We’re sure you’ve been asked what you want to do after graduation approximately eighty-seven billion times over the past few months, but now is the time to actually decide. At the very least, think about which industries interest you and check out our job guides for each sector.
Remember, this isn’t you signing away the rest of your life. In your career, no one is yelling, “No swapsies”. You might work at your first job for a year or ten before deciding that your true calling is actually being a circus performer. In that case, good on you for going on the journey and knowing when to take a sharp turn. But for now, everyone has to start somewhere and this is your sweet beginning.
If you’re still struggling, you can browse our graduate jobs to see if anything jumps out at you.
If you do have a pretty good idea of the kind of career you’re after, congratulations! It’s now time to think about which jobs you want to apply to. Check whether your target organisations are conducting information sessions or recruitment drives and mark these dates in your calendar. These periods often coincide with graduation season in March.
We don’t mean just ditching the uni jersey and unkempt hair (although, please do that too). Rather, it’s time to clean up your digital profile. That funny pic of you posing in the middle of the night during last year’s SubSki trip is no longer a smart choice if you’re looking to sell yourself online. And make no mistake, your social media profiles are the first thing an interested employer will check.
In fact, as of 2018, the professional network had 562 million total users and 260 million active monthly users. That means that one in every three professionals is on LinkedIn. To employers, your LinkedIn profile is who you are.
Find or take a professional pic of yourself, smiling normally and facing forward. Love it or hate it, looks matter and this is your first chance to make a good impression. Make sure you’re not posing with your friends or pet, avoid party pics, and definitely don’t replace your real self with an avatar. Nobody will hire a mask.
Create an informative and friendly profile description. Even if you haven’t had a lot of work experience, write about who you are, what you’re passionate about, and what you’re looking forward to in your next job. For example, “Looking for a world-beating marketing company that thinks outside of the box” or “Budding coder waiting to make a difference in the blockchain space”.
Finally, complete all of the applicable profile sections about your education, work and volunteering experience. You might also want to look into LinkedIn Groups that are relevant to your prospective career or experience. Add in your skills (these become searchable keywords for prospective employers), connect with classmates and colleagues, and build out your network as much as you can.
For other social media profiles, such as Facebook and Snapchat, make sure your settings are on private unless you want employers seeing what you did last night. Any visible profile information (including your pic) needs to be similarly altered to reflect your job-searching self. Things can be changed back once you’re more comfortable in a position, but while you’re trying for good impressions, it’s always better to be safe.