Ready to put your hard work and education to use in a career that suits you?
If you are a recent graduate or anticipate graduating soon, you’ll find key career exploration and job search steps here to help chart your course.
Take an Interest Assessment
This assessment asks you to rate your interest in different activities, then matches your answers to careers. Studies show you’re more likely to enjoy work and have a successful career when your job includes mostly what you like to do, and not too much of what you dislike. Choosing a career based on your interests is a great place to start.
Take the Work Values Matcher
Work values are our beliefs about what’s most important in our work. For one person, it might be protecting the environment, while for others it might be career advancement, or working independently. Knowing your work values can help you choose a career that matches your values and identify employers that share similar values.
Explore Occupation Profiles
Both the Interest Assessment and the Work Values Matcher include links to Occupation Profiles for your top career matches. You can also browse the Occupation Profiles on their own using the link above. After exploring the profiles of careers that interest you, select one or two job titles to focus your job search on.
Create or improve your resume
Use the information in the Resume Guide to write your first resume, or to edit an existing resume. If you plan to apply for work in more than one field, target a different version of your resume to each field. Have at least two people proofread it for spelling or formatting errors and make needed corrections.
Create or update your social media
Be sure to edit your profile and privacy settings for job search. Then look for contacts who work in a field related to your target career/s. Reach out to them with a concise, professional message about what you are looking for, ask for their help, and express your thanks for their time and feedback.
Practice for interviews with these common questions
Preparing for interviews can greatly increase your confidence and performance. Review these questions and write out your responses to highlight past work or education experiences. Come up with a few stories that demonstrate your strengths. Sharpen your skills in mock interviews with friends or at your closest American Job Center.
Search for job openings
Search for your preferred job titles and identify 3-5 job postings to apply for. Follow the instructions of each job posting to apply. Keep a regular schedule of checking the Job Finder for job listings and applying to the best openings you find.
Research employers
It’s helpful to create a targeted list of prospects to contact. Use the Business Finder to identify 3 businesses in your local area related to your targeted career field and contact them to ask about job openings. Follow links to their websites to research company information.
Make a networking plan
Create a list of who is in your network and write out an introduction of your background, skills, and the kind of work or experience you are looking for. Aim to reach out to some people on your list every day. Be sure to use your college career center for networking leads and job prospects.
Explore different work experience options
Review the different types of work experience including volunteer work, internships, gig work, part time, temporary jobs, and full-time work. Evaluate which options best suit your current circumstances. Consider pursuing a variety of work options to move your career forward.