How to get your first job: tips you need to employ during the search

So, we all had a part-time job when we attended high school and college. We worked as babysitters for our neighbors, we walked dogs when needed extra cash, and we lasted through college by working at a fast food chain or a local supermarket. Those are quite important jobs that keep the world going and allow people to provide for their living. I don’t want to undermine the value of that kind of labor; I have a huge respect for it. However, once you open yourself to a slightly more professional market and try to get a first job that fits your career aspirations… Well, it gets a lot more difficult. At the same time, there’re certain things you may do to get the first job of your dreams (or at least something that pays well and promises a decent career path).

Tips for getting your first job fast

Go through an internship

One of the most burning issues that hold people back at getting their first job or just entering a different sphere of activities is the lack of experience. To replenish that and improve your resume, try to find a good internship place. The best case scenario is that you manage to get accepted for an internship with a company you would like to work for and receive a full-time job offer after you finish. However, don’t get too upset if you’re not asked to stay. Maybe, the company just doesn’t have a vacant place or can’t afford to hire another professional. The experience will help you at your further job hunt anyway. I would recommend examining your internship options during your college summer breaks, as that’s the time when you can afford living off of a part-time job and combine it with an internship.

Apply in person

Try to go to the company’s location to fill in the application (at least when it comes to the most desired vacancies). Obviously, most businesses and governmental institutions that open vacancies have online application forms set up, and you may totally use them in order to save time and apply for numerous jobs in a more convenient way. But when showing up to the spot and sitting down in the company’s office to fill in the application and hand over your resume, you have a good chance to get interviewed right away, which is the opportunity you don’t want to miss.

Don’t look at the application deadlines

A lot of first-time job searchers try to make their application letters as perfect as possible. So, they take their time to compose it, being confident that they still have a few days, or even weeks until the offer gets shut down. Unfortunately, it often happens that recruiters don’t wait for as much as they promised and, as soon as they find a person that meets their expectations and application requirements, they hire that individual and take the vacancy down, even though they could have received a better application later on. Maybe, it’s not fair. But that’s how companies work – if they have a vacant spot they want to fill it in as soon as possible. So, work on your applications fast, so that they reach the recruiters before they stop reviewing letters from candidates.

Make the full use of your connections

Not all brilliant applications, resumes and cover letters reach the employer’s table and get reviewed. So, apart from compiling a strong resume and a convincing cover letter, you need to make sure that those papers get into the recruiter’s hands so that you have a chance to get invited for an interview. Also, if you’re trying to get your first job, you also have to persuade your prospective employers that a young person like you will do better at that certain job than an experienced pro. The ultimate way to do that is to network your application up. There’s no shame in that. If you’re looking for a general construction or a civil rights lawyer's assistant job and you know someone, who may potentially help you out at getting in touch with the recruiters, go ahead and use that opportunity. However, don’t forget to apply for the jobs at companies, where you don’t have any connections, as you can’t really tell which of the arrows will hit the bullseye until they reach the target.

Don’t get discouraged

The first job is the most difficult to find. You can’t correspond to the needs of each company you apply to, and the lack of experience makes the search even harder. Thus, be prepared to receive a lot of ‘No’ answers back and remain persistent no matter what. A positive answer to one of your application is pretty much all you need, especially when it comes to getting the first job. So thank each employer that takes his time to reply back even if his answer is dissatisfactory and keep on submitting your applications, attending interviews and finding your place in the job market until you reach success.