Building career is not that easy. It is little difficult if you find yourself competing against people with better education qualifications than you.
Right experience and skills carry a lot of weight when it comes to the applications. It is not all about pieces of paper. If you can show a recruiter that you developed your skills through initiatives and by hard work, you are not just demonstrating technical talents, you are highlighting positive character traits.
Here are 9 career building advices to help you kick-start your career.
- Turn your passion into a job
- Get Certified
- Look for internship opportunities
- Get work experience
- Sing up for a volunteering placement
- Build an excellent online profile.
- Network, Network with the right people
- Always have something to say
- Start your own business
1. Turn your passion into a job
Use the skills you gained in school and college like discipline, self-motivation, time management and creative thinking to turn a passion into a job. For example, if you love yoga, earn teaching certification and find a place looking to hire full-time yoga instructors. If you are an expert knitter, consider selling your creativities through an online marketplace.
2. Get Certified
If you are looking for the ways to advance your career, you may want to research and opt for professional certification. Most of the industries have some form of certification that will increase your chances to demand higher pay in the market, better prospects and new career opportunities.
3. Look for internship opportunities
Internships is a good way for recent graduates to gain entry into competitive industries or companies. While internships can pay less than full-time positions or sometime there is no pay. However, they often result in resume experience, recommendation letters and even full-time positions. You should start looking for internships prior to graduation, so you can immediately begin, post graduation.
Connecting with companies you are interested in via social media platform provides you with several advantages. Not only it will alert you to future job opportunities, but it will also help you better understand the company’s culture and display your interest in working with them.
There are many varieties of internships available in the market, those at local businesses to largest corporations. Here are some of the ways to look for an internship during college:
Network
Ask your classmates, professors, friends, family and academic advisors if they know of any opportunities you would be interested in. You can also contact your college’s alumni to get insight information regarding internships you can pursue to start entry-level career growth.
Attend internship or career fairs
Many companies use industries wise career fairs to recruit candidates for different levels. These events and sessions are a great way to get in touch and meet with prospective employers.
4. Get work experience
Sometimes, the best option after college graduation is to take an entry-level position to gain good experience, trainings and skills. Even if the job is not in your field or is not something that you are passionate about, a real-world job will help you build your resume and will help you on the support you need to plan for your future and prepare to get your dream job.
5. Sing up for a volunteering placement
Volunteering is also an excellent way to get experience and add it in to your resume. Volunteer opportunities help develop skills, like leadership management and task management , along with soft skills, like adaptability and communication. Volunteering may lead to paid position with the organization or full-time job elsewhere through networking while volunteering. Additionally, it feels good to provide a service to the society and community.
6. Build an excellent online profile.
Create a personality profile and be very honest with yourself. When you first initiate applying for any job positions, you should not be applying for a role because it is expected of you, you should be applying so because that expected role excites you very much.
Do you really like to meet new people maybe sales, solving problems (management consultancy) or data analytics (financial analysis)? Universities, School and part-time work provide ideal situations where you can find out more about what you really enjoy doing, and what you do not like. Having these information, you will be in a better position to know what career you would like to pursue.
LinkedIn is Must
Most recruiters use LinkedIn to find the right and suitable candidates, so it is important for job seekers to spent some job hunting time to connecting with potential employers on the website. You should completely fill out your profile on LinkedIn, connect with other alumni from your school or colleges and participate in groups related to your field, you are interested in.
7. Network, Network with the right people
Networking with right people is one of the best ways to find the right job. Start with friends, family members, neighbors, professors and co-workers and to enquire about opportunities and get some hints. Join & attend professional organization meetings in your interested field.
Tap the hidden job and make connections through social networking websites. It has been reported and observed that 70% of jobs are never advertised. You have to find out where those employments exist through your network.
8. Always have something to say
All the analysis and research, clever networking and creating attractive profile will not work for much if you have got nothing to say for yourself. To take your career kick-start to the best and top level, you need some views to showcase and speak up.
You do not need to pretend to be a leader with 15-20 years of experience, but you need to have something interesting to say about yourself. When it comes to applications and interviews, hiring managers are looking for candidates who have a mind of their own way and stand out.
9. Start your own business
Last but not least, If you have an idea for a great product development or a strong passion toward providing services, We would suggest, starting your very own business can be the best way to create your dream career. For example, if you are knowledgeable and passionate about physical fitness and earned a degree in business, you are well suited to start your own personal training firm.