current and alumni, no matter how long you’ve been in school. he graduated.
6. Personalize your resume to make an immediate impression.
Turnbull: Statistically, a resume will be looked at for 7.5 seconds. If the spacing, font size, and overall appearance aren’t appealing, it can be quickly discarded. Customize your resume for each job you apply for and be sure to mention that you have the skills the job posting asks for, as long as it’s real.
7. You have more experience than you think.
Bojorquez-Ford: It’s a classic dilemma: you can’t get a job without experience, but how are you supposed to get experience without a job? But every job and volunteer position you’ve ever had, no matter how humble, has taught you skills that can translate into professional experience you can put on your resume.
Student positions on campus are great ways to develop professional skills. Volunteering for student clubs, nonprofits, and other organizations, especially if you take on a leadership role, teaches you many professional skills. And while it may not be a formal experience, it could be enough to get an employer excited about you.
Turnbull: Your resume should emphasize hard skills, such as computer applications and social media platforms, and sales experience. Don’t waste valuable real estate on your resume with soft skills as a hard-working, dependable team player. Every professional should have those skills.
8. You are interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you.
Turnbull: Once you get an interview, take every opportunity to sell yourself to a potential employer. Dress to impress at the first interview. You only get one chance to make a first impression, so make the best of it. Do your homework. Research the company and learn about trends in the industry.
At the same time, the interview is an opportunity for you to ask employers questions and make sure the job is right for you. Arrive at the interview a little early (10-15 minutes) to sit down and observe the work structure and corporate culture. Do the employees walk like you? Do you see yourself fitting in? It is just as important for you to interview the company as it is for them to interview you.
And watch out for red flags that could mean the company isn’t a good fit for you. Ask at the interview how long the average employee stays with the company in the position you’re interviewing for. If it’s less than a year, I’d be suspicious. If the average employee tenure is three to five years or more, that says something about the company and that the company invests in its employees and vice versa.
Source: www.fresnostatenews.com