In today job market, where there are clearly more job hunters than job available, you can’t be lazy. If you need to get a college job you have to be proactive and continually put in the effort to go out there and find one. In other words, a job isn’t going to come to you.
Young adults today who are looking for jobs for college students or for graduates, surely know how to sign up for sites like Snagajob, Monster, and Job.com. They of all people are familiar with the Internet and are comfortable using it to do a variety of things which include getting their resumes online so that the right people can find them. But for this “Internet generation”, they must fight the tendency to be lazy and stop there.
The job hunt can’t end with what you do online. Not in this economy. Several years ago you might have been able to get away with putting your resume online and applying to a few jobs before being accepted but not now. In 2011 and going forward, getting a job usually means having to work hard to get it.
So, what should you be doing after you put your resume online?
1) Networking. Do it online and offline. Connect with as many people and businesses as you can and let them all know you are looking for a job. The more legwork you do on your own, the better chance you will have of meeting someone that has a job for you or knows someone who can help you.
2) Personalize every resume and cover letter you send out. It’s much easier to send your stock resume along with a general cover letter but that is what most other people are doing. You need to set yourself apart and show employers that you are the real deal. The extra effort you put into constructing customized resumes and cover letters tailored for each possible job could make the difference.
3) Double and triple check your spelling and grammar. A mispelled misspelled word or sloppy sentence is not what you want to have at this stage of the game. Given two candidates that are equal, an employer will probably hire the one that didn’t make the mistake(s) on their resume.
4) Look everywhere. If you can’t seem to find a job on campus, look off campus. If you can’t find a job in your college town, start expanding your search. Look for online jobs or freelance opportunities online. Be as creative as you can and think out of the box. Yes, I know that is easier said than done but use this job hunting time to learn about yourself and figure out what you can and can’t do.
Remember, this is probably not going to be the last time in your life you will be looking for a job. Hopefully it will, but the odds say it isn’t. Work hard to learn how to find a job. Some people are definitely better at it than others and generally speaking, those that put in the most effort are the ones that end up being the most successful at finding something.