Ways to Become a Better Candidate for a Post-Grad Job

By Vivian El-Salawy on November 18, 2017

Whether you are graduating sooner or later, the end of your undergraduate career can be a stressful time between balancing schoolwork and job hunting. Perhaps you didn’t take your time in college very seriously, with the “C’s get degrees” mindset, or maybe you are pulling through with a 4.0 GPA.

Either way, there are always ways for you to become a better candidate to earn the post-graduate job of your dreams.

1. Start looking for job openings now

Regardless of how far away your graduation date may be (or for some, how close it may be), it is important to at least be aware of where it is that you would be applying to. If you are staying in your college town, explore the different companies or work places that you could see yourself at and acknowledge their requirements or mission statements.

This will give you the best idea as to what you should be doing now to prepare for that point in your life. Once you can recognize their goals, you can then begin to evaluate your skills and how you need to develop them in order to help achieve said goals.

2. Begin to network in your field

Image via Knox College

College students love to pride themselves on their social lives, whether it’s in their respective Greek organizations, suitemates, mutual friends, and so on. However, it is crucial to begin to network professionally. Many students have a hard time acquiring letters of recommendation because they don’t develop relationships with their professors or teaching assistants. Given that, opportunities are missed as well.

Perhaps your professor has a colleague who is in search of an intern with your qualifications. This is something that you wouldn’t know about unless you took the initiative to reach out to them.

3. Start acting like who you aspire to be

If you want to be a teacher, start acting like a teacher and involve yourself in a classroom. If you want to be a researcher, start looking into research opportunities or participate in research opportunities as a volunteer. Don’t wait until you graduate to become who you want to be, because many of these aspirations take growth, experience, and often times, even making mistakes.

4. Earn some volunteer hours

lionsheartservice.wordpress.com

Something that is often overlooked is volunteering when you aren’t required to volunteer. Many students acquired volunteer hours in high school in order to earn a Bright Futures Scholarship, while others volunteered as requirements for other academic or non-academic organizations.

In college, there is a similar trend, where many students volunteer when they are required to volunteer. Volunteering and serving is something that should be done not only for your self-interest but because you want to help a certain community of those in need. Regardless of whether you are already part of a service organization or not, volunteering is a great way to set yourself apart from those around you, whether it is fundraising as a team or an individual, putting in volunteer hours within the local community, or finding other creative or unique ways to get involved.

But how does this influence you in becoming a better candidate for a post-graduate position? Many universities, including Florida State, use ServScript, where you can log all your volunteer hours and those will be included on your official transcript. Your transcript is an official government document and a permanent record of your academic achievements, which many students often overlook. It is a direct reflection of your college career to future employers, graduate programs, and professional schools.

Being able to document your service on your transcript is something that many employers value, seeing candidates putting in extra time within their day to assist the community, regardless of whether or not it is a requirement.

The ServScript Program identifies four different types of service:

•Direct Service: Providing food for those experiencing homelessness; tutoring

Indirect Service: Fundraising for a nonprofit beneficiary

Research Service: Working in a laboratory that contributes to a needed solution for the community

Advocacy Service: Conducting informational campaigns

5. Find an internship

Image via Binghamton University

Again, this is another one of those things that people only tend to seek it if it is a requirement for their major or on their academic career path. Acquiring an internship is crucial in order for you to gain experience in your field, whether it is paid or unpaid. If you have already completed an internship during a semester of your undergraduate career, do not hesitate in seeking out a second one.

It is one of the best ways to narrow down your field of study and explore your interests, all the while gaining more skills, learning how to communicate properly in a professional setting, and as mentioned previously, networking. Also, many students find permanent jobs with the companies that they intern with.

6. Seek out a fellowship

It sounds strange to follow up a point on finding an internship with seeking out a fellowship, but it is important to understand the difference between the two and how their values may vary.

According to an article by Ron Culp with the Institute for Public Relations, while the terms are used interchangeably, they are indeed different.

“Typically, an internship functions as an exchange of services for experience between the student and the hiring organization. Students are exposed to the real-life dynamics of the workplace while taking advantage of their internships to confirm their career interests and to earn university credit,” Culp said.

Whereas fellowships are generally offered to those at a graduate and post-graduate level. Students use these to augment their academic studies with the experience necessary to succeed in their respective field. Most fellowships are paid, so they are a good way to grow professionally without having to take on additional part-time jobs or student loans. Fellowships can also typically be shorter than internships, however, both are offered as temporary positions.

The above steps to becoming a better candidate for a post-graduate position are of equal importance as your grade point average. Future employers seek out candidates that put in their own personal time into giving back to the community, growing in their respective professional fields, gaining experience, and exploring their interests. The drive of an individual is often the most important quality in any work environment, and there is no better way to demonstrate drive, dedication, and work ethic than through putting yourself out into the real world as an undergraduate student.

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