5 Little Things That Will Make a Big Difference In Your Post-Grad Job Hunt

Posted on April 10th, 2009 by admin

I’m happy to publish this guest post from Dan Schawbel, the author of Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success (Kaplan, April 09), and owner of the award winning Personal Branding Blog. 


5 Little Things That Will Make a Big Difference In Your Post-Grad Job Hunt

If you’re a graduate, you’re up against a lot of competition to get an entry-level job.  The NACE reports that there are 22% less jobs for the 2009 graduating class.  Don’t get down on yourself and do not lose hope.  No matter what you read in your daily newspaper, trust me; there are available jobs for you.  The difference is that you need to be creative with your job search and you can’t rely on a single method to obtain a job, or you’ll be at a major disadvantage.  You’ve been told by your parents, college advisers and your friends that applying to jobs through eRecruiting, Monster.com, Careerbuilder.com and corporate websites is the best route to getting a job.  The sad reality is that the chances of you getting a job on these sites are very slim because most of the posted jobs aren’t even available and some don’t exist!   Today, I’m going to reveal five things you need to do to get the job you want post-graduation.

1. Listen to yourself instead of everybody else:  One of the major problems I’ve seen with recent graduates is that they have been brainwashed.  Your parents have convinced you to become a lawyer, accountant or doctor, when you aren’t interested in being any of those three.  You need to take a good look at who you are and decide what you want to do, without having people influence you.  Otherwise, you’ll be at career crossroads, where your current job is making you miserable and it’ll be challenging to reposition yourself.  Write down on a piece of paper your ideal job description and find jobs that match that or start a company around it.  Life is about being happy, not just taking a job for the sake of it.

2. Have a focused job search:  Don’t apply to 1,000 jobs because you’re desperate or you’re really wasting your time.  Instead, narrow your job search to your top three to five companies that you’d actually want to work for.  Then decide the type of job you’d want at those companies and find employees that work there.  You can do that by searching through social networks like LinkedIn and Facebook.  Connect to these employees in a genuine and honest way, asking for more information about what they do.  You’ll have much better results that way.

3. Start a blog:  Even though there are 200 million blogs out there, most graduates don’t have a blog and even some graduates have never read a blog before.  Blogging is a great way to stand out, showcase your abilities and allow employers to get to know you better.  It also helps increase your visibility in search engines and is a great networking device that can help you meet people in the industry you want to be in.

4. Clean up your social networks:  Employers are reviewing your social network profiles as part of the recruitment process, so be smart and review what photos and information you currently have on there.  It’s also important to note that your managers and coworkers will try and friend you on Facebook, so it’s best to set privacy controls.  One in every five hiring managers uses social networks for backgrounds checks and that number isn’t going to decline anytime soon, so take the initiative to maintain a positive presence on your profiles.

5. Network like crazy:  Networking is the single best way for you to get the job you way because people hire people.  Everyone in your world is in your network.  This includes your parents, teachers, friends and all the acquaintances you meet throughout your life.  It’s not just this first degree network, but it’s who they know, etc.  You need to tap everyone in your network after you figure out what you want to do, so they can help you.  Attend networking events, connect with people online and don’t stop networking, even if you get a job.

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13 Responses so far | Have Your Say!

  1. Being an insane fan of Keith as well as Dan Schawbel and his newest book Me 2.0 as well as his personal blog this guest post on Keith's blog is just great! Never Eat Alone & Me 2.0 are some of the best recent college graduate books out, loaded with information. As always your network is your net worth.

    Keith - Are you active on Twitter? I know Ian Ybarra at least has an account; although not very active ATM because he just moved. Cheers!

  2. Great combo of insights. Ferrazzi in the real world and Schawbel in the virtual world. I have been following both people's advice and my job hunt has actually been fun and exciting. Rather than discouraging and motivated by fear. I tell every job-seeker I know about these two authors.

  3. If "there are 200 million blogs out there", how does one stand a chance of standing out, by creating one more?

  4. Great tips !

    For me the most important one is to focus.

    That's where it all starts.

    If you know what you want then everything becomes so much easier: which networking events to go to, which social media to use, which Groups to choose on LinkedIn, who to connect with,...

    Some extra tips: How to REALLY use LinkedIn in 10 slides (http://www.slideshare.net/JanVermeiren/how-to-really-use-linked-in-in-10-slides) and a Mind Map to use LinkedIn to find a new job in 8 steps (http://www.mindmeister.com/19435524)

    Have a great networking day !

    Jan

  5. Isabel Rodrigues says:
    April 13, 2009 at 3:09 am
    Reply

    It's a very good idea to connect people on social networks like LinkedIn before you can dig on a job. I am portuguese and I take this opportunity to refer a very useful internet platform made of portuguese people around the world (and there's a lot of portuguese people around the world - it's in our nature to travel, connect people and have a life of adventures outside our own contry) - The Star Tracker - it's a very good example of the expertise of portuguese to make good connections with the world!
    The most important idea on all the five is, on my point of view, that refer to be you when find a job. It uses a very important argument "Life is about being happy, not just taking a job for the sake of it" - it's so true!
    Isabel R.

  6. #2- I don't think it's realistic to narrow your job search down to your top three to five companies. In this economy, you may be waiting for months until they're actually hiring for new positions. Even then, you may not be qualified for the open positions.

    Your tip about networking with those who are connected to your top choices is a good one. And I agree, I don't think you should just apply to any and every job you can find on the internet. If you open your search up within your field, you'll have a better chance of finding a job, though. You might miss a great opportunity if you're too focused on only your top choices.

  7. I've received many job interviews through monster.com and craigslist. Do not discount them. There are also many other job sites out there and many of those have job opportunities unique to their sites.

  8. I spend a lot of time working with college and early career folks. I've consistently found that there's a lot more help you can get from your network if you get the word out. I wrote some advice on this topic

    Resuscitating Old Contacts to Help Your Job Search
    http://tinyurl.com/dk55lb

    Using Social Media to Create Job Leads
    ttp://tinyurl.com/dy3xt5

    I definitely agree with your point about cleaning up your social networks. It's an easy way to blow yourself up in the recruiting process.

  9. Thanks, I really appreciate your willingness to help out. I will definitely keep you posted!

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  12. Great advice. It seems that these tips can help everyone towards finding a better job!

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