By Ryan Park11 Things To Do After Graduating College
image credit: flickr
What they never told you about the “real” world: important things to do after graduating college.
Congratulations, the year has ended and so has life in college—don’t be afraid, we’ve got your back. The mixed emotions of celebration and panic are common when graduating. Yet if you do these 11 things after college, transitioning into the real world and finding a job might be a little easier; I wish they told me this:
1. Define Your Goals – Stop. Before you do anything, write down your short-term and long term objectives. Putting something in writing helps you visualize your objective and will help you take the next step whether it’s pursuing a Master Degree Online or applying for an internship.
2. Network With The Right People – In college, you learn to network. Unfortunately, few people focus on meeting the right people. After defining your goals, it’s important to connect with people that will help you accomplish them:
- Get on the phone and schedule informational interviews.
- Attend trade-related meetups.
- Intern. Demonstrate value, be present, and remember that the internship isn’t the end, but the means to a career.
3. Beggars Can’t Be Choosers – Everyone wants the “dream job”, but DO NOT let a good job disappear because you are waiting for the perfect fit. If you are one of the lucky individuals to receive a job offer, take it. There are countless amounts of people that are just waiting to take the “good job” away from you – in any economy, take the job and pursue your dream job when you have something to leverage.
4. Be Positive –I’ve hired more individuals for their positive attitude than any other technical reason. As a fledgling/newbie in the business realm, you are expected to have limited skills—this magnifies the importance of being personable and positive in everything you do.
5. Read – While you are expected to have less skill than most people in the business realm, there is no excuse for a lack of knowledge. Find out what business leaders in your industry are reading and mimic them. Cliché? Perhaps. But knowledge is power.
6. Listen & Connect – In interviews and most business circumstances, the opposition will tell you everything that you need to know. Listen to them, hear their needs (as subtle as it may be) and connect with them. The ability to listen and connect is golden.
7. Never Underestimate Your Social Networks – Be yourself, but stay classy.
- Clean up your Facebook photos—nobody worth your time will hire you if your cover photo features you chugging a Keystone Light.
- Build your networks—social currency is a huge asset to any company. Be that asset.
- Job hunting has never been easier. Here comes the shameless plug, but we sincerely mean it: Use The Creative Ham’s advertising job board, or use Twitter to look for jobs.
8. Be Prepared to Fail.
9. Fail Harder – Your failures don’t define you. Your response to failure does. Bounce back from your failures, try harder and work smarter. Ultimately, fail harder in life and be better the next time around.
10. Stop Acting Entitled – You will not get anywhere in life simply because you think you deserve it—earn it. Unfortunately, our generation has the stigma of being incredibly entitled, but this is a good thing for you. While the rest of your friends are ‘taking 6 months off to clear their heads’, work hard. Your actions are a direct testament of your thoughts; if you work harder than everyone else, the right people will notice you.
11. Be Patient – This is the most sophisticated of all career skills. I get it: if you’re fresh out of college or in the early stages of your career, you are hungry to make your mark on this world. Hold on to that passion, but don’t let it cloud your judgement. Sit down, map out your career goals, and actively pursue opportunities that help you achieve those goals; All the while, be patient and present when distractions arise and stay the course.
