Congratulations You're A Grownup! Now What?!?

So you're graduating from college, old enough to drink, smoke, and and fight for your country. Congratulations!! You're now entering the workforce, possibly for the first time ever. So what the hell are you supposed to do now?!

Step 1: Create a resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile.

• Make sure this is reviewed by someone else and free of spelling and grammatical errors
• Post your resume to the job boards: CareerBuilder, Monster, Indeed, ZipRecruiter, etc.

 


Step 2: Get a Wardrobe!

• Whether you were the best dressed in school or liked to experiment with fun and crazy styles, Corporate America wants a specific look.  You can still keep your individuality and style, but in most cases it needs to be toned down or made a little more conservative.
• Natural make-up and hair color is preferred. Cover up your tattoos for the interview

Step 3: Network!

• Stay in touch with your classmates, professionals, and other people you've met in college, they can be excellent resources for you down the road. 
• Attend local organizations' chapter meetings as a guest, see if it's of value for you and if it is, join!

Step 4: Accept Internships or Entry Level Roles

• You have to get your experience somewhere, and most jobs want 1+ year of experience.  
• The best thing you can do is intern while you're still in school.  If it's too late for that, look for paid internships and entry level positions, a lot of companies offer room for advancement if you prove yourself.

Step 5: Be Realistic

• So you graduated from college along with millions of other students nationwide.  You are not alone, so stay positive, accept that you're probably going to get a few rejections, and be realistic about money.  
• Unless you are a computer programmer, you are not going to make $60k+ right out of college.  You have to work up to that.