What's the Next Step? How to Start Your Career After Graduation

If you're a fresh college graduate, you may be awash with a mix of both excitement and anxiety upon entering the job market. Unless the company you interned to already guaranteed you job after graduation, and you accepted it, searching for a job can be a daunting challenge.

Not needless to say, it's normal to feel anxious and worried about whether you can immediately secure a job right after you graduate. But in order to assuage your worries or altogether get rid of them, you ought to have a plan in place on how to start your career search. In this blog post, let's discuss the nitty-gritty of job hunting for fresh college graduates like you.

8 Major Steps to Take to Kickstart Your Career Goals After College

It's that time of the year when our Facebook feeds are filled with friends proudly sporting their graduation photos! If you're one of them, we extend our sincerest congratulations! And to help you figure out your next best steps, allow us to help you by presenting a practical guide that you can follow as you go in pursuit of a career after college.

The eight major steps that you can take are as follows:

Choose and stick to a career prospect

If you graduated with, say, an AB English degree, stick to a career prospect that you are and will be passionate about doing. You could be an English language teacher, an online tutor to foreign students, and the like. Your goal must be to securing a line of work that you will not immediately regret having chosen.

Set clear career goals for the next few years

Don't start thinking about your goals only after you secure an employment opportunity. Instead, set your clear career goals for the next few years even prior to acquiring a job. Are you planning to pursue a master's degree while working? Are you going to climb your way up the corporate ladder and work to land a promotion?

Thoroughly research the job market

Which industry is more in-demand and therefore needs more job applicants to fill in different positions? Having mentioned this, one of the most thriving industries today is digital marketing or social media marketing. In essence, more and more digital marketers are sought to conduct various marketing campaigns, search engine optimization best practices, and other digital marketing efforts to help a certain company's web presence in addition to traditional marketing or traditional advertising.

Polish your professional profile

A critical step in planning your way toward the corporate ladder is polishing your professional image. This entails writing an effective resume, penning a cover letter that exceptionally markets your skills and achievements, and even a portfolio of past works, if any, that you can present to your prospective employer as proof of your legitimate competence. A non-generic resume and an error-free cover letter can help you stand out among the pool of applicants vying for the same position.

Invest in upskilling

In addition to the skills you already possess, consider upskilling in order to better market yourself once you seek jobs. You can do this by applying to online courses that offer certificates upon successful completion, which you can likewise present to hiring managers who may ask for them. You can also consider attending workshops or webinars to enhance your skill set. Notably, choose only upskilling courses that you want to learn or are relevant to your chosen industry.

Take advantage of online job portals

In a digital and hyperconnected world, jobs can now be found and secured online. We have JobStreet, LinkedIn, Kalibrr, Indeed, and even social media platforms such as Facebook. If you plan to pursue a remote work setup or enter the freelancing world, some of the best job sites to get a remote job includes Upwork, Fiverr, and OnlineJobsph. If you want to teach English online to foreign students, you can apply to RareJob (Japanese students) or 51 Talk (Chinese students).

Prepare for the interviews

Most companies include face-to-face or online interviews as part of their hiring process. In this stage, the hiring managers will carefully assess if your skills, knowledge, experience, and overall personality align with the job requirements and the company's values. Preparing for the interviews can help you come up with answers to some notorious questions without necessarily memorizing them come the actual interview time.

Be flexible and keep an open mind

Indeed, job hunting is no walk in the park. Competition is high and a lot of companies may prefer candidates who have work experience already. As such, consider focusing on applying to entry-level positions and even internship opportunities to first gain relevant experience. These can serve as your stepping stones toward securing a stable and relatively high-paying position down the road.

Seek continuous learning

As hackneyed an expression as it sounds, learning does not stop after you graduated from college. Expand your knowledge by subscribing to channels and websites that provide expert advice and industry trends that will be extremely beneficial for you pre- and post-job search. Make yourself committed to lifelong learning and professional development as you start and grow your career.

Consider a career in the digital marketing industry

The digital marketing industry is perpetually evolving as more and more companies and businesses shift online to expand their customer base. If you are a graduate of mass communications or media-related studies, conducting online marketing campaigns and digital ads may be something you'd enjoy and are proficient of. As a future digital marketer, you will be tapped to create digital marketing techniques that will be executed in your company's digital marketing channels.

At Lumina Homes, we absolutely welcome fresh graduates who need to earn relevant experience to kickstart their career! We have multiple positions to fill, most especially digital sales associates to help us develop a digital marketing tactic to expand and maximize our online presence and reach more clients online who are looking for an affordable house and lot for sale.

If you opt to apply as a digital marketing associate with us, you will be in charge of coming up with an effective digital marketing strategy to reach more clients interested in buying house and lot Philippines and vice versa. Interested in growing your career in the real estate industry? Let it be with Lumina Homes - a prime provider of affordable house and lot that helps Filipino families achieve homeownership in a strategically located neighborhood nationwide. Become part of our team and send your resume today!