Finally!!!!!! You are a college graduate and all your hard work has paid off and you are looking for your first real job or might already have one. There are 8 Career mistakes we at CollegeOver will want to point out for to avoid so you can avoid them and have a smooth journey in your career. At the end of the 2020-2021 school year, ”colleges and universities awarded 1 million associate degrees, 1.9 bachelor’s degrees, 790,000 master’s degrees and 183,000 doctorate degrees” according to the statistics report of the National Center For Education. While a percentage of these graduates will further their studies, others will start their career immediately. The journey of your career will be very challenging, especially when you make these mistakes
Waiting for your ”Dream Job” before starting your career
Many graduates have made the mistake of waiting for their dream job before they start off their career. ” I am a business school graduate. I cant work as a customer care representative”. ”I have a degree in chemistry. I want to work in a very big chemical research factory and not teach chemistry in some little high school”. You are making a very big mistake. You need to understand that many people don’t find their dream jobs or highest paying jobs on their first try. The first job you have after college is a stepping stone to something better. No one gets to the top without starting from the bottom. James Rice once said ”It’s fine to have an end goal in mind when it comes to your working life. Ambition will surely motivate you”. We at CollegeOver certainly agree. Work your way to the top let your ambition fuel you to get there rather than sitting at home waiting for the application acceptance letter of your dream job to fall on you.
Networking after graduation
It is no news that many job seekers do not start networking while in college and this is a very big mistake. Never compromise or reduce the importance of networking before graduation. According to Elizabeth Venturini the college recruiting manager for SolReliable, ”Some students feel that they have to wait till they graduate till they network for possible internship and jobs.”Everyone is a possible contact. Friends, professors, administrators, public speakers” and she cant be more correct. College graduates who failed to network while still in school have a slim chance to secure employment compared to those who had been networking since their first day in school. Networking after graduation is not what you would want to do as many college graduates have done this and are opportunity they have to start working out things. It is when you network when still in college that you have a greater probability to secure your dream job at the first shot.
Using a resume that does not tell everything about you.
After graduation, take time to draft out a good resume that best describes you and what you bring to the table. Though this might seem time consuming as you will need to include keywords from the dream description but the effort will payoff when you finally start recieving application letters from diffrent angles. But mind you using one resume and cover letter for every job application that comes your way is wrong. We will look at that as a mistake of its own. Laziness results in missed opportunities. Dont be lazy to sit down and draft diffrent resumes and cover letters that best match your qualities. Using ”Cut and nail” resume wont get you anywhere.
Lacking Professionalism:
Lacking professionalism is a very big mistake to make in your career journey. The same way it is expected of you to act as an adult in college, professionalism is what is expected when you graduate. It is very wrong not to practice professionalism before and after securing your job. When we mean professionalism we are talking about understanding communication skills at work, punctuality, regularity, dress code and self conduct especially at meetings. ”No matter how technically brilliant your are, a lack of business and social skills could hold you back from future career opportunities” Venturini said.
Sending bad resumes
As a college graduate you may think sending out your resume and cover letter to 20-30 job applications a day is the right the to do but the truth is you are making a mistake. Take time to tailor your resume and cover letter to the needs of the job. We are not saying you should lie about your credientials. For example; You are a graduate of accounting and you are applying for a job as a sales reprensentative, you wont send the same resume and cover letter as though you are applying to be a company’s finance manager. You will bring details like attentive to detail and good with keeping records of funds to the fore. Dont be a resume machine by sending one resume to diffrent places both online and physically. Be creative and hardworking so you can stand out from the crowd.
Failure to research companies that grant you an interview
This is where most college graduates and job seekers have got it wrong. If you sent out a resume blindly that is you sent out your resume with researching about the company that posted a job vacancy you can correct the mistake by doing research when finally granted an interview. Review the history of the company, find out what exactly they do and their goals and how you can contribute to them. This will further help you to ace your interview.
Failure acknowledge your online presence.
Just about everything is on social media today and recent college graduates and job seekers have never stopped sharing every good bad and ugly moment of their lives online and this is wrong. Every negative picture and comment you put out will come back to haunt you. All pictures posted when in a strip club, bar or in bed with some girl will surely kill your career and here’s why; 68% of hiring managers according to a recent Job survey always look over job applicants’ social media profiles before hiring. 44% percent of employers have guidelines about how they should go about screening job applicants through social media. So CollegeOver advises you to cut down on your social media posts– You would not want to loose a dream job because of a photo you posted or a comment you mad two years ago.
Not paying attention to your Network:
Remember that you have worked yourself out to build a network while in college and make sure you use it when you are out. Online job boards and newspapers don’t necessarily tell the full story for job seekers. Most companies do not advertise job openings, so it is advisable to sometimes rely on Word-Of-Mouth referrals especially when its from your network. Be sure to use your network. Don’t hesitate to tell some one in your network that you are looking for work. Remember, you cant do it alone.
CollegeOver has been able to break down 10 out of the many mistakes college grads as concerns their career. We have given quality career advise, Why don’t you try it out. You have spent time, energy and most importantly money in college. Try to avoid these aforementioned mistakes and you will have a very good career.
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