Four Job Search Tips for Graduating College Seniors

[This guest post is contributed by Alisa Gilbert, who writes on the topics of bachelors degree. She welcomes your comments: alisagilbert599@gmail.com.]

When setting out on your job search, you should understand that you’re going to face a lot of obstacles that will try to keep you from getting what you want after you graduate. You’ll have distraction to deal with on a daily basis. Maybe you’ll be working a part-time job late at night that makes you tired in the mornings. You’ll also be facing a relatively weak economy and an unforgiving job market.

But there’s a way to get around these obstacles, and that’s to be always optimistic regarding your job search once you’re done with college. Do everything you can to keep up an optimistic outlook. Make yourself feel like you’re working to find a job. The busier you are, the better your chances at finding a job. Only then can you take comfort in the fact that you’re doing everything possible to land that next interview.

Set Goals

As you think about your job search, try to come up with a list of goals that you’d like to accomplish, with the ultimate goal being to find a job, obviously. Ask yourself this: how many applications do I have to send out each week to feel like I’m doing good work towards achieving that goal? What do I have to do each day to make that a reality? These specific goals will guide your job search.

Create a Routine

Making a list of goals means, though, that you’ve got some work ahead of you. A good way to manage the workload is to try to treat your job search like a real job. By that, I mean that you should create a routine: wake up early, put on work-appropriate clothes, and start your day with your first series of tasks. Take a lunch break, and then get back to work through the afternoon. Once you’re done at 5 ‘o clock, you can relax knowing you’ve done a good day’s work towards finding a job.

Organize Your Tasks

Within your routine, you should establish a standard workflow. For example, in the mornings you could focus on seeking out new job postings, examining those postings, and filing them to work on later. In the afternoons, you could write and revise job application letters. If you have a specific workflow that you can follow, it will help you stay focused on achieving your goal of sending out so many applications each week.

Keep Yourself Accountable

Finally, you’ll have to find a way to keep yourself accountable for meeting your goals. There’s no better way to do this than to be on a tight budget, one that requires you to find an income in six months or less. However, you might still consider finding other methods of keeping yourself accountable. You could ask a close friend or family member to check in on you each week. He or she could ask you about job leads, the number of applications you sent out, and anything else you’ve done towards finding a new job. This is a great way to involve your friends and family members in the process, which could lead to their eventually helping you find job.