How to Start Your Career After You Graduate

Many recent college graduates are asking, "now what?" This is the tightest job market in years for new graduates, and many are having trouble finding gainful employment, and even more trouble starting their careers. Here are some steps for recent grads to follow.

Know what you want 

Before graduating it is a good idea to know what you want to do, the more specific the better. Sometimes that is not practical, though. It's not uncommon to graduate and find that your plans are unrealistic. It's OK, though, because this is chance at a fresh start. When starting over, think about all the facets of the ideal career. Investigate the most in-demand jobs and the skills and credentials required. The more specific your career goals, the more likely you are to achieve them.

Know what's required 

Now that you know where you want to go, be sure to do your homework to find out what you need to do to get there. What are the credentials and skills required for an entry level position? What requirements should you meet long term? What do you have to do to be considered for a job. For a teaching position, for instance, most employers will not consider you without meeting licensing and credentialing requirements.

Make contacts 

Do you know anyone who works in your target career? If not, start asking around. There is a chance you know someone who knows someone who works in the field. Keep talking to people until you find someone who can give you career advice or point you in the direction of career opportunities. Ask people for information interviews, in which they give you advice about breaking into or advancing in your field.

Work your network 

Once you have several contacts, work your network. Ask people to keep their eyes open for opportunities. If you have developed a strong enough rapport and made a good impression on your contacts, your name should be on the tip of their tongue when asked to recommend someone for an opportunity for which you are qualified.

Make a good impression 

It's also important to make a good impression on anyone interviewing you, prospective coworkers, etc. Submit a professional-looking resume with cover letter. Send thank you letters to anyone you meet in the interview.

Don't give up! 

Keep your spirits up and remind yourself how qualified and deserving of the position you are. If you don't get this one, keep going until you hit the jackpot. If you quit before getting the job, you'll never know if the next one would have been the golden opportunity.

The Most Important Skills for Today's Graduates Starting New Careers

For students graduating from college today, it's no secret that the job market is really tight. Many new graduates are wondering whether the skills they are studying will pay off in job prospects. The good news is that there are still jobs waiting for graduates with the right skills. Even if someone graduates in a major that does not correspond with one of the hotter careers out there, there are certain skills that can make you more marketable. Recent surveys of the best careers for new graduates include a variety of kinds of jobs, but, surprisingly, there are similarities in some of the skills required. Most of today's hottest careers include a combination of technical and "soft skills," also known as people skills. Here are some of the most in-demand skills in each category.

Technical Skills 

Computer and Information Technology skills are still in demand, but not as much as in the past. Also, there is frequently a strong social component to the tasks that will need to be performed. For example, you might need to work with a team to complete your work, or use verbal skills to help a client trouble shoot technical problems. Similarly, several careers involving use of statistics, financial, or legal principles also require you to communicate clearly, listen attentively, solve problems, and work as part of a team. Technical skills are still important, but now it is just as important that you can use them to work well with others.

"Soft Skills" 

Just as technical skills are most useful in combination with other "soft skills," so too are people skills most effective when used in a specific technical background. For example, entry level sales agents for financial services are in demand. In order to be successful at this job, it is necessary to listen and communicate effectively with clients. Great communication skills will not help too much, though, unless you have a thorough understanding of the variety of financial products, how they work, and how they can meet your clients' needs.

Besides communication skills and teamwork, "soft skills" also include problem solving and critical thinking. Imagine that you are working in computer networking. In order to configure the network to meet the unique needs of your client, you will need to be able to solve problems and think "outside of the box." In fact, employers report that the ability to learn quickly and think critically is as important as (or even more important than) specific content knowledge. In other words, you should know how to set up the system and how to troubleshoot if you run into problems.

What Skills Do Graduates Need for Successful IT Jobs?

IT is still a popular field with many in-demand jobs. Many graduates come out of college each year looking for jobs in this field. Most have the technical skills taught in their courses, but many do not know what else is involved in finding and keeping a job in IT. Below are some of the skills IT grads need to be successful.

Specific IT technical skills 

If you are hired as a programmer, you should definitely know popular programming languages and how to learn new languages. If you are a networking specialist, you should understand all that is involved in that and be able to exercise your expertise. These are the skills that you most likely learned in your courses. Now is the time to put them to use.

General technical skills 

other than skills specific to your field, there are general technical skills you might use. For instance, you might need to use Microsoft Word or Excel. You might also need to do basic research on the Internet.

Problem solving/critical thinking 

Along with technical skills, it is extremely important that you are able to solve problems and think critically. It requires the ability to think logically and apply what you have learned to a real world situation. Critical thinking-the ability to think for yourself and "outside the box"-is also important. If you were good at story problems in mathematics, this is a skill you should be able to master. Many times you will be required to use these skills in connection with your technical knowledge. Depending on the nature of your job, in fact, troubleshooting and creatively solving problems may be the main part of your job.

Creativity 

When it comes to thinking "outside the box," it is a good idea to also have the ability to be creative. This doesn't mean that you should disregard the accepted rigors of your profession. Sometimes there is only one way to do something. However, there are parts of just about every job that can benefit from some creativity. In IT, that usually translates to the "out of the box" thinking referred to earlier.

Plays well with others 

One thing just about every job has in common is people. You have coworkers, supervisors, customers, clients, patients, students, or some combination of them. In jobs where you work predominantly with others (technical trainers, support specialists, etc.), it is pretty obvious that you need to be able to work well with other people. Along with intangibles such as attitude, the ability to work well with others is critically important to just about every job, even in IT!

Graduates: Polish These Skills to Take Advantage of Job Vacancies

If you are like many recent college graduates, you might still be looking for a job. Once you do find job vacancies that interest you, how can you be sure you have the advantage on all the other recent graduates looking for entry-level opportunities? Below are skills you should have to be successful when trying to fill job vacancies.

Content (know your stuff)

It is important to know the jargon and big ideas of the field in which the vacancy is located. For example, if you want to work in retail, you might need to know terms such as "shrinkage." You might also need to specifics about the products you sell. As another example, vacancies that require a business degree will anticipate tat you understand basic business principles.

Technical skills

Regardless of the field you are in, you will need certain technical skills. For instance, understanding typical software packages, such as Microsoft Word and Excel, is usually a basic job requirement. Job candidates might also need to do basic research on the Internet. Beyond that, you might need to use software applications appropriate to your career field. Web designers, for instance, need to use graphic design and Web development tools. You might also be called on to troubleshoot if you or a coworker can't get something to work.

Problem solving/critical thinking

Speaking of troubleshooting, a very important skill is the ability to solve problems. It requires the ability to think logically and apply what you have learned to a real world situation. Critical thinking-the ability to think for yourself and "outside the box"-is also important. If you were good at story problems in mathematics, this is a skill you should be able to master.

Creativity

When it comes to thinking "outside the box," it is a good idea to also have the ability to be creative. This doesn't mean that you should disregard the accepted rules of your profession. Creativity is not desirable in all situations: accountants should avoid being too creative, for example! However, there are parts of just about every job that benefit from some creativity.

Plays well with others

One thing just about every job has in common is people. You have coworkers, supervisors, customers, clients, patients, students, or some combination of them. In jobs where you work predominantly with others (teachers, sales people, etc.), it is pretty obvious that you need to be able to work well with other people.

In other professions, it's not as obvious, but just as important. Think of a doctor without a good bedside manner and imagine how much more successful she might be with better people skills!