Graduating from college is a lot of hard work, but a great investment in your future. Unfortunately, most graduates don’t quite know what to expect. Most universities offer career guidance counseling and some job search resources, but that shouldn’t be your only plan. Ultimately your job search is your responsibility, and yours alone. But where do you begin?
As the Chief Public Servant and Policy Officer at MOS.com, Alexander Djerassi has always been a firm believer in preparing young people to find the right college and pay for their education. He also recommends spending a lot of focused time online learning about the career opportunities in their field, and making sure their resume lands on the right desk at all the top companies. Here are a few of the websites that he specifically recommends:
Indeed
Indeed is currently the most popular job search website in the world, and has over 250 million unique visitors every month. Using the site is as simple as filling out your experience to automatically generate a resume in a matter of seconds. Many employers will direct applicants to their own website to apply for jobs, but there are also thousands of jobs available that you can apply for with a single mouse click. Obviously, the competition will be stiff for the most desirable jobs; some jobs on Indeed receive hundreds of applications almost as soon as they are posted. But there are a number of different resources available to help you customize your profile, and lots of assessments that you can take to demonstrate required skills for the job listing.
LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network with 740 million members in over 200 countries, and operates as a career-focused social media platform. You can connect with professionals in your field and others, and follow employers and business leaders on a timeline. People in your network can endorse you for skills, and write personal and professional reference letters for you. Alexander Djerassi knows that these days, job fairs and networking events can often offer little real value for job seekers. Many employers prefer not to meet prospective employees at a cocktail party or hold interviews in a curtained off booth, and often only send a few low level employees to maintain appearances. With LinkedIn, employers can get to know you in a more relaxed and organic setting, and check your references at a glance.
Specialty Search Engines
Indeed and LinkedIn are currently the most popular job search websites, and both offer the ability to save several active searches for openings. But some professional organizations and unions have different websites of their own. And even though “informational interviews” are more or less a thing of the past, a quick phone call or email to the human resources department at the companies you’re interested in can also be helpful. Just be sure that you’re not asking them a question that’s already answered on their website!