What should new graduates do to stand out in the job market?

Hi new grads.  As you know, it’s a very different world and much leaner job market than it has been for the last several decades.  Companies are doing more with less people, so they are rethinking how they hire employees.  The best places to work out there want to know that you are innately “cut out for” the job, which means that your winning edge will be to show that you eat, sleep and drink the field of expertise you’re applying for. 

Whether you’re using the cover letter strategy to land a job or carefully creating and courting a network of friends in your field of choice, demonstrate that you’re a “natural” at the kind of work you want to do by giving specific examples of personal projects you’ve done to practice and build on what you’ve learned in school, or how you’ve sought out a mentor to expand or enrich your field of study. 

The key is to communicate that you’re genuinely into the kind of work you’re seeking.  Show that you are walking the walk by how you have already been “being” what you want to do.  For instance, if you want to work for a company that builds websites, do you have a portfolio of websites or blogs that you’ve have designed for friends?

How can new graduates with limited work experience break in?

Today, a college degree is a lot more common; college name brand and grade point average carry less weight.  Although you may have worked hard to graduate and feel proud of your accomplishments, it’s important to recognize that no one owes you anything and you’ll save yourself from a lot of disappointment. In fact, I think the best way to think of your degree is that it’s icing on the cake, and that what you’re really selling is your natural ability, personality and your attitude.  When a company hires you, they are making a commitment that has long-term, substantial costs and consequences on their part.  They are making an investment in you, so they want to know that you are personally excited about what they do.  If you don’t have much formal work experience, find a way to connect the dots to highlight your informal and personal life experiences. 

As you build your network and meet people informally (informational interviews with potential employers), talk about one or two specific and pertinent examples from your major life choices, lifelong interests, or hobbies and passions, with the goal of showing how your innate talents and ideals align with the prospective company’s projects and contributions to the world.  The book “Outliers” tells the story of how Bill Gates began programming computers while he was in high school.  By the time he dropped out of college he already had 10,000 hours of coding under his belt—just for the fun of it!  This is what I mean by verb your career, that you’re already being and doing “what you are” above and beyond (or even instead of) your formal education.   

What if new grads aren’t sure about their career goals?

At least two-thirds of college grads aren’t clear about what they’re best at, let alone have clear career goals.  Within ten years of your graduation, the majority of your graduating class will have moved on to something other than what they studied in college.  Even more telling, at least half of my career change clients hold a master’s degree (e.g., JD, MBA, MPH, etc) that doesn’t fit their natural talents or inspire them.  The bottom line—most of us are choosing college majors and career fields before we’re ready.   This is no one’s fault.  It’s just the way the system works. 

Is it possible to sell yourself if you don’t fully know what you’re best at or exactly where you want to go with your career?  Frankly, this is why writing cover letters feels like “faking it” to college grads and even many mid-career professionals; it’s like asking someone to marry you on a blind date.  If you don’t know what you really want, it’s going to be challenging to convince others you’ve got what it takes to do the job.  It’s hard to fake authenticity and real enthusiasm.

If you’re unsure of what you want in a career, welcome to the human race.  Give yourself a break and allow for some time to explore before you formally apply for jobs.  Launching a career is a several year project.  Your first job probably won’t be perfect, and it’s highly likely that your second or third job hop will still leave you feeling off course without a true destination in mind.

So, if you’re sitting in a cube somewhere and wondering where you went wrong, take a deep breath and relax.  At least 70% of all people with a college degree are in the same boat (although most won’t admit it).  Now is the time to discover what you’re into and enjoy doing, even if it means starting over in a new field.

Try this:  Create a fun project to meet people in careers that you’re considering, take them out for a coffee and a casual chat to get an insider’s scoop on things.  Find a mentor, make friends in the field you’re curious about, take a class, read important books, devour the NY Times every weekend to scope out the state of the world, start a blog to solve a problem or make a difference.   It’s all about finding ways to “be” the career without concerns for making money right now.  As you gain clarity about what you’re good at and most want, you’ll be ready to communicate your career goals from a genuine, confident space.

Need help deciding what to do with your life? 

Check out Now What?  The Young Person’s Guide to Choosing the Perfect Career, by Nicholas Lore and Anthony Spadafore.