You just graduated; no more exams, no more assignments, and no more boring lecturers, you are free. Today is the first day of the rest of your life, and if you are like most of your mates you probably haven’t completed one application for a graduate program. Welcome to one of your worst nightmares; the job hunting period.

It is a period of your life that will demoralise you, make you unbearable to live with, and possibly make the idea of eating your own liver look like the best idea since Vegemite. Getting your foot in the door is as hard as ever in a competitive industry. A suitable job may take you months to acquire, and often it will take many rejection letters before you hit the jack pot.

Despite the pain, the trauma, and the feeling of worthlessness you must stay POSITIVE! The more negative you become the more stressed you are. Thankfully there are several ways to improve the job hunting experience and minimise stress.

Be Productive!

Graduates are often met with a no-win situation. For an employer to consider a new graduate for a position, the graduate, you, will need prior experience. However, you need a job before you can gain the needed experience for a specific industry. The following are some ways that you can stay productive during your job hunting period that can also lead to the possibility of a job.

Get your resume proof-read by someone who has a good grasp of English and is well practiced at writing resume. It is extremely important to listen to feedback and to take them that on-board. Sometimes it is all about how you write rather than what you write. Let your former lecturers know that you are looking for a job. This is with the disclaimer that you have kept in contact with them since your graduation and that they remember you with fondness. Often lecturers have some contacts within the industry and they may be able to help you.

Send your resumes to all the major organisations that are in your area of expertise even if they are not advertising a position. More often than not positions are filled before they reach the website or the newspaper. This also assists in creating awareness of you in people’s minds, which can potentially lead to you being offered a job first instead of going through the expensive business of recruitment companies and the newspaper.

Stay Positive

Do not take the rejection letters personally. More often than not it is a question of experience levels and skills matching.

You are not alone, no matter what you think. Call your friends. Ask about their job hunting experience. Most likely it will be full of woe too. Support one another and meet up. Talk about your job hunting experiences to remind each other that you are not alone. It is amazing how sharing can lead to better morale.

And don’t forget the big picture; the first job is always the hardest but once you are in it will be much easier. Remind yourself that it is something you need to go through to get something better. This is when you need to consider the possibility of volunteer work in the industry you are interested in.

In Conclusion

Nothing I have said is a 100% guarantee of you getting your dream job, but it will help in the job-hunting process and will mitigate the stress of finding your first job. So, good luck and remember it will happen, it just takes time.

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