Spring is around the corner, so many students are gearing up for graduation and the post-college job search. Are you in the midst of that job search already? It can be difficult to maintain that excitement and motivation in sending out your resume and cover letter countless times. I know, I’ve been there; I remember my family would tell me “Keep pounding the pavement!” but at times, I’d just want to stay home and sleep instead of mortifying myself with another rejection.
So, let’s look at a few things you could do now to keep going until you land that job:
- Keep track of which companies/positions you have applied to – Important, and definitely will save you when you’re perusing through the same jobs board. I used to save every job posting into a Word document so I’d know which one I had applied to; I also would keep an Excel sheet with the status of the application. Granted, I did this back before Evernote or any other tracking apps were around. However you choose to execute this task, do it in a way that will keep you organized and moving forward.
- Follow up with any outstanding applications with a phone call or an email – Check your list of job applications: are there any where you can contact someone at the company to follow up? Do this a week after you’ve submitted your application or after you’ve had an interview; send a quick note or a quick phone call (depending on the size of the company!) just asking about the status of your application. Be polite and, if the company is a smaller one, you may get a response (and maybe even get priority because the manager will remember your name!). Better to know now and plan your next action right away than left hanging, wondering…
- Make a timeline for yourself and stick to it – This goes along with the tracking tip above; give yourself a concrete timeline to follow so you will stay on-track. Graduating in May/June? Map out your remaining time in classes and figure out which day/week you’d like to have a job confirmed. Write in action steps along the timeline and push yourself to stick with it! If you need extra motivation, get a friend or family member to be in on your timeline and hold you accountable.
- Take a day off from the job search – Yes, do this or you’ll go crazy. Just like with a regular job, you also need time away from your job search! Designate a day each week where you won’t do any job search-related tasks. Go out, have fun with your friends, talk a long walk, etc. Just take that time away from your tasks and it’ll refresh your mind.
- Don’t give up; stay persistent and hopeful. Keep trying! – I’m going to get all philosophical on you here: nothing great comes from doing nothing. So, keep going at your search! It may seem like a long road ahead (and a lot of unknown territory), but, you can and will land a job soon enough. On average, it took me a few months to finally get an interview and a job out of that interview. At times, I did feel like just giving up….but I feel that’s the moment when you really need to push yourself and go.
Hope this list helps in your job search endeavors!