Confessions of a Fresh Graduate

I took a well deserved break for two weeks, I went to the beach, went out with my friends that I neglected when I was cramming to graduate. I’m ready to begin the new chapter of my life and start my job hunting.

I decided to start looking for jobs on the Internet, so I registered to an online job search site. As I scanned through the job listings, I get a bit frustrated because most vacancy requires a job experience or a very impressive academic statistics. So I ended up taking a job that is less of what I’ve imagined. I feel that Im under employed though I cant really complain because I dont have an impressive academic background to boot.

Earning your degree will allow you to be qualified for vast career options. Notice that I used the word “career?? not job because we often view job as a work done to pay your bills, etc and you should aim for building a career not just having a job.

As a fresh graduate, you will be looking for your first job and most of the time you would end up doing work that you never imagined or studied in college. But you don’t need to press the panic button just yet. As a newbie in the employment or “real?? world, you need to open yourself to these possibilities which can certainly be translated into a learning experience.

Reality check, your college degree is not enough to prepare you for the obstacles in starting your career, you need to be equipped with the proper mindset to succeed and maintain a level of sanity.

Here are the things that you should keep in mind that you should learn from your first job experience:

There’s no better place to learn being responsible that on the workplace. Its either you beat the deadline and meet the requirements or you lose your job.

You would learn the value of accomplishment, the satisfaction that you gain when your hard work paid off.

You should choose your first job well and do it with dignity and commitment, so at the end of the day you will feel self-respect.

We know that most employers would want to hire applicants with job experience but here are some tips to be competitive in the job market.

1. Work on your resume. You should keep it short, concise and highlight your strengths.
2. Be updated with what’s happening in the job community, the company and position that you are applying for.
3. Prepare for the interview
4. Have the right attitude because it is the more important that skills, money, education, etc. It is an asset that can bring you to places.
5.Be willing to work for the experience sake even if its not your dream job.

Once you have your first job, keep in mind that the lessons that you will learn will be transferable to other parts of your life.