11 Steps to Finding a Job After Graduation: A Definitive Guide

How on earth does anyone get employed when you have to submit applications into the blackhole of job portals?

Maybe I’ll hear back after they invent space travel through wormholes? :’(

I hated the job search process. It made me nervous, sad, and self-conscious.

Thankfully, after months of agony, I made it through the other side, and even got to screen candidates for two positions at my company when they hired again a year later.

Now as an admissions and career counselor, I’ve discovered there is a method to the madness of getting employed, and I’ve compiled a definitive guide for you, fresh college grad, to score a great job.

Let’s get started, shall we?

Step 1: Understand what it’s like for employers

It’s not all rainbows and unicorns for employers either.

Finding good talent costs time and money.

It’s hard to screen dozens, if not hundreds, of faceless candidates to find someone with the right qualifications and character.

Will someone with an impressive resume and strong interview skills actually be hardworking and kind? And after months of effort, if a new employee ends up quitting after a few months, then you need to start the process all over again. Ultimately, organizations just want good talent who will help further their mission.

That’s why most roles are filled through referrals (we’ll talk about this below). It simplifies the process, lowering the time and effort costs.  

When I screened candidates for two open positions at my old company, many applications were duds despite how many we received, and not because the candidates lacked qualifications. Some were overqualified with too high a salary request. Others did not fit our company culture.

In the end, of the 50+ applications I reviewed, only 2-3 candidates matched the unique combo of skills, values, salary target, and education we wanted.

Why is this important to know?

Because being the most qualified is not always the most important thing. Finding a strong FIT for an open position at a company that shares your values can boost you over the edge.  

Somewhere out there is a company that you’re perfect for, and they wants to hire you as much as you want to be hired.

Step 2: Research the heck out of things

Most definitely, you can find a job.

Most people can. That’s why unemployment averages ~6% in the U.S.  

But you’re not looking for just any job.

If you’re reading this guide, you’re likely looking for a job that challenges you to live up to your potential, that aligns with your calling, that entails LONG-term career satisfaction.

To reach your goal—get high-quality positions that set you up for success down the line— research and self-reflection are essential.  

Before you spend too much time and energy on writing applications for a wide-range of jobs, take time to answer these questions in order to construct a targeted search.

1.     What industry do you want to join?

2.     Which organizations or companies interest you?

3.     Do you want to work for a small, medium, or large organization?

4.     What kind of work do you enjoy doing?

5.     What are your ideal roles and how do they evolve? Here’s an example for project management positions.

6.     What is important to you in terms of career growth and satisfaction?

7.     What are average salary ranges for your ideal roles? 

As part of your research process, first Google what you can. Then, reach out to people a few steps ahead of you to learn more.

Knowledge is power. When I graduated from my master’s degree, I felt powerless because I knew so little about the job market.

I thought my university degrees would carry me through, but totally got my butt kicked by the job market’s competitive landscape and my own ignorance.

If I had done further research, I would not only have built greater confidence and negotiated a higher starting salary, but I would have also more intentionally steered my full-time job toward meeting my long-term goals.

Put in the effort to get clear on what you want out of a career five, ten years down the line. Then, deeply research your ideal roles and companies.  

It’ll take some uncertainty out of the process and help you submit higher quality job apps.

Step 3: Master the art of building relationships

Stiff suits and stale chips. That was what came to mind when I thought about networking.

The idea of transactional relationships, of connecting with someone just to call in a favor, seemed inauthentic.

But over the years I came to understand why who you know can be as important as what you know.

Why?

Because the world runs on relationships—families, tribes, entire societies—and trust is a hard-earned currency. You would much more trust a friend of a friend to look after your child than a complete stranger.

Job referrals work the same. You ride on the trust someone else has built with a prospective employer to get in the door. Plus, it’s a much easier process for organizations to hire through a few referrals than to filter hundreds of candidates.  

This might be why over 80% of jobs are filled through networking. Wow!

I’m a baby networker. I feel a bit shy talking to strangers. But through the small steps I’ve taken to meet people in my alumni network and church, I’ve received generous support for hitting my career goals.

People are usually kind and willing to help, if you approach them with gratitude and humility. So don’t miss out on the power of your connections!

Here are a few simple steps you can take.

•   Involve your family and friends in your process. Let them know what kind of positions you want, what companies catch your eye, and ask them if they know anyone you can talk to.

•   Create a LinkedIn profile and add as many contacts as possible. (I’ll go into more details about how to leverage LinkedIn below.)

•   Attend alumni events where you can connect with older folks. It’s nice to talk with peers too but usually their networks aren’t as robust.

•   Ask for 20-minute informational interviews with people who’ve held your target positions or work at your target companies.

Step 4: Make Your LinkedIn Profile KEYWORD-searchable

Around 87% of recruiters regularly use LinkedIn. It makes sense why.

Recruiters have the option of filtering through LinkedIn’s whopping 740 million users to find qualified candidates.

They can search for candidates according to industry, location, skills, and keywords that might appear in users’ profiles. If you’re curious, check out what the search tool looks like.

Here are ways to optimize your profile so you’re found by the right people.

1.     Create a LinkedIn profile, if you don’t already have one, and upload a nice headshot.

2.     Find job posts for your target role and identify keywords in those postings. These could be words that repeat themselves or relevant hard skills. To speed up the process, you could also paste job descriptions into a word cloud generator to find what words pop up most.

3.     Copy over the contents of your most current resume onto LinkedIn.

4.     Tweak the descriptions so that relevant keywords appear in your headline, summary, and job responsibilities descriptions.

5.     Ask friends and colleagues to endorse you for skills relevant to your target job, and to write recommendations which focus on CASE STUDIES and RESULTS.

6.     You also have the option of showing you’re open to work LinkedIn, which could increase your chances of being found by a recruiter.  

Of course, not all recruiters and HR personnel use LinkedIn to scout out candidates. Small companies and nonprofits are also less likely to use recruiters to avoid overhead costs. 

You’re likely have better luck if you belong to one of the top industries represented on LinkedIn.

But even if you do not, optimizing your profile can still be helpful because you never know what opportunities might open up to you. Optimize your profile to increase your chances of being found.

Step 5: Do One-Week Internships

I can be wildly indecisive. All my life, I was never drawn to any particular profession because most everything interested me.

When I graduated from my master’s program, I still was unsure because I had little knowledge of what full-time work could look like.

You don’t know what you don’t know. That’s why research is important—but even then, reading about something is different than actually experiencing it.

That’s why I recommend short internships.

Volunteer your time for a company or nonprofit to get a peak of an organization’s workflow and culture. This is also a great way to forge connections and get your foot in the door.

Step 6: Be Among the First Applicants

 The best way to draw attention to your application is through a referral.

The second best way is to be among the first people to submit an (high-quality) application.

By the time a job post’s two or three weeks old, recruiters and HR managers might have already reached out to multiple potential candidates for interviews.

If they had many qualified applicants, they may have stopped going through applications and settled on the few top candidates that first showed up on their radar. 

Even if you’re the best applicant ever, your resume and cover letter could still get buried and passed over.

Focus on writing HIGH-quality applications to job posts that are less than one week old.

If you submitted materials via email, you could send a follow up note after a week to bump up your file in their inbox.

Of course, you can still apply to old job postings, especially if you think it’s a perfect role for you, but just know that if you don’t hear back it could’ve been because they’re already close to hiring someone.

Step 7: Make your resume RESULTS-ORIENTED

Ah resumes. Can I just say that I love editing resumes? Most people have a lot of room for improvement in their resumes, which is good news because it means their job apps can be upgraded through strategic tweaks.

Some quick tips for how to make your resume shine:  

1.     Personalize your resume to the job description. Use the posting’s language and add in your RESULTS. Many qualified applicants may have had similar roles to you but not all had the same results. Emphasize what you’ve accomplished to stand out.

2.     Use numbers and quantities in your bullets when possible. Numbers are great for adding a professional flourish and they show scale and impact. Think of them as punctuation elements that add clarity.

3.     Avoid vague language, especially in the skills section. Soft skills, like adaptive or quick, are largely unhelpful since anyone can list them. Rather, the skills section should be a place to describe HARD skills—software, languages, technical knowledge.

4.     Simple and clean is king. There are many, many resume templates on the web. Some people use online software to write their resumes. Whatever platform you use, make sure the end result is a readable resume.

Step 8: Add Personality to Your Cover Letter

Apparently a large percentage of recruiters don’t even read cover letters, even if they asked for one. I guess it’s a part of the job process that few people enjoy.

Usually, people use online templates washed of all personality to write cover letters, which they address to “HR Manager” or To “Whom It May Concern.” Others might make the mistake of repeating what’s already stated in their resume or don’t take time to customize each letter.

But alas, many positions require a cover letter. Why? Probably to add an extra filter to deter applications from flooding in.

In any case, writing a good cover letter can only work in your favor. Some tips to give your letter a facelift:

•   Address it to a real person. You can look up who your supervisor or your supervisor’s supervisor might be on LinkedIn. Even if he or she’s not the one screening candidates, you’re showing you cared enough to research the company.

•   Get a strong sense of the company’s culture and values. What do they care about? What kind of people would get along with their team? Then, tell a story that shows how you demonstrate these qualities. 

•   Mention why you want to work for the company and what you would uniquely contribute, beyond being an excellent candidate for the job.

Step 9: Practice Case Studies for Interviews

When I have an interview lined up, I spend hours preparing. I practice questions on flash cards over and over again.

And then, on the big day, I try to look as confident as possible to hide my wide-eyed nerves.  

Most of my interviewers have been kind, however. They just wanted to get a sense of who I was and my background. Some interviewers may even be sympathetic with nervous candidates, because they know you care.

Whether I was nervous  or not, the best predictor for how well I did was how well I prepared. I once had an interview for a project manager role without knowing what project managers do. That totally bit me in the butt.

So, once again, research, research, research! Research the company, research your role, research the people you’ll work with.

And also, practice for interviews. Practice using flash cards, in the mirror, and with friends and family. Especially if you get nervous in interviews, this will build your muscle memory for answering questions with confidence.

Put on your game face to knock your interview out of the park

Here are common categories of interview questions:

1.     Personal: Questions such as “Tell me about yourself” and “What are your strengths and weaknesses?”

2.     Behavioral: Questions that start off with, “Tell me about a time when you…”

3.     Situational: Questions that go, “What you would do if…”

4.     Case Studies: Questions that poses a puzzle for you to solve.

The types of questions you’ll be asked depends on what stage of the interview process you’re in and the position you’re applying for.

After college, I was most confident in answering personal questions (I am the #1 expert in all things Helen) and least prepared for behavioral questions.

Since new graduates lack work experience, it’s important to draw from your classes, summer internships, and club activities for behavioral questions.

Here’s a list of behavioral questions for you to work with.

Remember to implement the STAR method in coming up with answers.

Patrick also used the STAR method

Also be prepared for different types of interviews: 

•   The 30-minute phone screen - You might be most familiar with this interview type. It’s usually the first stage after candidates submit their job applications. Interviewers are likely to ask personal questions like why you want the job.  

•   The supervisor(s) interview - This might happen after the phone screen. You meet with your supervisor or a team of people who will manage you. They’ll dig into your experiences to hear how you handled different situations related to your job responsibilities. You’re likely to be asked behavioral and situational questions here.

•   The peer group interview - If you’re working with a team, they might interview you to ensure you’re a good fit with their culture. Expect personal questions and be prepared for situational and behavioral questions.

•   The Assignment-based Interview - Sometimes this is not an actual interview. You might be asked to make a presentation or edit an essay—whatever is relevant to the job. If you’re applying to a client-facing role, you might do a mock sales call or consultation session.

Step 10: Be in it for the long haul

Just hire me already!!!

Interviews can go on for a while. I went through 5 rounds of interviews for an associate position once. Got alllll the way to the final round and then was rejected.

It can be pretty awful to get denied after the third or fourth round.

That’s why, as you interview, remember to not put all your eggs in one basket. Even if you feel optimistic about a job, continue to scout out your options.

If you land multiple offers, you’ll have negotiating power. And if you don’t get the role, having other employers pursue you will cushion the blow.

Step 11: Send Follow Up Emails

As a rule of thumb, it’s good to send follow up emails after an interview.

That’s all folks!

If you got to the end of this guide, congratulations! Simply being proactive and looking up resources online means you’re on the right path.

Remember there’s a great job out there for you. It’s just a matter of timing and learning how to leverage your strengths, which you’ll get better at the more you practice.

I’m super excited for you and wish you the best!