College graduation is an exciting time for graduates. If you’re looking for a new job after college in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, here is your quick-start guide to getting it right:
- Look further than your college’s career services office. Career services is a great resource – but they’re not the only one out there. Use them as only one tool in your job search toolkit.
- Sign up for “Job Hunting 101.” Commit to at least one hour a day checking job boards (such as CareerBuilder or ZipRecruiter), writing resumes and cover letters or learning about new employers. Bonus: You don’t have to pay tuition for this one!
- Change up your search methods. Do something a little differently every day. For instance, walk down to Career Services on Monday. On Tuesday, read your recruiter’s job postings. On Wednesday, find out about upcoming job fairs…and so on.
- Develop the habit of developing your network. Twice a month connect with people who can help you find a job. Drop by a professor’s office hours, talk to people at current or past jobs, chat with individuals you meet during volunteer work and so on. Tip: Online networking is more popular than ever. Post on Facebook or LinkedIn that you’re currently in the job market!
- Highlight your accomplishments. Listing skills you have or topics you studied on your resume doesn’t demonstrate how you use them. Instead, highlight one or two major accomplishments and talk about the skills you developed to achieve them.
- Focus on your soft skills. As a recent graduate, you may be short on experience. But college also teaches time management, organization, communication, teamwork and many other skills employers highly value. Focus on how you developed these skills during your college years to help sell yourself as an ideal candidate.
- Polish your LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn can help you showcase your best work and stand out to potential employers. Make sure your profile is complete, including a professional photograph and short professional bio.
- Work while you search. Your recruiter can help you find temporary or contract work in your field to help you gain experience, check out potential employers and spend time on your “dream job” search. And you get paid to do it!
- Talk to a recruiter. Staffing firms are not just for established professionals. They can also help entry-level college grads, like yourself, find jobs with great companies. Choose an experienced recruitment firm who specializes in the industry and the city where you’d like to work.
At Burnett’s Staffing, we’re confident in our recruiter’s ability to help you make the transition from college graduate to working professional— We’ve been helping entry-level job seekers find the best employment opportunities since 1966. Contact us today, for more information!
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