Practical Advice for New Grads
It’s that time of year again—colleges and universities are unleashing thousands of new graduates, many of whom will be entering the workforce. I recently wrote about what Gen Z wants out of their careers. Because college career counseling centers often dispense outdated, impractical, bad advice, I thought it wise to revisit the topic of What New Grads Need to Know. Read on.
Your resume should highlight your skills as they relate to the role. If you were a history major, you likely spent copious time reading, researching, analyzing, and interpreting documents. This is an extremely valuable skill and one that is in short supply. While most hiring managers aren’t going to be interested in your thesis that explores the root causes of medieval feudalism, they will be very interested in someone who can break down complex information and turn it into something digestible.
Your resume should not have an objective statement. This is an old, outdated practice. I don’t care what your career services staff told you, don’t do this.
You need to have a LinkedIn profile. As far as recruiters are concerned, if you are not on LinkedIn, you do not exist.
Research the company before the interview. Obviously, you’re going to want to look at the company’s website, but you can also look at sites such as G2 to check their reviews and understand their competitors. If it’s a public company, take a look at its annual report.
Focus on the employer’s business problem. The interview is not about you; it’s about the hiring company and the issues that it needs to solve. Align your skills and accomplishments with that instead of talking only about yourself.
Prepare for twists and turns. Your career is probably not going to take a linear path. That is why the metaphor of the “career ladder” is outmoded. It’s not a straight line. It will zig and zag throughout the years, and during that time, you will constantly be learning.
Find a mentor. Some companies have formal mentorship programs, but even if you’re at a company that does not offer this, identify someone from whom you can learn. Your mentor needn’t be your boss or even a coworker. A mentor can be someone else in the industry or field. LinkedIn is a great way to uncover and connect with potential mentors.
Be the CEO of your career. You know that no one graduates, goes to work for a company, stays there for 40 years, and retires. That is a vestige of the past. You need to understand that employment is a contract between you and a company to work together as long as it is mutually beneficial. You need to take control of your career and not leave it to your boss or chance.
Prepare for rejection. You are likely to face rejection in your job search. That’s okay. Don’t focus on the rejection; focus on what you’ve learned from the experience. Let’s take, for example, people that work in sales. For these folks, their days are filled with rejection, but when they win, they can win big.
Continue to learn. Many companies talk about continuous learning, but often opportunities for such must be actively pursued. Your continuous learning needn’t be specific to your job, either. Read about, experience, and understand the world around you. I hear hiring managers saying they need people who embrace learning new things. People who constantly explore and gain well-rounded knowledge will always be more marketable than those who simply go with the status quo.
Congratulations, Class of 2022! Go out there and make it happen!