Congratulations, you’re about to graduate with your degree and enter the workforce! If you haven’t already secured a post-grad position, don’t stress because it’s not too late. Today we’re sharing our 3 tips to help you land your dream job.
Landing your dream job is attainable. In fact, according to this study, 87% of new college grads have found a position in their desired field. That’s exactly the motivation you need to get out there and secure your dream role now.
Tip 1: Keep These On The Ready
Three very important things you should always keep handy and updated:
- Resume – Always have a general version of this that you can then tailor to fit each job description. You will most likely apply to a lot of positions, so be sure to read and customize your resume to suit the role and company. You want to stand out as the perfect hire for them. If you’re not sure where to start with your resume, then try this helpful guide from Resume Genius.
- Cover letter – Similarly to your resume, you should have a general cover letter that you can customize depending on the company and role you are applying to. This article from Resume Now gives you pointers on how to structure a cover letter, what to include, and templates you can use on your own.
- LinkedIn profile – If you’re not already on LinkedIn, create a profile right away. You will want to list your experience, college education, and internships (if applicable). It’s also a great source for networking which can lead to positions. You can link your LinkedIn profile to your resume for potential interviewers to see more of your experience and education. LinkedIn even has this page dedicated to walking you through creating a good profile.
If you’ve started to craft your resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile but feel a bit stuck, there are writers you can reach out to for assistance. Upwork and Fiverr are both sites that list resume writers, their credentials, and their prices all upfront.
Tip 2: Be Prepared
Being prepared should go without saying, but you’d be surprised at how often it’s overlooked. Here are our suggestions on how you can prepare yourself:
- Do your research. Always! Visit a company’s website, Google for news articles on them, and visit their social media pages and LinkedIn page. Make sure you understand what the company does, what its mission is, and how you can contribute to that.
- Read over frequently asked interview questions. You may think you’re prepared, but can you answer these 40 top interview questions? If you find you’re stuck on how to answer ‘correctly’, that link also provides the best answers you can give as well.
- Have an elevator pitch. You should have an elevator pitch to a potential employer where you speak about your top skills and why they should hire you – all within 30 seconds.
- Keep your interview outfits ready. Seems silly, but it’s actually very important to make that visual first impression. Put together a few looks for interviews (even if on a Zoom interview) and keep them aside. They should always be clean, wrinkle-free, and ready to go. There’s nothing worse than showing up for an interview and not feeling put together.
[Source]
Tip 3: Stay Organized
Finally, our last of the 3 tips to help you land your dream job is to stay organized. Chances are you are applying to countless positions, so you need to track them. We suggest creating a spreadsheet where you can:
- List the name of the company and the date you sent your resume.
- The date you interviewed with them.
- Did you send a ‘thank you’ email after the interview? List this as well!
- Results from the interview (this may include if they passed, asked for another interview, or are waiting to interview more candidates).
The reason to do this spreadsheet is mainly so you’re keeping track of where you stand within each interview process. You do not want to reach back out too soon or forget to follow up altogether. This is the best hub to keep everything in one place.
Good Luck!
Now that you’ve got our 3 tips for landing your dream job, you’re ready to go out and make that a reality. Pull from your resources – mentors, internships, and professional groups you belong to. More than likely, your school provides career counseling as well. Take advantage of all your resources. And when the time comes, walk into the interview with confidence and be clear on why you want the role.
Whether you are seeking employment in NYC, or you are onto your next destination, we hope you find a role that truly makes you happy and checks all the boxes!
