How to Get a Job Out of College With No Experience
As your graduation date approaches, the need to find a job out of college increases. Now that you have your degree in hand, you're ready to embark on the "real world," but as you glance through job boards, you may notice that employers are asking for more experience than you have. While the job boards may be discouraging, you can explore various options that will help you land a job out of college with no experience.
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Instructions
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Schedule an appointment with your college's career center so that you can get assistance preparing your resume and cover letter for your job search. Your college's career center counselors can help you turn work you've done through volunteering and organizations, school projects and leadership roles, in associations you're a member of, into experiences you can include on your resume. If you were the president of your fraternity or volunteered part time as a coordinator at local homeless shelter, you can take the knowledge, skills and attitudes you learned to sell yourself as a potential candidate for a job.
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Post your resume to your career center's website and search for entry-level positions that require little to no experience. College campuses partner with their alumni networks and area businesses to list jobs that are suitable for new graduates who have no experience. After you post your resume and cover letter, you can apply for positions, sign up to attend on-campus interviews with recruiters, or you may get contacted by a recruiter after they view your resume.
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Contact your professors, volunteer work coordinators and organization leaders and ask for letters of recommendation. The letters can state what you contributed as a student, volunteer or organization members and provide potential employers with insight into what skills and abilities you can offer their companies. Reference letters should not exceed one page.
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Register your name as a domain, and sign up for website hosting, with a company such as Yahoo! Small Business, Go Daddy or Blue. The homepage of your website should include your picture and a small paragraph that states who you are and what type of position you're looking for. Add a blog to your site where you share your ideas about your industry, as well as your resume, recommendation letters, certificates and awards and writing or art samples.
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Use a professional-looking picture on your social media sites and update your profile to indicate that you're looking for a job. You should indicate your major, a brief description of the types of jobs and industries you're interested in, a link to your website and your email address.
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Attend networking events given by your college or university, local business and networking associations or companies you have an interest in working for. Take your business cards with you and be prepared with all contacts via email the next day. Simply remind them where and how you met them, indicate that you're looking for a job and include a link to your website, your phone number and email address.
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Tips & Warnings
Find a graphic designer at your school to create a business card design for you. Carry your business cards with you at all times.
References
- "The Washington Post" Newspaper; Find a Job Without Experience: Six Strategies to Consider; Lynn Friedman; March 12, 2003
- CNN; Job Tips for Recent College Graduates; Jennifer Icklan; May 9, 2011
- Monster; Recession Job Search Tips for New Graduates; Margot Carmichael Lester
- College Board: Resume Writing 101: Get Your Resume in Shape for Jobs and Internships
- Career Women; Top 4 Tips for Landing a Job After Graduation; 2003
