With the growing number of fresh graduates looking for work and putting their degrees and knowledge into practical use, the competition has become stiffer than ever. Job markets of many field are very saturated, and those who secure jobs which are actually relevant to their majors are considered lucky. As for the rest, they have to make do with whatever work they get. To sum it up, the race to secure a stable future and contribution towards the economy has become extremely intense and has put a lot of pressure on graduates.
But the pressure isn’t limited to the graduates, even employers have a hard time selecting the best
candidate(s) for the job. Graduates these days lack the ‘X-factor’ which screams “I’m the right person for this job, because I have this particular set of skills and a unique point of view that everyone else lacks.” The media has stacked anxiety regarding successful lives and ‘stable futures’ onto the shoulders of our younger generations to such an extent, that they tend to make irrational decisions in their lives and miss out on certain important factors to consider before making them. They are so eager to step into the real world and live the ‘successful life’ that they do not realize that they are just blindly following others, who are blindly following the people before them, and no one has any idea where they are going. So, without further ado, here are some highly crucial tips that will help you to standout in your field and beat the competition:
Choosing Your Majors Wisely
Obviously, this only applies to those who have not already selected their majors, so if you have, then
skip to the next one. Apparently, this doesn’t need much explanation and is pretty straight-forward, but the funny thing is, this is where most students blow things up and thus start a series of mistakes that leads them towards unemployment and/or mediocrity (which isn’t a bad thing for most people, but we aren’t like most people!) Deciding your major means deciding a huge part of your professional career’s future, hence it isn’t that straight forward. You need to do research, look up career options that may be suitable for you, predict which career options would help you survive in your economy and then finally, narrow down options which align with your personal interests. Keep in mind that skipping on any of these factors would be a highly foolish thing to do, so choose wisely!
Gather Relevant Experience
Experience matters a lot. If you are a 4.0 CGPA student, then you are without a doubt good at covering the curriculum, doing assignments and taking exams. But, if you have zero experience, then that 4.0 CGPA is of no use to the employers, and they will be reluctant in choosing you over someone with a low CGPA, but relevant experience. So, how does one get experience? The answer is internships, and more internships. However, the internships that you go for should be relevant to your majors. For example, if you are majoring in finance or banking, look for internships at nearby banks.
Having links and contact information of various leading organizations in the industry can prove to be
very useful when you finally graduate and start looking for jobs. Develop your professional presence by attending different job fairs and dropping your CV/resume with different organizations. It is highly
recommended that you make a LinkedIn profile, and work on building your presence online.
Do Independent Coursework
Spending a few extra bucks to do coursework which is not included in your degree’s curriculum but
related to the practical field will add to your hard-skills (skills that are specific, and can be measured)
such as MS Office certification, SAP, etc. When it comes to adding independent coursework to your
curriculum vitae, the more, the merrier, because they give you an edge over all the other candidates and the ‘X-factor’ that employers look for.
Work on Your Soft Skills
Soft skills are as important as hard skills, as they help you in ‘selling’ yourself. Soft skills help you to carry yourself in the society, effectively negotiate things and discuss issues. Your way of dressing,
communication, time management, attitude, etc. are all soft skills and determine whether you would
prove to be a valuable asset to a company in the long-run and leave the first-impression when you step in to give an interview.
Attend Workshops
Workshops are a great source to not only work on your practical skills, but also on your soft skills, like communication. Attend as many workshops, and gather as much relevant knowledge as possible about various industries and other issues of the world.
About the author:
Jose works as a writer for one of the best Dissertation Writing Service UK on internet. Dissertationplanet.co.uk helps students who are looking for services to Dissertation Help and dissertation writing. Jose has helped many students in writing, editing and proofreading their essays and dissertations and helping them achieve first class standard through professionally written papers.
