HOW TO BE READY FOR YOUR FIRST JOB?
By: Martina Taddei
Tags: Jobs, Students, Internships, Life Lessons, Self Improvement

HOW TO BE READY FOR YOUR FIRST JOB?

It can be daunting to be a student, or a fresh graduate approaching for the first time to the workplace. Especially if, like me, you have focused much on studying and did not get the opportunity to gain prior working experience in the field.

I have been taught that education is the most important thing, and I spent much more time on books than actively seeking for job opportunities. When I started my first university year abroad, I suddenly figured out that gaining work experience has often an extremely neglected value. I began to change my beliefs and figured out that it is not enough to study hard at university and keep ignoring the fact you need to gain work experience. Job experience cannot wait; as an undergraduate student, if you want to facilitate your debut in the world of work, you need to balance experience with the study.

Study alone is not enough. Start to plan your career path by gaining experience, now.

You need to keep focused, and strive for a while. A good position is not a gift; it needs work and dedication.

You may find yourself alone at the moment, struggling for getting your first job, and not knowing what you should do. Fortunately, I made some research and spent several days trying to figure out how to move without making errors. In this post, I will share what is needed to get your first job.

Let’s start with your resume. You may have heard the words “CV” and “resume” related to the workplace.

In the beginning, it may be easy to use the terms CV and resume interchangeably. It should be noted that, although they look similar, these documents serve two different purposes:

CV: Generally used to pursue an academic career, it includes a complete list of learning experience and publications; its length depends upon experience.

Resume: Used for applying for a position in a company or the public sector, it emphasizes skills and contains relevant work experience, no longer than 2 pages.

A resume is often followed by a cover letter, and as we have previously seen, it is the document most requested by employers. If there is something you should know about the resume, is that you need to tailor it to any position you are applying for. Any employer has different expectations; there is no one size fits all. Do not send the same resume to every company you are applying for, otherwise, you will likely be upset by the fact that you have been rejected.

Getting your first experience is not straightforward, however, you will master the tips you need for getting hired step by step. Allow yourself to make errors, only by making errors, you will learn how and what to improve. Do not be afraid of rejection, ask wherever you can until you find an open door; that door will be your launchpad that will prove that you have the skills to move forward to your career path.

Now that we know in short what a resume is, we should consider what to include in it — and whatnot.

The web page Here’s Everything You Should Include on a Resume (2020) highlights that a resume should contain:

1. Name and contact information (name, phone number, email address, a portfolio if relevant)

2. Summary or objective (two-sentence section explaining why you are qualified

3. Professional history or experience (company name, dates of tenure, and description of role and achievement, roles in clubs and volunteer organizations can be added if relevant)

4. Education (name and location of your school, degree obtained, the field of study, graduation year, GPA, any relevant achievements)

5. Skills (hard, soft skills and certifications relevant to the job)

6. Optional (Awards & Achievements, Hobbies & Interests relevant to the job position)

After having considered how a resume should be structured, let’s have a look at what elements should NOT be included. Knowing what to avoid when writing resumes, is important because applicant-tracking systems usually make the initial screening process. APS are employed in the majority of companies; they are systems that facilitate HR managers’ job. To avoid being discarded during the first screening stage, it is appropriate to have some precautions:

1. Avoid including personal information unrelated to the job: e.g. sexual orientation, marital status, spiritual beliefs

2. The personal picture must not be included, to allow the employer to judge you by your actual qualifications and not your appearance (some systems automatically dismiss these applications)

3. Avoid using “I, my” and prefer using the absent first person

4. Make sure not to make spelling or grammatical errors

5. Do not state your weaknesses of skills you lack

These are only some tips on what you should avoid and what you should not. I recommend you further informing yourself on the internet. Knowledge can help you successfully get your first job.

We have seen that a good resume is necessary to start working, however, there are several other things that you should know that can help you get job-ready. We will explore them now.

1. Study and understand well the work market. Some websites can help you discover job roles and functions, I suggest you have a look at this: https://www.onetonline.org/

2. Gain certifications: check if the job you are applying for requires certain skills that can be learned with a course. Possessing a certification gives you more credibility and increases the chances of getting hired.

3. Create your LinkedIn profile and boost your presence online. A powerful LinkedIn profile can help you show your personality and accomplishments, increasing the chances of getting noted.

4. Be participative at the university and push yourself out of the comfort zone, join clubs or activities: The more experience you gain, the better. Showing interest and working hard on projects could land you the possibility to be noticed by your professor, which may hand you possibilities to work with them.

5. Pick a mentor: Ideally one working in the field that you are interested in. Working with a mentor can help you know your limits and strengths, guiding you through your development process.

6. Sign up to job boards. Read for online job postings and apply. The more you try, the more the possibilities for you to get hired increase.

7. Learn about the hiring process: read about what questions are more likely to be asked during job interviews, and what to reply to make a good impression. Knowing how will the hiring process take place, can help you get prepared and feel more confident during the interview.

Getting ready for a job is not an easy task, you will likely arrive unprepared to your first work experience; however, there is nothing wrong with it. First experiences are made to teach us what to do, without starting, we will never be able to figure out what to do next.

SOURCES:

Here’s Everything You Should Include on a Resume (2020) Available at: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/what-to-include-on-a-resume (Accessed: 06 December 2020)