Editors Note: This blog post is part of Job Action Day 2008, an effort to empower workers and job-seekers to take proactive steps to shore up their job and career outlook. This post is intended for college students, however many of the principles can be applied by almost anyone.
As a senior graduating in May, I’m around many college students looking for a job. From my own experiences and those I’ve gathered from my surroundings, here are some tips on how you can still get your dream job in a really tough job market. In fact, some students graduating in May, with a bachelors in business from a public University, will be making more than $75,000 at a company they love. Here’s how you can do it too:
Apply. An informal, non-probabilistic survey by Career Fire found that only 1 out of every 3 college graduates apply to a company on FORTUNE Magazine’s Top 100 Employers to Work For list. Always apply to the 
company you’ve always wanted to work for or the company that everyone says is great to work for. The worst that could happen is they never call you for an interview. BIG DEAL!
Start your job search now. Some companies, especially the great ones, have heaps of resumes poring in to the database and may take up to 6 months to get back to you after you apply.
Expand geographically. Be open to moving around and don’t worry about the costs, because many companies offer moving assistance. However, do be sure to factor in cost of living differences before making a final decision on job offers.
Save your funds. Having cash on hand means you can go longer without a job, letting you spend the time you need to get the perfect one.
Volunteer. In addition to helping others, volunteering can be a great way to build your network, gain industry experience (look for organizations within your chosen industry!), and add substance to your resume.
Stay focused. A recent CNN article wrote that one college student: “[Applied] to roughly 60 positions in education, administration and social work, “I heard back from maybe three or four,” she said.” Don’t. I can almost bet this woman used a formatted resume that wasn’t tailored to each individual company. Create specific resumes to top companies and jobs and be sure to include keywords from the job description in your objective or skills section of your resume.
Remove typos. Sounds easy enough, but many still have resumes littered with typos. According to one survey, 84% of executives polled said it takes just one or two typographical errors in a resume to remove a candidate from consideration for a job opening*. So, take the time to proofread your resume. Better yet, give it to 5 other people to review or hire us.
Read industry news. Many times I’ve been asked in an interview to comment on recent industry news. Spend 5 minutes a day and read the headlines and summaries and you’ll have a pretty good idea what’s happening.
Write industry news. Even better than reading industry news is writing it. Starting a blog can be a great talking point during an interview, because it shows that you have a genuine interest in the industry and are a self-starter.
Be / do the best. Most importantly, whatever it is you’re doing, make sure it’s to the best of your ability!
Related posts:
- Don’t Sell Yourself Short: Go For The Gold!
- Who Is Hiring?
- Tips for Writing an Awesome Resume
- 100 Best Companies to Work for 2009
- Web 2.0 Tactics for Successful Job Searching
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Being open to moving for a job can change your life. I have moved continents a number of times in the past and it has allowed me to make jumps in my career that otherwise would have taken years to climb on a corporate ladder. I highly recommend it for anyone to try even once, you’ll learn a lot about yourself.
Hi! Great to see you involved with Job Action Day. The only tip I would add here for new college grads “Clean up your Facebook profile” or at least use your privacy settings. HR folks are on there and while they do find some great things that influence them in a good way. They also find some less than desireable stuff too.
Great comments, thanks! I encourage everyone to have the strictest privacy settings on Facebook and to maintain a clean profile. I always like to use the “grandma test.”
i wish to be recieving insight on job seach and getting satfied at work,i realy injoyed your article and am sure it will definately work