Easy Goals for Employment

Take charge of things that you can do right now, implement actions that can be done consistently during the upcoming weeks, and focus on a few end-stage goals and you should find yourself feeling empowered, not endangered, as you head towards your future career.

What to do now:

1. Create or refresh your LinkedIn Profile to maximize your ability to tell your story and showcase your skills. As a part of that, you can also ask for recommendations on LinkedIn from recent supervisors.
2. Attend virtual events on Handshake, where listed positions are targeted to recent and upcoming graduates. It helps eliminate sifting through positions that require more experience than you have.
3. Create and share content relevant to your field to increase your visibility, and develop your skills and abilities, especially if they are regularly sought after in your field but not necessarily in your desired position; becoming a master at Microsoft Excel, learning to build a webpage, or developing social media savvy can set you apart as you apply for jobs.

What to be doing consistently:

1. Connect with college alums in your field and increase your knowledge by asking for informational interviews with veteran employees. The “Alumni” tab on your college LinkedIn page is an underutilized tool for networking!
2. Follow companies that you’re interested in and participate in their company culture by liking, sharing, and commenting on articles and posts that are relevant to your field; it shows that you’re active and eager to learn and support their goals and missions.
3. Seek out internships, even informal ones, that bolster your experience, put you in the path of your preferred employers, and allow you to stretch your skills.

What to do long term:

1. Consider opportunities in industries that you may not have thought of before by looking for openings that fit your skills, not your degree. New jobs and revised expectations are happening in every field, and your skillset might be the perfect fit for a novel position in a field you didn’t think was right for you.
2. Leverage the connections that you’ve made in order to increase your chances of making it to the first round of interviews, and utilize a unique resume for each position. 
3. Don’t discount a job because it’s lower-level than you’d like; if it’s in the right company and the right industry, there could be opportunities for growth.