10 Career Advice Tips for Recent College Grads

In 2014 21,000,000 students graduated from college. That number is increasing every year. More and more students are eager to work that have college degrees and there is more competition every year.

Are you looking for a little job advice for recent graduates?

If you experience any of these fears:

• You’re eager to put your new college degree to use but don’t have your perfect job lined up.
• You’re worried that you may have a lack of experience.
• You’re unsure of what industry you should be in.
• You’ve never been interviewed and aren’t sure how to prepare.

Do not worry. Everyone worries about this situation after graduation, and I have some career advice for you.

Here are 10 business tips for recent college graduates that will help you choose a career path that is right for you, and land that job out of college that you really want.

1) Don’t Let the World Decide Your Path

Sit down and make a list and a plan of your ideal situation. Ask yourself:

• What kind of work that you really enjoy doing?
• If you weren’t getting paid what kind of work would you enjoy doing?
• What activities in your past have been responsible for your success?

Making a plan will help put you on the right path to getting a great job.

2) Informational Interviewing

Before an interview, do research on the company and overall industry you are interviewing for. When you have your interview, you will be able to tell the interviewer about the industry and ask questions such as:

“Where do you see this industry going in the next 3 to 5 years?”

The more questions you ask, and the more you control the interview.

Don’t think of the interview as applying for a job. Think of it as doing an investigation to see if the company or even the industry is right for you. Sometimes you will find that you don’t care for either. What you really want from a first interview is information.

This information includes:

• Information on what you will be doing.
• Information on the company and company culture.
• Information on the industry and the industries main competitors.

Research the Company Fully Before Your Interview 

When you have an interview you must do extensive research on a company. For a one-hour interview, you should do 3 hours of research into the company.

When your do research for your interview, look at these things:

• Who will be interviewing you?
• The company’s website.
• The industry the company is in.
• It’s main competitors.
• The products they sell.
• The company culture.

Find out as much as you possibly can about the company before your interview. You will be able to ask pertinent questions about the business, the industry and the people and get much more out of the initial interview.

3) Choose Your Boss With Care

Make sure that you are comfortable with and like your boss. Your boss will have an influence on your pleasure, enjoyment and success in your career more than anyone else.

4) Ask For More Responsibilities

When you finish a task at your new job, don’t sit on your hands and wait for someone to give you a new task. Ask for more responsibility.

What happens when you ask for more responsibility:

• Your boss grows to trust that if there is a job that needs to be done you can do it.
• The more responsibility you ask for, the more you will be rewarded.

Here is a video that recaps my first 4 points, as well as tells a story about how asking for more responsibility, broke my career wide open.

5) Choose Something You Love Over Money

This is a time where you are able to really get to know yourself and find what you love to do.

This may be a hard thing to think about in the short run, especially if finding a job is hard.

But think about this:

Would you rather end up in a career that you hate or be doing something that you truly love for the rest of your life?

Here is a great infographic from The Undercover Recruiter on choosing a career that is right for you.

6) Check These Career Websites for Leads on Getting a Job in Your Field

There are hundreds of career websites that you can use to look for jobs. I’ve included a few here:

• LinkedIn
• Indeed
• Simply Hired
• Monster
• Craigslist

You can read more in this Forbes blog article “The 10 Best Websites for Your Career.”

7) Your Education Never Ends

Don’t worry, this is a good thing . . .

You will always be learning new things, reading new books and developing yourself to be the very best version of you. You will be trained in new facets of a position and gain expertise and knowledge.

Be open to this change.

8) Use Social Media for Networking

There are always opportunities to network:

Social media websites such as LinkedIn make it easier that before to get in touch with professionals in your field. Many companies who are hiring actively seek out young professionals on LinkedIn. Ensure that you have an updated resume and skills list posted on your profile.

Use Facebook to network with your peers from college. Perhaps they also know someone in an industry you would like to work in.

9) What Microsoft, Hulu and Julep Executives Have to Say

“The ability to learn quickly and adapt quickly is critical no matter what role you’re going in for.” –Julie Green, VP of Digital at Julep

A panel of tech executives at Western University’s Leadership forum discussed career advice for recent grads. Read more about what they said from this blog here.

10) Stay Positive

Always think positively.

Remember these two tips for when you interview:

1. Your interview starts in the parking lot.
2. Your interview ends when you leave the building.

Even if you are having trouble in the interview process, always keep a positive outlook.

Preparation, experience, and a positive attitude will eventually lead you to the perfect job for you.

Thank you for reading this blog on job advice for recent graduates. If you have any great advice please share it in the comments below.

10 Career Advice Tips for Recent College Grads is a post from: Brian Tracy's Blog