Why is it so hard to get a job after college?

Are you frustrated about your inability to get a job after college? Are you worried that your lack of experience or network is the reason why? If so, you’re not alone. Getting a job after college has become increasingly challenging for young people today. Competition is fierce, and the average student graduates with $30,000 worth of student loan debt. However, this doesn’t have to be such a scary proposition. Getting the right job after graduation is not only possible but also probable with the right preparation. Here are some tips that will help you land the perfect job after college:

Know what you want

Before you start applying for jobs, it’s important that you know what you want. Do you want a career in sales? Marketing? Finance? Or do you want to work in an NGO or non-profit sector? Knowing what you want will help you narrow down your search and target the right jobs. Having a clear idea about what you want will also help you stay focused and improve your chances of getting a job after college. Having a clear idea about what you want will also help you stay focused and improve your chances of getting a job after college.

Make a list of companies you’d love to work for and check their career page weekly to see when a job that fits your skillset pops up. Once you’ve isolated the exact role you’d like to target, begin searching for open positions for that role within the industries and fields you find interesting. This search can be hard however because truthfully there are hundreds of employers that would love to hire you, but it’s incredibly hard to find talent when you’re at the mercy of applying to a company that you have never heard of. How do you even find them? That’s why we created Drafted. Signup to see how we can increase your visibility to employers who’d love to have you onboard.

Network and make connections now

Although it may seem like a cliché, networking is crucial for anyone entering the job market who is looking to get a job after college. As you start applying for jobs, contact your family and friends who are in the business world, and ask them if they can provide you with any recommendations or help you start building your network. By getting your name out there, you increase your chances of getting a job after college and make it easier to find a job. You don’t have to be a part of a large network; even a small network can help you get your foot in the door. Having a strong network will give you an edge over other job seekers after college, which will make it easier to get a job. Consider joining clubs relevant to your target industry, connect with professors teaching on the topics important to your target roles, and make sure to utilize your Alumni network. Most universities do a number of great things for their student in support of their careers, but unfortunately few students know or use them until after graduation. Find all of the resources your university provides you with and consider using as many of those as possible, you’re paying for those programs at the end of the day! Even if you have your resume crafted go to that resume bootcamp, you may get some insights on the top things recruiters will look for.

Be flexible: Be a T-Shaped Professional

Ideally, you want to be a specialist, a person who is truly knowledgeable in one specific field. However, it is becoming increasingly important for college graduates to be flexible and be a generalist known as a T-shaped professional. Being a T-shaped professional means that you are knowledgeable in your field in one specific topic but also have a broad set of transferable skills that make you more valuable to an employer. For example, if you’re majoring in biology and you want to get into the medical field after graduation, you can make yourself more hireable by learning about business and finance as well. This will give you a competitive edge over other graduates and make it easier to get a job after college. If for example you’d like a job in marketing a T-shaped professional would know the basics of email marketing, social media marketing, and copywriting, but the T-shaped professional will be exceptionally proficient in one of those topics. In short you can do everything at a basic level, but you’re amazing at one of those things. Find your thing, but remember to be well rounded since businesses change all of the time and being a capable employee is always more valuable than a one dimensional employee.

Take risks and be bold

If you’re having a hard time finding a job after college, you may want to consider taking a risk and expanding your search. For example, if you want to work in the medical field but you know that competition is stiff, you can expand your search and look at jobs in other related fields. Another example would be if you’d like to be eventually become a product manager, consider joining a team as a product marketing manager who will work closely with the role you like. You’ll get your foot into the company, you’ll get a great idea of what your desired role does, and eventually you’ll be able to take the necessary steps within that company to transition to the role you desire. If it’s tough to find a role you’ll love, finding the roles that surround that will be a great hack to get you started.

Conclusion

Getting the right job after graduation is not an easy task, but it is possible with the right preparations. You can get a job after college by knowing what you want, building connections, being flexible and taking risks. Follow these tips and you will find a job after college much easier.