Done with college? Now, it’s time to find your dream career. Overwhelming right? The secret to battling overwhelm when searching for your first job is to plan your future out step-by-step. Nobody can turn their lives around overnight, right? There are five stages to go through when you want to get your first job out of college.  These are the crucial moments when you can take control of your future and invest efforts in a fulfilling and exciting career. Are you ready?

How To Get Your First Job Out Of College

1. Determine What Job Satisfaction Means To You

Nobody can tell you what kind of career to choose. But, there are some tips and tricks to help you make the right decision. As glamorous as the career advice of “following your passion” might sound like, there are some good points that support choices that are not your favorite. They key here is to determine what job satisfaction means to you and what you will be happy doing for 40+ hours per week. Pursue happiness and find a career that you can devote your talents and skills 100%. It’s also critical to figure out what you can afford.

Research shows that more than one-third of people find their repetitive jobs (which can be considered boring) fulfilling. The secret behind this outlook is that getting 100% involved in your day will trigger job satisfaction.

2. Study and Practice Your Skills Daily

Once you have identified your career choice, read as many articles and books about the career as you possibly can. A University can provide a solid foundation to start your career, however, the basics are not enough to propel you into a professional career. The notions might be too general, there might be a lack of opportunities to practice what you learn, or your chosen field might need the support of other domains on the career market. For example, learning Japanese from scratch is not enough to become a sales consultant speaking fluently in Japanese.

There are many online blogs that open the doors for you to a difficult issue that professionals from your chosen career have to overcome. Learning how to answer the expectations that the company will have from you will give you a head start in your career. You can find these expectations easily right from the job descriptions online.

For example, a copywriter should write original content for customers, generate text for ads, radio, brochures, websites, and other mediums and many other tasks. All you have to do is build solid notions around these requirements and practice your copywriting skills daily.

3. Search Job Openings

Read job descriptions carefully and apply only if you think the job will be an important first step in your career. There are many ways to promote your resume in the online world. The Internet is full of websites that match candidates with their ideal workplaces, such as Indeed.com, Glassdoor.com or Idealist.com.

You can also harness the power of social platforms, like LinkedIn, and connect directly with recruiters. On social media, you can follow recruiters and hiring managers that can land you a job, as well as their employees, industry influencers, and job websites. If you take advantage of the contacts easily within your reach, your Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn profiles will become streams of fresh and quality job offers.

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4. Ace the Interview

Soon, you will be receiving those interview invitations. Prepare for them by coming up with relevant and constructive answers to help the interviewer get to know you better. Arrive five minutes earlier and don’t forget to smile and be honest during the meeting.

It is important to ask questions about the company and the job opening to show that you are truly interested in the offer. In addition, come prepared with a plan to negotiate your salary to reflect exactly the value you bring to the company.

5. Become an Expert

Landing your first job isn’t the end of your mission, it’s only the beginning. It’s an exciting time to learn new things, overcome challenges, and grow personally and professionally.

At your first job, it is important to ask questions. Even though they seem too simple, and they probably have an obvious answer, ask them anyway. During your first 90 work days, nobody will see you as an expert. This is good! This is the period of time when you can learn the tricks of the trade and get accustomed to your new position without feeling behind.

Do everything in your power to excel and always be aware of the bigger picture of your company. This job is just the beginning of your professional career. You should focus on improving your job performance little by little to climb that career ladder.

However, too much devotion will turn you into a workaholic. It is important for the company and personal health to strike a balance between professional and personal life. Working too much will deplete you of inspiration and it can disconnect you from your relationships.

It can be a difficult path, but nevertheless a life-changing experience. Make the most of it and never stop investing in yourself.