While researching for this article I came across a lot of information about what to do once you’ve landed your first post college, professional job. Great! So what happens if you don’t have one of those? In fact, what happens if you are not one of the graduating seniors with a 4.0, 3 solid summer internships, and a ton of volunteer hours? What happens to the average student’s career after college? It’s no secret that jobs are harder to find now, and especially difficult if you hadn’t decided exactly what career you want to pursue before you graduated. This, however, is not a time to despair. Jobs are still available if you know where to look and are willing to go a little bit outside of your comfort zone.
Here are six tips to help you get a career after college:
- Broaden your focus. If you happen to be one of the lucky individuals who knows exactly what career you want to pursue, but are unable to break into it at the moment then don’t be afraid to take a job in a different field for a while. If you studied business marketing, but really enjoy going to the theater then volunteer doing promotions or fundraisers for one. If you enjoy being outside, apply for jobs or internships in the national parks.
- Don’t be discouraged by low paying jobs. Choosing a job now does not mean that is what you’ll be doing for the rest of your life or even longer than a year or two. If it’s in a field you find (or think you’ll find) interesting then go for it. The worst that can happen is that you discover that you don’t want to work in that field anymore, and well, that’s something you didn’t know before you started.
- Be willing to re-locate. This is a scary thing for many people, but being willing to move for a job does not mean that you have to go overseas. If, however, you give an employer the idea that you must stay in a certain city, you may be missing a great opportunity. For example, if your family is from Austin, TX, and you are the small town, family-oriented type who wants a job near family, don’t rule out working in cities like Dallas or Houston. The jobs there are more abundant and it’s not a very long drive to mom and dad’s house.
- Look for jobs in other countries. Certainly, the US job situation has affected other countries as well, but it is sometimes easier to get a job overseas. One good example is teaching abroad. Places such as Mexico, Russia, the Czech Republic, China, and Japan have a great need for certified (classes to become a certified TESOL teacher range in length from a weekend to several months) English teachers. Teaching abroad would be a unique experience on your resume that will help later in your US job search.
- Network! This doesn’t mean that you must attend a lot of fancy balls or benefits. Simply talk to people you meet – you never know when or where you may meet someone that will be able to help you later. Going to local job fairs and career fairs are a good idea too, but it’s harder to stand out because of the high volume of job applicants.
- Take a temporary job. If your current resume is a long list of dead end jobs, or you have no work experience then consider going to a temp agency. You can apply for jobs in a field that interests you in order to get related field experience. It’s also a great way to decide whether the industry you thought you wanted to work in is really a good fit for you.
Remember that it’s not at all uncommon for people to have more than one career in their lifetimes. In fact, some studies suggest that Americans will have worked in an average of 5 different careers by retirement age. This chance to travel and be adventurous will probably not come again as the increasing demands of life limit your options (spouse, kid, solid job with upward mobility, etc) so use the hiring hiatus to your advantage and get paid to do something you love when you find your career after college.
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Bethany Stringer is a graduate of Texas A&M University (class of ‘08) and has her B.A. in English Literature with minors in History and Psychology. Writing her first story at the age of 5 (with help from Mom), Bethany still enjoys writing and researching about everything from business and history to travel and fiction. Enamored with languages, she plans to teach English in Russia in 2010 as a CELTA certified teacher. She owned her own business working horses when she was 17, and still loves riding her horse Romeo. Always appreciating a challenge, she loves sea kayaking and prefers Rachmaninov to Bach.
