So you’ve made it! Congratulations! You have finally passed all of those exams, completed the last project, and have sworn off education for the rest of your life! You have graduated! Your family and friends are all excited for you. They are calling, texting, tweeting, and pic collage posting your successes on Instagram! You Made it! And for that day, well even that week you feel like the champion of the World. But then all of a sudden, the high comes down. You start to feel the sense of emptiness because you don’t have school to worry about now. You figure you will just jump right into the job market now that you have more free time to focus on finding a job. All of your family and friends keep asking you, “So whats your plans now that you’ve graduated!?” And all you can say is, “Well I’m looking for a job now.” It’s almost embarrassing. How do you go from being the Champion of the Universe to feeling like you ARE the BIGGEST LOSER? Easy. You didn’t have a plan.
I did the same thing when I graduated with my undergrad degree from Southern University. I was so ready to be out of school, I didn’t care or focus on anything else in the last year except graduation. Since I have recently graduated with my Master’s in Entertainment Business from Full Sail University, I learned from my mistakes. Graduation is just the door that begins your new journey; It’s not the destination. You have to create a plan of action in order to be prepared for life after graduation. Here is a list of things that you should be doing coming up to your graduation date. Even if you have already graduated, use this list to help get you on the right track.
1. Network Network Network: I can’t stress the importance of this one rule alone. EVERYTHING in your life is influenced one way or another by your network. Get to know people that are involved in the industry that you want to work in. Create a list of influential people in your industry and see how many people you know may have connections to these people. LinkedIn is a great way to get started doing this. Talk to your family and friends. Let them know what type of work you are looking for. They will be glad to help connect you with the right people.
2. Connect with Career Services department at your School. Every University has a career connections department that can help you with job leads. They have the inside scoop on many positions only because they have built relationships with many companies over the years with student placement. Make this office your best friend. Many students neglect this opportunity to connect with potential employers that come to the school looking for talented, driven individuals.
3. Give out your Business Cards: When you randomly meet someone in the grocery store, or strike up a conversation at a party, don’t just walk away without finding out who you are talking to. This goes back to networking. Having a business card shows that you are serious about yourself and your career. It doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive. VistaPrint has some great designs you can use to start with. You will notice how people treat you when you present yourself in such a professional manner.
4. Update your Resumé frequently: Keep your resume updated! Every time you take on a new job at work, or social club activity. LinkedIn is also a great way to keep your digital resume updated.
5. Monitor your Social Media Sites: Beware of posting negative comments and pictures on social media. More companies are looking at social media pages to see how applicants carry themselves in their personal lives. A strong, positive social media presence helps you stand out in a crowd of applicants. and proves that you are not likely to bash the company on social media sites.
6. Start working on a side -project in your career field: If you are an artist, create art. If you are a filmmaker, than, work on your own creative film project. Employers want to see people who are ambitious, and self starters. By working on your own projects, you are creative content to add to your portfolio as well as becoming credible in your field. If I told you that I was a blogger, would’t you want to see blogs that I have written? Show, don’t just tell.
7. Find a Mentor: Finding a Mentor is not always easy, but it can be the single most useful piece of information in this article. A mentor should be someone that you look up to and respect. Their opinion should matter to you. They should also be someone that you can email, call or tweet questions that you have about your career. If you need help with your resume, or questions about where to look for new clients. Having a mentor is a great way to stay in touch with someone that will keep you accountable for your decisions.
So tell me, what are your plans after graduation? Do you have your success plan together? Let me know by leaving a comment below!
@OTGriffin
