Congratulations you graduate you! You have crossed the stage, grabbed your diploma (cover), flipped your tassel, had your photo taken and did it all without tripping! HOORAY!! You have finished your last paper, submitted your last online assignment and burned (or sold) your last text book. Then, it happens. The dreaded question is asked… ‘What are you going to do now that you are done with school?’ You panic…you haven’t really thought about that yet. You’ve only been thinking about the cake on the table in the back of the room, and how much this gown itches, and how silly you feel with this hat on!
‘Oh no’, you think ‘what am I going to do now???!!!’ Well, the good news is this- you are NOT alone. I am here to continue to guide you to career success; all I ask in return is that you keep us updated on your progress. Just because you are a graduate, doesn’t mean your love affair with Rasmussen has to end. Your Career Services Advisor is still available to assist you as you move forward with your bright future. Today, I am here to give you some Pointers! on what you can do to help yourself along the way.
‘1! We are the Pointers, 2! A little bit louder, 3! We still can’t hear you- 4 more times and 1!....’
I graduated from Center Point-Urbana high school- home of the Stormin’ Pointers. That was a piece of a cheer yelled at every sporting event- are you pumped up or what?! SPIRIT FINGERS!!! YAY!!
Pointer 1! Join an Association or Club. This can be as easy or as difficult as you would like. It can be as easy as joining a ‘Young Professionals’ group that meets once a week for dinner. You could form your own club, become a member of your local Chamber of Commerce, volunteer at the hospital, attend City Council meetings, run for School Board or join the PTA. Do something that will get you in touch with others, primarily those who working in the field that YOU hope to one day be working in also. Even if you don’t happen to be connected with someone who is looking for an Accountant, maybe someone knows someone that is. These are also good people to have as a reference or ask for letters of recommendation from when the time comes.
Pointer 2! NETWORK!!! I can’t stress this enough- it is so important to make a list of all the people you know…and where they work…and who they know…and how they could help you. I bet that if you sat down right now (well, after you finish reading this) and made a list of 10 people in your life you could find at least 1 connection to either a career, or someone who could get you where you want to be. TRY IT!!! Building your network can only help you- try out websites such as LinkedIn or Yahoo!'s new site- Kickstart (still in preview mode). You may also want to try re-vamping your MySpace or Facebook page to showcase your education, skills, abilities, work history. Heck, post your resume on these sites!! I would suggest leaving all contact info out- choose to have people contact you through the site…my guess is you don’t want all 1 million users calling your cell phone. Use these sites as a way to reach out to employers and professionals to find out what is NEW in the field, WHO is hiring, WHERE are the jobs and much more!! Networking is a little like dating…put your best foot forward at all times- even if it is virtually.
Pointer 3! Find a mentor. Who do you view as successful? Who do you think has a great job? Who energizes you to work hard and reach your goals? Connect with an instructor, a parent, a clergy member, a friend, a relative or whomever in your life that you want to model your career after. This may be someone who is a stranger to you right now, perhaps you have only seen them give a speech at an event, or found their profile on LinkedIn. These strangers can turn into mentors…all you have to do is GET CONNECTED! Mentors can give you inside tips (Pointers!) into being successful in your field. They can also get you in touch with others who can guide you to your dream job. Try to find other Rasmussen College graduates who are successfully working in their field- ask them how they made it and follow in their footsteps!
Pointer 4! Interview! Ever heard the saying ‘the more the merrier’? Well- get used to it. The more interviews you can go on, the better you will become at interviewing, and the more chances you’ll have to be offered a position. However, this starts with sending your resume- and sending it A LOT! The more resumes you send, the better chance you have of getting an interview, and the more chances you have at an interview…well we’ve gone down that road before. It’s also important to have realistic expectations for your first few interviews. You may be going on interviews for positions that you feel ‘over-qualified’ for, but it’s still good experience. Let’s face it, you may even have to take a JOB that you feel ‘over-qualified’ for…and experience is experience, it’s better than nothing…and will expand your network!
Pointer 5! Set goals. Searching for a job can often become a full time job. It’s important that you map out your day and set goals for your journey to your new career. Sending out at least 3 resumes a day is a great goal- be sure you keep track of what goals you get accomplished and what else you have to do. Another key in this category is to STAY ORGANIZED! Be sure you keep track of where all those resumes are going- you don’t want to sound too confused with Sally from Office Team calls asking you to come in for an interview. Other goals to set are salary and ‘company’ goals also. How much do you want to make? What kind of company do you want to work for? Just be sure the goals are reasonable and reachable- that’s where you can count on your mentor for some guideance.
I hope you find these pointers helpful as you begin to map out your journey now that you are out of college. Make no mistake- we are all still students, I learn something new every day. For instance, today I learned that Clip Art does not have a photo of a Hot Wing. Who would have guessed?! The more you continue to learn the better off you will be. Learn about yourself along the way, you’ll be surprised how fascinating you really are!
'Stop thinking in terms of limitations and start thinking in terms of possibilities' - Terry Josephson, 20th/21st-century motivational author.