No Need to Fear: The Life-Hack to Searching for Jobs is Here!

“Rated E for Everyone.”

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**Note: This article is directed towards students in school, however, it can also be applied for non-students as well. I’m sure we have all heard the term “senioritis” back in high school, and, yes, it is very much a real thing, however, much to people’s dismay the only “cure” for senioritis is confidence, motivation, fear (in moderation), and of course knowledge. All seniors in colleges are aware of the pressures of landing a professional job after graduation, however, there is the unspoken fear of how and where to look for jobs after graduation. That is where the knowledge is supposed to come in, but unfortunately, quite a few seniors lack the knowledge of what to do after graduation. A lot of the questions that seniors ask are, “How do I get my life started?” “Where do I look for a job?” “What do I need to impress employers?”

Good news! I’m here to relieve your worries and provide a guide of how and where to look for jobs after graduation, and most importantly what you need for job interviews. I’m sure a lot of people have heard the phrase, “Get Organized!” and though it is not quite easy, it is very much true. Think of organization as a formula: organization+motivation=success. If you are having trouble getting organized, like myself, here are some tips that I recommend:

1. Making a detailed schedule in your planner. List the times and activities you plan to do today. For instance, I have snuggle time with my cat every day at 6 o’clock. Or you can put for 2 hours you are going to search for jobs today. Essentially have a planner that lists your schedule out, and abide by that.
2. Scrum Board! Scrum boards allow you to see the whole picture. Scrum boards are comprised of sticky notes and three columns: To Do, In Progress, and Complete. Then, you move one note at a time to its designated column. This helps with motivation. The idea of a scrum board allows you to complete one task at a time with a level head and eases the overloading fear of how many tasks you have to complete. Plannet+scrumboard= organizational success!

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Now, let’s talk about jobs. Here’s the secret: Go Digital. Plenty of people are aware that we are living in a digital world, however, what they do not realize is that technology is THE place for mass information, i.e. researching jobs, profiles of employees, company history, and most importantly job boards. Here’s what I recommend, make a separate email account, because when you create accounts with job boards, they will literally send you 500+ emails on job openings, which is a good and bad thing in of itself. Mainly good though. Further, in addition to your resume, create a cover letter! Most employers will not look at applications without cover letters.

Cover letters are basically short memos of your accolades, why you are applying to the job, what you have to bring to the table, and how will the company benefit them hiring you. Keep it a page length.

Here are the websites you want to focus on:

1. Handshake: So, I recommend using this platform while you are still in school. The reason is that Handshake is tied to university career services. Handshake takes your student profile (your major) and finds jobs that are relative to your major. You don’t have to scour the internet to find jobs related to your passion! Handshake does it for you.
2. Indeed: Indeed is probably one of the most used platforms to look for jobs. Be careful with scams though. My advice, if the email is not a corporate email, stay away from it. If the opportunity sounds way too good to be true, as in simple tasks with lots of money, again, stay away from it. On the bright side, Indeed sends quite a few emails daily of new job listings that are relative to your search, and the user interface/experience is quite easy. They use “1-click-apply,” and what that is, is basically importing your resume into an online resume.
3. LinkedIn: is the social media for professionals. When looking for jobs a lot of employers will ask for your LinkedIn profile. This will allow them to see who you are connected to, your job history and accolades. If you do not have a LinkedIn profile, I highly suggest you make one.
4. ZipRecruiter: Much like Indeed, ZipRecruiter sends you jobs that their team believes would be a good fit for you.

With all that being said, my biggest advice for you is to keep on applying. No matter how discouraged you are going to be, you need to keep applying. I’ve applied for 500+ jobs in the past month, and though I was depressed, I still kept on applying. All you need is 1 opportunity. Your opportunity will come, trust me, but if you lose out on patience, motivation, and confidence, you will inevitably miss out on your chance. Have faith in yourself that you are qualified and that you will find an opportunity.

Now, let’s talk about resumes. Resumes are a tricky thing. The reason is that you don’t want an extremely long resume, nor an extremely short one. The format I have is this:

Simple and sweet. I recommend having at least the last 3 jobs you worked and take out the rest. No one needs to know you worked in a sketchy tex-mex restaurant at 16. After your experience is listed, make a subheading for your graduation and skills. Definitely put skills that are relative to your major. This will help increase your chances of getting an interview. For instance, my major is professional writing, so that means I am going to put skills that are relative to it, such as research and analysis, editing, SEO content, etc. The key to remember when listing skills is that you need to phrase them in a certain way that employers look for. I’ve done plenty of research in college, so I am going to put research and analysis, or even something like conducting research.

I’ve also made school projects that were similar to writing business proposals and recommendation reports, so I will put in my skills, proposal writer. See what I mean? It’s all about how you market yourself. Get into the mindset of, “Here’s why you want to hire me.” Of course, keep it in moderation. No one likes an overly self-absorbed ass-hole.

Well, there you have it, folks! This should be your guide and reminder of how and where to look for jobs. Remember, sell yourself, have patience, confidence that you already got the job, motivation to keep on applying.