CREATING YOUR CAREER GAME PLAN
Career services on campus There’s no need to be afraid of approaching your career centre on campus grounds – after all, these centres, especially in universities, boast a wide range of contacts and resources you’ll be able to leverage on. When speaking to your career counsellors on campus, make your aspirations and career goals clear and known so they have a better idea on how to help you. If you’re facing any challenges concerning your job hunt, they’re the best people to turn to for guidance. Some career service centres even offer networking sessions, virtual or otherwise, for graduates to get to know employers, as well as find a mentor. Even if you’re not able to be on campus due to socialdistancing measures, you should be able to at least contact your school’s career service centres via email.
Career fairs
Networking
Whether they’re virtual, on campus or on public grounds, you should go into career fairs with a strategy in mind. Find out which employers are going to be there before the fair itself, and prepare some questions you would like to ask. For physical events, bring copies of your resume to hand out to prospective employers, as well as name cards, if you have any. As for virtual fairs, you’ll still be able to send over a soft-copy of your resume, so make sure it has been prepared and updated. After the event, whether either virtual or in-person, be sure to email your new contacts to establish your connection with them. In the note, include any interesting points of conversation you might have had to help the recruiter remember you out of the many faces they may have met that day. Send your resume across one more time over the email, and add in the links to your online portfolio or LinkedIn profile as well.
Many young jobseekers and graduates profit from networks, both personal and professional, when looking for their first job. It’s not just about what you know – it’s about who you know. So keep in touch with old contacts, make new ones, avoid burning bridges and never turn down a chance to network, whether it’s in a personal setting or a professional one!
Recruitment services Another way to get suitable job offers is to engage recruitment consultation services. Although you’ll have to fork out some cash, you’ll be able to meet up with them for consultations to discuss your professional goals and use their connections to potential employers. Moreover, you can use them as a source of information to prepare for prospective assessments and interviews.
Internships Work placements and internships can lead to full-time positions, especially if you have proved yourself to be a good fit for the company and get along well with your co-workers.
Apply speculatively Writing to prospective employers – even if they’re not advertising vacancies – to enquire about available job positions is known as applying speculatively. This has the potential to show your interest in a company. However, you’ll also need to impress them with your understanding of their field and why you’re exactly what they’re looking for. Even if there’s no available vacancies at that moment, they may keep your file and consider you for suitable job roles in the future.
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