“Somewhere, someone is looking for exactly what you have to offer”
Job hunting can be one of the most stressful tasks for students. The pressure keeps mounting each time you receive a rejection letter from a prospective employer.
Most students claim that job hunting is the most anxious and tense moments of their lives. Why is this phase so traumatic? What makes job hunting so stressful for students?
Well, while there could be various reasons for this, one of the underlying causes for this stress is the haphazard manner in which students apply for jobs.
12 Amazing Job Seeking Tips and Techniques
Below we have compiled a few job hunting tips for students. Following these guidelines will make it a more organised process.
1. Seek Clarity
The first and foremost principle is to have a clear mind. Ensure you know what type of job you are looking for.
Students often end up taking up jobs that they are not interested in or not their forte. This leads to drudgery at work and consequently unproductiveness.
A survey conducted by Gallup revealed that only about 15% of the worlds working population are actually engaged in their work. This means that 85% of the working population are sadly unhappy with their employment.
You definitely don’t want to end up being a part of this 85% of employees. Especially when you are starting as a fresh graduate with hope in your heart and your mindset to conquer the world.
To avoid ending up hating your job, do your groundwork well. Note down your strengths and weakness and make a list of skills you would like to achieve before you start job hunting.
Make a note of what your priorities are. Are you looking for a job that gives u big bucks? Do you need a job in one particular location only? Do you want a job that encompasses your hobby?
Answering all these questions must be your first step when you start hunting for a job.
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2. Complete Job-Related Courses
While you look for a job, you can also complete a few short courses that you come across. This allows you to keep updating your resume now and then.
It increases your chances of getting the right kind of job. Job hunting for students can be made easier by enhancing your skills.
It is important to enhance your skills. Skills are talents or the ability to do something well. Enhancing or improving your skills will enhance your job prospects.
Skills do not necessarily refer to a tangible skill like drawing or singing. It could mean intangible skills like interpersonal skills, communication skills, and other similar skills.
These can all be termed job hunting skills. It is advisable to brush up on all these skills as it is these skills that will give you an advantage when it comes to applying or seeking a job.
3. Investigate and Explore
One of the best tips for finding a job is to explore all the various options available to you. For this, all you would need is a good internet connection. Browsing the internet is the best way to locate jobs around you.
Most of the companies have their own websites. Company websites have a career column that describes the job profiles available currently in the company.
In case you do not find your profile in a particular column, you can also contact the company through email with your CV. Usually, companies respond to job requests within a week of receipt
Apart from online applications, it is also a good idea to contact companies directly. Usually, the HR department is in charge of recruiting and employing.
Get in touch with the company HR head and ask for the process of applying. HR will guide you through the company’s policies on recruiting.
You can also apply through recruitment agencies. Many of these agencies have contacts with large and small business establishments.
This makes the burden of looking out for a job a little less worrisome for you. However, you can not entirely depend on a recruitment agency to get you a job. You have to do your bit too.
4. Write a Good CV
Writing up a good CV or resume impresses the recruiter. So, do good research on how to write a good CV. Write essential details only.
Resumes are to the point and not big stories about your whole life. Remember to include all your skills and achievements even if it is not required in that job profile.
You never know what the company is looking for. Here are some do’s and don’ts before writing your resume
-Do’s
- Keep it short. Limit your resume to not more than 2 pages. If your interviewer is going to read 100’s of resumes a day, you wouldn’t want to bore him out.
- Update your resume with the smallest of your achievements, skills, and talents.
- Keep it simple. Do not use extravagant and frilly words in your resume. You can use those words in your live interview. However, in your written resume, keep it simple.
- Remember to include the work which you have volunteered for too. Working without pay shows that you are willing to give it your best even without remuneration. This impresses the interviewer and gives the impression that you are a hard worker.
- Don’t forget to enter all your contact details. Write down all the numbers and addresses through which you can be contacted. Email, phone, mobile, Fax, postal address or any other
- Proofread your resume many times before you submit it.
-Dont’s
- Do not use casual email addresses. If you do not have a professional email id, it is advisable to create one. Using casual email id’s or ones which use your pet name in it will not look professional.
- Do not include your downside. Your resume should create a positive picture of you.
- Don’t include irrelevant information about yourself. Remember this is a resume for a job and not your wedding proposal. Do not include information like height and weight. They are totally irrelevant when applying for a job.
5. Create a Network
One of the best job seeking tips for students is to expand your network right from your college days. Create contacts and acquaintances very early on.
When you network with people, you expand your contacts and thereby your chances of landing a good job. Sometimes you may even land a job through word of mouth.
You might not even have to go through the whole process of job hunting if you have a good network of contacts.
6. Work on Your References
Another job hunting tip for students is to start an early construction of your references. Working for the college automatically builds a good reference.
Colleges and universities have several student jobs like administration, student-teacher council among others. These jobs help you to build references for your future.
7. Part-Time Jobs/ Voluntary Jobs and Internships
Doing part-time jobs however small it is, is an advantage. Even if your part-time job is not related to your academic choice, it gives you a career boost.
A part-time job on your resume shows the interviewer that you are capable of handling many tasks. It shows that your good at organising your work and making the best use of available resources.
Internships during your college period are very important. Sometimes, if you are good enough, the company at which you intern will itself absorb you. So, internships are very useful for students.
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8. Job Fairs
Attending job fairs is one of the best job hunting tips. These career fairs come to your town now and then. You have direct contact with the recruiters in such career fairs.
Visit the different stalls and take note of what they are looking for. Find out the application process and follow it up.
9. Campus Placements
Campus placements involve an examination process. Remember to write the exams for all the companies that come to your college.
Taking up these exams also gives you an idea of what the companies actually want from fresh graduates. You may or may not make it to the final stage of the recruitment process, but it’s a good idea to give it a shot.
10. Confidence Is the Key
One of the best tips to find a job is to find it with confidence. With confidence, you have won even before you have started.
If you present yourself with confidence then it is possible to do almost anything. A confident look on your face, posture, and gait will automatically impress the interviewer or onlooker.
It is important to be positive and confident. This feeling will reflect in your attitude. Applying for a job with full confidence will go a long way when it comes to career building.
11. The Grand Finale – The Interview
The interview is the final stage of applying for a job. It is the most important part. This is where you can impress the interviewer not only with your credentials but your personality too.
Before you go for an interview it is advisable to practice. You can hold a mock interview for yourself in front of the mirror or ask a friend to interview you. This way you can practice to make yourself perfect. Be prepared with all types of questions.
Questions could range from your job skills, talents, aspirations, and future goals. Remember to answer with full confidence. Be so good that they can’t ignore you.
12. Follow Up
Many times candidates give an interview and expect to get a reply from the company. However, the company may be so overwhelmed with other priorities that your interview status might just pass off as just another day.
So, make sure that you follow up on the results of your interview. You can call the company and ask them to put you through the HR department of the company. The HR department will be able to tell you the status of your interview.
Conclusion
Job hunting may not be a quick process. Landing the right job takes a lot of time. Try not to jump at anything that comes your way.
There is no point in taking up a job that you are ultimately not happy with. Use your time to brush up your skills and finally end up with that perfect job.
Use the above job hunting tips as a guide throughout the process.
“If an opportunity does not knock, build a door.”
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