How does one find a job and a place to live after graduating college?
I am still unsure how one finds a job and a place to live after college. Where do I obtain these types of connections that will help me in either situations? #first-job #college-jobs #job-search #homesearch
4 answers
Amanda’s Answer
Great question!
Speaking from personal experience, the best way to get exposure to different jobs and opportunities are career fairs. Career fairs are typically held at the college and companies attend these career fairs looking for potential employees.
Some colleges also have a career center with advisors that could help you through this process as well (including resume tips and revisions).
Regarding a living situation, the two sites linked below were very helpful in finding a place to live:
https://streeteasy.com/
https://www.apartments.com/
Hope this helps. Goodluck with your journey!
Ben’s Answer
Hi Maritza,
Finding a job and finding a place to live can go hand-in-hand. Where you live can dictate where you work and vice versa.
When finding your first job post-graduation, utilize the networks you built while attending college - faculty, staff, fellow students/friends to see if they have any suggestions or connections with employers hiring positions you're interested in. A great resource is LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com) where you can write your online resume for recruiters, managers, and HR professionals to view and contact you, as well as, check out open positions for companies across the globe! Check out this link on how to build a strong profile: https://blog.linkedin.com/2017/february/17/-tips-for-building-a-great-linkedin-profile-career-expert
Your university's career services office can be helpful in crafting a traditional resume along with signing up for mock-interviews or attending a career fair. Interviewing, whether it be over the phone, through Skype, or in-person is a skill that requires practice. Attending a few mock-interviews can give you live practice and receive constructive feedback. Your college will also likely have ties to local employers that recruit out of your school so you may be able to receive updates on new positions too.
An additional resource would be contacting local staffing/recruiting firms for advice on how to write an effective resume, practice interviewing, and seeing if they have any positions available that you may be interested in. As a professional recruiter, recent graduates often show their lack of experience during interviews so the more practice you can get - the better you'll look in comparison to the competition. Here are some interview tips from Indeed.com (https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/interviewing/job-interview-tips-how-to-make-a-great-impression)
As for finding a place to live, you may want to think about the following: cost of living, proximity to family/friends, economic opportunity and climate. Do you want to rent or buy? Resources like NerdWallet's cost of living calculator (<span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 33);">https://www.nerdwallet.com/cost-of-living-calculator) can show you how far your money will go in another city. Websites like apartments.com, zillow.com, realtor.com can show you what housing options are available in the city of your choosing. Once you've found a place that looks promising or one that you have questions about, contact the leasing office or realtor for additional information.</span>
Finding a job and place to live can be daunting tasks, so I recommend being as active early on as you can with searching for the best fit for you and taking advantage of all the available resources you have.
Hope this helps!
Ben
Ben recommends the following next steps:
Blake’s Answer
The best way to get a job coming out of college is to attend the career fairs. If your college doesn't offer career fairs, then I would recommend searching for an internship. It may or may not be paid, but those usually result in a job offer. As for where to live, I think that depends on where your job offer is located.
Thanks,
Blake
Simeon’s Answer
For the job, you'll most likely have to leverage your professional network. It's a challenge to get hired by companies based on the strength of your resume alone. Most often, you'll have to know someone at a company who will internally recommend that you get selected to fill the position. That being said, if you are looking to boost your chances of getting hired, try working for smaller companies since they're more likely to hire you. From there, your resume will grow in strength.