Finding Employment after Graduation
Introduction
Finding Employment after Graduation
All students graduate out of college with high hopes of getting employment relevant to their majors. However due to various factors, some of them immediately find employment in their field of study, some take a considerable amount of time before achieving this while some totally fail and end up being employed in an field different from their major. The paper examines some factors that contribute to success or failure of finding employment in a person’s area of study after graduation.
In recent years there has been increased accessibility of higher education to the middle and the low income classes. This has increased enrollment in colleges and universities and thus the number of students graduating out of these learning institutions. Unfortunately the economy has not grown at such a rate that would employ all these graduates. As a result, there has been high competition in the job market for the few jobs available. Thus high competition is the greatest barrier for fresh graduates from getting employment. Getting employment is therefore a competition and a person must be armed with the right tools to tackle that competition in order to succeed. According to Chiagouris (2011), to win competition in the job market, a person must distinguish himself from the crowd. Successful job seekers excel in making themselves appear distinctive and better than their counterparts. Basically, job hunting involves marketing ones personality as a brand.
A graduate can use several methods to differentiate themselves from others and make himself more attractive to employers. Firstly, employers often require a certain level of skill and experience from a potential employee. Majority of fresh graduates for obvious reasons normally do not have the required skills and experience. To tackle this challenge a graduate would have to volunteer, take the position of an intern even if unpaid or participate in community programs to gather some experience while in college. Secondly, while playing the role of a marketer, a job seeker must make his availability just as a brand, known to potential employers. A graduate thus must connect himself to potential employers. This can be achieved through networking. It is a fact that many people find employment via referrals. Most graduates who land jobs shortly after graduation make their jobless situation known to friends, acquaintances and relatives who in turn refer them to potential employers and thus improving their chances of getting employment.
Thirdly, communication skills and how a person generally presents himself in public especially within the vicinity of a potential employer is key to getting a job. Communication with a potential employer begins with job application letters. In these letters a job seeker should express himself in a distinct manner and with fluency that distinguishes him from the rest of applicants. He should highlight his strengths to the employer to attract more interest and attention. Most job seekers fail in this area by copy pasting application letters from fellow job seekers and from one job application to another thus making their applications look like the rest. Communication skills are also important during interview. An interview candidate should avoid one sentence answers, face the employer while answering questions and appear confident while answering questions. How they carry themselves around the premises otherwise known as people skills is also important. For instance, smart decent dressing, greetings and thanking people could improve one’s image and therefore ones chances of being considered for employment.
Conclusion
To counter competition that is the toughest barrier to getting employment, a graduate should therefore consider gaining necessary skills, interacting and networking with potential employers and improving communication and people skills. These will provide the graduate with a competitive advantage and put him ahead of other job seekers.
References
Chiagouris L. (2011) The Secret to Getting a Job after College: Marketing Tactics to Turn Degrees into Dollars. New York, NY: Brand New World Publishing. Retrieved on April 4, 2014 from;
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