What is a job opportunity after college? Is it a job posting on Monster.com or on your school career services site? I would consider these all job possibilities, not opportunities. There is a chance or a small possibility that you may get a job with the company you want in the position you love, but the odds are slim to none. You may have an excellent resume, a phenomenal cover letter, and the answer to every interview question in the book, but what you don’t have are serious job opportunities after college because of all of this. There are several reasons why the odds are completely against you when you are applying for a position blindfolded, which is when you don’t know anyone in the company and/or have never worked or interned with the company.
The reasons are obvious, but people try to put them to the side while looking for job opportunities after college. Let me divulge.
Your buddies (your competition) dad works for the company- Come time for the first round of interviews, this guy will get one, which is one less spot for you. Your chances have declined.
Another one of your classmates just met a high level executive for this organization at a networking event last week- One more spot gone, wow this is getting ugly, but how many people could actually have connections like this? Way more than you think
The slacker in your Finance class has a fraternity brother who interned with this company last summer, due to his brothers internship the year before that. He knows exactly what the recruiters are looking for in a candidate.- That is not fair! Um…yes it is. This person is playing the game and you are sitting on the bench waiting for people to hand you a job opportunities after college on a silver platter, via a web site that everyone in the college uses.
Unfortunately, this is the reality of the situation. Most of my buddies who had a full-time job offer after college either interned with that company the year before or knew someone who knew somebody in the company. These people had legitimate job opportunities. Okay, so it is now the time in your life to create these opportunities out of thin air. Here are some helpful hints on how to create meaningful job opportunities after college and the recurring theme will be networking.
Talk to as many people as you can about your dreams or goals- Talk to your parents friends, your friends parents, your teachers, the guy your playing golf with on Saturday, chances are these people will know somebody who could help you out. Be careful though; do not come across like you are using them. Just let them know what you want accomplish and if they think they can help you out, they will bring it up.
Use your schools alumni network- Alumni love to help out people from their school, so contact the alumni association and ask them if they know of anyone in the field that you are shooting for. Contact them and ask them if you could pick their brain and ask them some questions about their career path. Do not ask for a job.
Everyone you meet is a potential job opportunity in disguise; if you can distinguish the opportunities from the possibilities you will be able to increase the chances of working in a field you are truly passionate about. Get into the game and start creating your job opportunities after college today.
