I’m always surprised to get a call from a graduate that I haven’t heard from in months only to find out they are not working, have not been working, and haven’t even begun the career search.
“How have you been?”
“Fine thanks.”
“What have you been up to?”
“I took a break from the job hunt after graduation, but now I’m ready to start looking.”
“Did you keep in touch with your intern/extern supervisor?”
“No. I kinda just wanted to give my brain a rest after school.”
“Have you started applying with any of the employers you met with while in school?”
“No.”
“Do you have an idea where you’d like to work?”
“No. I just want a job. Can you help?”
Unfortunately, this conversation is far from infrequent. It doesn’t seem to matter how often I inform my students they need to strike while the iron is hot; inevitably, there are those who feel a 6-month vacation is not going to affect their chances of gainful employment. Even worse, they don’t feel the education they worked so hard for adds enough value to their skill set to obtain a career over a job.
WAKE UP! The country is full of people just looking for a job. We live in a country running short on skilled, educated workers, and you just want a job? Why did you go to college? Why did you spend all that time begging, stealing, and borrowing all that money to obtain your degree? Surely it wasn’t to get just a job?
If you are looking ahead at your graduation within the next 6-12 months, you should already;
- Have a list of employers you want to work for.
- Have a list of contact at those employers.
- Know how your training/education will add value to their organization.
- Have a kick butt resume.
- Have a stellar cover letter.
- 3-5 professional references all lined up.
- Letters of recommendation from your instructors, supervisors, volunteer coordinators, etc.
Last but, by no means, least you must have enthusiasm, ambition, and determination to not quit until you obtain the career you dreamt about when you started your educational journey.
- Don’t take 6-months off. Don’t take 6-minutes off.
- Don’t ignore your resources who are there to help you.
- And by no means, don’t ever underestimate the power of your education.
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
~Nelson Mandella
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