10 Fun things to do to prepare for life after college graduation



Most college students have a plethora of ideas about life after college graduation. Many think that they will land a high paying job just like that. While others think that it will be extremely challenging to land their job of choice. Most accurately, college graduates who use any of these 10 fun activities are sure to grab their job of choice quicker than that graduate who is unprepared.



#1 Research 3 to 5 ideal jobs that interest you. Take time to dream a bit. What are your interests? What values are important to you? What are your natural talents? Look at the Occupational Outlook Handbook for clarification on the types of things that will generally are required in jobs that interest you. You will learn about the day to day tasks of your jobs, salary, and growth in the industry. Also pay special attention to the professional association that is linked to those ideal jobs. Join them !



#2 Register with your state's local job search site. These can generally be found by typing in the name of your state dot gov . For instance, www.Tennessee.gov or www.SC.gov. Once you have located the website, look for the section called employment. Be sure to upload your resume, cover letter and supporting documents to these sites. Be sure that your resume has as its focus keywords, key achievements and a unique set of values associated with your ideal profession. These sites will also give you the name, address, and phone number of your local one stop career centers. Go to the local one stop and take any assessments and note any upcoming job fairs. These may include typing tests, entrance exams, work keys tests, etc. Ask questions to the career counselors about entrance exams required to apply for your positions of interest.



#3 Register with your schools career services center. Take advantage of interview classes, networking events, alumni mixes, etc to learn more about the world of work.



#4 Develop your targeted LinkedIn profile @ www.linkedin.com. Change the last part of the url from xi@##($) to your first and last name. So that your linkedinprofile url will read like this: www.linkedin.com/in/yourfirstnameyourlastname. Begin to make connections with company representatives, regional professionals in your career area of interest and join career related groups. Ideally, you want to have between 100 and 500 connections. To learn more about how linkedin can benefit you, see Jason Alba’s so you’re linked in, now what via http://imonlinkedinnowwhat.com/dvd/.



#5 Check your business attire for the day. Be sure to dress one stop above the position that you seek. Ladies can be safe with a white shirt and dark skirt or loose fitting pants with small coordinating jewelry. Men can be safe with pressed dress up slacks and a nice white shirt and tie. Remember, you will never get a second chance to make a first impression.



#8 Revise your resume and share it with your references. Be sure that every sentence, phrase and statement on it reflects your brand (your profession), your achievements and your accomplishments mixed with relevant training, certifications and skills. Sharing your resume with your references will help them to see you as a professional. Go ahead and ask for letters of support and scan them to job related websites. Also add them to your online portfolio or add them on your Smartphone.



#9 Be unique and if you really want to shine, bring a set of networking business cards.



#10 Practice your 30 second elevator speech. I am _ who _. I seek to help companies with _. My passion is to _. Keep in mind that this speech should reflect your abilities to help the company. The old “I want a job where I can grow” is not the ideal elevator speech to focus for your 30 second elevator speech.



And One For Good Measure #11 Learn how to interview with the end in mind. There are several different types of interview questions from behavioral to situational. Practice answering each type of question and brush up on sharing your best stories that demonstrate your ability to fit in, get along with others, solve problem strategically and work independently.



And Another Good One for Support #12 Finally join a job club. Working with like minded job seekers, keeps you motivated and helps ease the anxiety of transitioning.