5 Tips to Be a Must-hire Entry-level Job Candidate

Begin a job hunt as early as 6 months before your graduation.

It’s never too early to start hunting for the job you want to pursue after you graduate. The earlier you start your job search, the more prepared you are in working with your future employer. Talk to people in your preferred industry. This will help you learn more about the field and opportunities that they offer. For instance, if you want to work in food industry, you may need to approach people who are currently working in that field and ask for advice in launching and maintaining your career.

Utilize your college’s career.

This is a very useful resource that you can use when you apply for a job in the future. Visit your school’s career services office or schedule for an appointment with a counselor. They can help you find the career you want pursue, associate with industry experts, create effective application materials, practice and prepare for interviews and more.

Participate in Internship programs.

Your experience is a huge factor in employer’s hiring decision. Most employers see internship as the best criteria for hiring entry-level job candidates. Completing your internship will give you more advantage than your classmates who didn’t. Internship makes a student an attractive candidate to employers even before they look at the resume.

As an intern, you can develop your interpersonal skills by interacting with professionals and this is one big opportunity in discovering the field that you want. This will also give you confidence of facing the work world after you graduate.

The bottom line is that internship helps you prepare for your future career. Hence, it is fundamental step in getting hired.

Jot down your professional experiences.

Work experience and extracurricular activities are often undermined by students. Give yourself some credit. Write down all your experiences from working as a librarian to participating in a student government or council. After you’ve done that, classify the ones which you can use for your future career.

Create a “killer” resume.

Competitive job search looks at appearance. By that, I am not referring to your physical looks but to your resume. Of course you need to look presentable in front of your future employers but you also need to put effort on how your resume would look like.

Use a formal email address. Avoid using email addresses like [email protected], [email protected] or [email protected]. Using a professional email address will serve as a headline in your resume.

Specify your target job title. Job titles are employers’ immediate focus on a resume. It will help them identify who you are and what you can do for their company.

Highlight your experiences. From volunteer work to paid jobs, it doesn’t really matter as long as it is relevant to the position which you are applying for.

Lastly, remember the KISS principle. Keep you resume short and simple but has a lot to say. If it exceeds two pages, make sure that it is worth it. Don’t focus on making your resume long but focus on the content. A clear and concise resume is more appealing to employers.

Talk to people in your preferred industry. This will help you learn more about the field and opportunities that they offer.

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