There’s such a high expectation for college graduates to land the perfect job before graduation. If you are the selected few who have achieved this, great job! This blog is not primarily for you.

I want to reach out to the rest of the scared newly graduates who may be feeling a self-doubt. Take a deep breath, and pat yourself on the back because you have EARNED a bachelors degree! Receiving that diploma is a tremendous achievement! “Knowledge is Power” (Nelson Mandela). That single signed piece of paper will give you more opportunities that a great percentage of the American population will never receive. Be extremely grateful and take advantage of your higher education to find a job that’s right for you!

Welcome to the real world, where you have a fresh start to be literally whomever you want to be. As daunting as that may sound, there is no need to stress. You don’t have time to stress about the “what-if’s” because you need to put all your effort in finding a job that fitting for you.

It’s not glamourous. It’s not easy. My post-grad year was full of trial and error. It consisted of moving in and living with my grandmother, being a grocery app cart shopper, dog sitter and walker, nanny, marketing and wholesale freelancer, and an office coordinator. These experiences became stepping stones to kick-starting my career, each job getting closer and closer to what I am professionally passionate about. This year long journey has given me the opportunity to learn more about myself and the realities of a tough job market in a major city like Chicago. Here are some lessons I have learned my first year of post-grad life:

Lesson #1: Be Honest with Yourself

Get out of the stigma of having a 9AM-5PM corporate job within a company labelled with national or international approval. It took me a year to find a job where I can use my natural strengths. Don’t. Beat. Yourself. Up. Everyone has had or will have different paths in finding the right job. Most of the time, people won’t tell you that they are unhappy with their current job because they think they are stuck with no better options. No worries this blog is for you unhappy worker bees too!

Everyone with those “amazing” jobs had to start somewhere. How do you know what you want to do in life? No one has the correct answer at the age of twenty two but instead of stressing about the open ended question, make the productive step and complete the Gallup strength test. This honestly helped me understand what I naturally excel at. It’s a great test because it doesn’t limit you to one profession. Insight into what you are naturally good at will then give you the freedom to choose what profession you wish to practice your strengths. This test will only be beneficial if you are honest with yourself when answering the questions. There are no wrong answers!

**Disclaimer- It’s great to have a dream job! (In fact, I have a couple). Just don’t get hard on yourself if your first job doesn’t seem like it’ll lead to that. In reality, there are probably hundreds of other people who have that same dream job in mind. Good news is that there are hundreds of ways to get to that position! It isn’t spelled out for you because if it was then everyone would do exactly that. Don’t stress and know that by just reading this blog you are on the right path to landing a great job!**

Lesson #2: Effectively Networking with the Right Individuals

There are SO many types of jobs out there. Since you now know your strengths from the Gallup test results, it’s time to follow my 4 steps to effective networking:

Step 1: Get Professional Eyes on Your Resume and Create Business Cards

I know this can seem old school but remember; the people who decide to hire you are still considered “old school”. A polished resume is mandatory in order to complete the following three steps. The business cards are helpful for step three and four. You can put your contact information and the profession you desire with appropriate graphics or design to you subtly express your personality. Standing out in such a competitive market is key.

Don’t let more than five professionals edit your resume because formatting and wording is mostly personal preference. I would choose five professionals in your desired career to edit your resume. If you don’t know that many professionals in that specific profession, you can always find them online, which leads us to step two.

Step 2: Create and Maintain Professional Online Presence

This arguably could be the most important step in regards to the world we live in today. Trust me, you want to make sure you can control what appears on Google when employers and professionals type in your first and last name. Due to the first amendment, (freedom of the press), you can’t ask people to erase controversial articles you are mentioned in. Every employer of a legitimate company will do some sort of research on you. That’s why it’s important to take control of your reputation before someone else tries to. That being said, create a LinkedIn profile and create your own website and clean up your social media. I used square space and absolutely love it. I have these blogs you are reading. I write about topics or experiences that help express my interests and give employers an idea of who I am as well as my writing skills! (Hello employers if you are reading this now!!)

8 Tips for Professional LinkedIn Profiles:

1. Professional headshot- wear a button down and crop from shoulders up.

2. Write, share or comment on posts that interest you (always be professional).

3. Have visual samples and descriptions of your work from past internships or visuals of your final thesis etc. Have friends take horizontal pictures of you presenting or group pictures with teams you worked with from summer internships.

4. Work experience descriptions need to be concise and always answer how you made an impact with data or results from your work.

5. Include a pdf of your resume in the brief bio.

6. Request professional references through Linkedin. Reach out to individuals who managed or worked with you from internships, summer jobs, etc. Make sure you proof read their writing samples.

7. Your bio description should explain your work ethic, values, and aspirations - the good ole elevator speech.

8. Follow groups, inspiring professionals, and alumni that pertain to your desired career - be a part of the professional conversation and stay updated.

Step 3: Coffee Talks with Family Friends and Alumni

When scheduling a time to meet, work with their schedule. They are busier, their time is more important and they are doing this for free. So when you decide a time and date to meet at the coffee shop conveniently near their building, here are some tips you should follow:

What to Bring:

Bring two pens, a notebook with thought out questions (five to seven questions), and a folder with a copy of your resume and business card. The list of prepared questions will keep the conversation efficient and effective. at any UPS store you can buy a clean folder for $2 and print out your resume on nicer white paper for $1.00.

What to Do:

Shoot a quick email to them saying you arrived and where you are sitting in the coffee shop. This is to avoid awkward encounters and show you can plan well.

What to Say:

Once they arrive, stand up, smile, (eye contact!!), firmly shake their hand and thank them for coming.

Offer them your folder with your resume (and a pen if they want to edit it). Ask if they want anything to drink from the coffee shop. If they say no, get up and get water or something to collect yourself. If the line is too long, just go to the bathroom or something.

Once they see your resume, they might ask you a couple questions about what you have done so far in the job search. Be honest. (This should be the only time you talk because you are there to listen to their wisdom). Take out your pen and read from your list of questions. Write down tips they give you.

Once the meeting is over, make sure they have the folder with your resume and business card. Thank them for coming and don’t worry about awkward leaving times because they most likely will be the first to leave rushing back to their job.

If something happens unexpectedly for them and the meeting ends up being shorter, that’s okay! Use your notes you took during the chat to create follow up questions in the thank you email. This will show you were paying attention and they are more likely to help you and connect them with other professionals they know.

*IMPORTANT*

Thank you follow up email:

This shouldn't be longer than two paragraphs. This should be sent by the end of the same day you met, no later than 7PM.

Thank them for their time to answer your questions about their professional journey. Include minimal and appropriate personal details of the conversation to show you were paying attention. Ask one or two follow up questions. Tell them you would appreciate it if they passed your resume to their HR department of their current employer (depends on your personal situation) or share your email from your business card with a professional peer that would seem fitting to help your situation. Thank them once again for their time and valuable advice and if they went to the same college you did, feel free to add a “Go _(mascot) !” at the end.

PLEASE PROOF READ BEFORE HITTING SEND

Star the email in the case they don’t respond after a week so you can GENTLY check-in with them. Remember they are a thousand times busier than you, so if you send an additional email a week after sending the thank you email, it should be no more than five sentences. Make sure to be very nice in the email because the last thing you want is to piss off a professional connection. If they don’t respond after you sent the two emails, please don’t bother them.

Don’t forget to connect with them on Linkedin!