Unsplash | Joshua Hoehne
Graduating from high school, college, or graduate school are all significant rites of passage in their own right, and the huge transition from student to professional is ripe with new challenges, even in the very best of times.
And then 2020 came along. Students have graduated into recessions and weak job markets before, but nobody in over 100 years has graduated into a pandemic lockdown and its subsequent unprecedented impact on the national economy. It’s as if recent graduates walked off their commencement stages and into a wall of uncertainty.
Furthermore, the patchwork of Covid-19 restrictions we all face affects the local job markets in a different and more unpredictable way than the more traditional economic downturns of the past. The tried and true methods espoused by your college career center to establish the first steps of your professional career may be momentarily unavailable to you – or, at least, trickier – based on where you live and the virulence of COVID-19 in your community.
With those variables acknowledged and kept in mind, here are 6 tips that can help recent graduates find their footing:
1. Don’t give up. There is a reason that federal employment statistics include the disclaimer, “does not include people who have given up looking”. Sometimes job searches can seem hopeless. Don’t give up. It will improve. Keep searching. You will find a job.
2. Volunteer. There are many organizations that need help right now, if you have the time on your hands. Not only is volunteering for a good cause one of the best uses of your time, and valuable to you and your community, it also enhances your resume and is an opportunity to start building a professional network.
3. Become a shadow. If you have relatives or other relationships in the field in which you wish to work, ask if you can “shadow” him or her to learn how and learn how things work. Your parents may be your greatest resource here – nobody wants you to succeed more than Mom and Pop, and they will move heaven and earth to prevent you from moving back in with them (hahahahaha). Ask them who they know!
4. Temporarily level down. It may be necessary to recalibrate your immediate expectations. For example, perhaps you had your sights on an entry level job on Wall Street but due to Covid-19 the barriers are too steep right now. First, don’t give up on that Wall Street job. Keep trying. Second, if you can find something else to do in the meantime, do it, even if it’s not your dream job. Be flexible. Working is better than not working.
5. Get creative. There is no harm in brainstorming ideas that you can turn into immediate income, or monetizing a hobby or passion you already have. “Necessity is the mother of invention”. Now is the time to take some risks.
6. Always be training. Employers love candidates who turn their involuntary idle time into self-improvement. When someone chooses to pursue knowledge on their own, it says a lot about his or her character. It is in your best long-term interests to proactively seek out educational opportunities. If you have the resources, consider a professional certification. If you can’t spare a dime right now, there are many free courses available.
Philip Roufail contributed to this article.
Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, career coaching services, and outplacement services. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.
