After you graduate from college or university, you may be completely overwhelmed by the decisions that you have to make in terms of your career, and many people have no idea how to get started. Before you graduate, your education might have been all-consuming, and this means that many people step out of college or university with no plan of how they are going to get the career of their dreams. So then, here is a guide to the best steps that you can take to kickstart your career after you leave your education.
Take an Online Degree
Although you might want to break from attending college and university, many people find that they do not have the specific qualifications they need for their dream job after they leave university. They may also decide that they want to prolong going out into the world of work due to trouble finding a perfect job position. Then, if you would like to return to education without having to suspend your life for any longer, you should consider taking an online degree, especially if your idea of what career you want to do has changed since you originally applied for your course. Online courses, such as an online Master’s in Data Science from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, can be taken from home alongside your job and can be applied for even if you have not obtained a relevant degree beforehand.
Consider Self Employment
It can be difficult to find a job straight after you leave college or university, especially if you do not have the relevant experience and expertise that companies are looking for. So then, if you are nearly ready to give up scouring job boards for your perfect role, you should think about whether self-employment might be right for you. Self-employment, whether this is starting up your own business or deciding to go freelance, can be a great opportunity for young people who have just left college and university. This is because being self-employed or going freelancecan give you the chance to build up your experience on your own terms, without having to rely on an employer to offer you the opportunity that you need to boost your resume. Once you have been self-employed for some time, it can then often be easier to find employment in your chosen industry.
Get Online
A lot of career opportunities now, though, are based online. This means that, as soon as you leave education, you should get online. For instance, you might consider creating a LinkedIn profile for yourself that you can use to showcase your victories and connect with other professionals. In addition to this, you can also build our network online by creating a professional social media account and by joining online networking groups. As well as this, you also need to consider designing a website for yourself. This website might contain a blog where you can write about your industry and exemplify your knowledge to employers or a digital portfolio to which you can provide a link on your resume.
Look for Graduate Schemes
When you have just left college or university, you will be eligible for more opportunities than you will ever get throughout your career again. Graduate schemes are usually only open to recent graduates or under 25s and can help you take those first steps on your career ladder without checking job boards daily. In addition, graduate schemes often combine working with training and study to prepare you for a job in your industry by ensuring that you have all of the experience and expertise that you need. These usually last for a year or more, and you might even be able to obtain a permanent position within the same company. However, if you cannot find a graduate scheme that works for you, there is no need to despair, and there are many other ways to open the right doors to your future career.
Shadow Others
When you have just graduated, you will have to start at the very bottom of the career ladder. This means that you should consider shadowing others before you even think about applying for job roles. Shadowing others will allow you to get a better insight into the role that you want to perform in the future and how the business that you are interested in working for is run.
Work on Your Own Projects
It can be easy to work on your own projects when you are trying to juggle work and study. However, potential employers will often be much more interested in the projects that you have completed off your own back than those that you finished obtaining a degree or qualification. So then, you should try to gain the relevant experience that you need by working on your own projects in your spare time. This will also enable you to have evidence of your skills to show your employers and exemplify the type of work you might be able to do for them.
Contact Businesses
Most recent graduates decide to start their careers by looking for jobs on job websites and in office windows. However, while this can be an effective way of finding a job, you should also consider contacting businesses directly. This will help you get ahead of your competition and find out more about job opportunities that are less well advertised. Not only this but contacting businesses directly will show that you are motivated and can give you a chance to make a lasting impression on your potential employers. Some employers might also decide to keep you in mind, even if they do not have any job openings, which could lead to the boost that your career needs in the future. Then, you should think about the businesses that you are most interested in working for and look for their contact details on their website. If there are particular businesses you are interested in, be sure to go to conferences that they are attending and be sure to network with the right people.