The best times to start applying for jobs before graduation

Well done! You have finished almost four years of college and are now getting ready to enter the job market! According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), 50.2% of college grads get a job within just six months of graduating. But imagine not having to wait even six months without a job. In this article, we talk about when you must start applying for jobs so that you can have a great opportunity lined up by the time you graduate.

October to November: Do some research

It is your graduation year, and you have some kind of idea of what kind of job you want after college. Before you start thinking about career paths, you must identify a few crucial things such as your true strengths, your career values, the kind of company culture you like, and your personal values regarding a profession.

Once you have a career path narrowed down, do your research on what the industry demands. This will help you make better class choices for your last semester. If the employers of the industry you want to work in require candidates to have coding skills or statistics knowledge, you can select classes that give you those skills to better qualify for the field.

December to January: Start talking to people

Networking is the best career move you can make during this phase. The alumni network of your college is a great place to start networking. Build meaningful relationships with the professionals you meet and interact with so that you have someone to recommend you the next time an opportunity pops up.

Informational interviews can help you a lot during this time. Connect with professionals from your intended industry and ask them for an informational interview. You will get to learn a lot about the trends of the sector as well as the scope of the job.

February to March: Get prepping

This is the ideal time for you to start preparing for your job search. Get your job application documents in order. You will need to invest time in creating the perfect college grad resume to market yourself to the right employers. Also, create a catchy cover letter template to make your job applications even stronger.

Use Resume Mansion’s resume critique checklist to review your resume once you are done. That way, your resume will be error-free when you finally start applying for jobs. You can also start searching for jobs in your preferred field. Even though you don’t need to apply just yet to get a job before graduation, going through job adverts will teach you a lot about industry expectations.

April to May: Send away those job applications

April and May are the best months for you to start applying for jobs in your graduation year. You already have a bunch of job listings you found a few weeks ago. Prioritize your job applications by your preferences as well as the application deadline.

Always remember to customize your resume for each job application. Tailored resumes always perform better in the job search. Once you have submitted the job applications, all you have to do is to wait for an employer to call you. Before you even know it, you will have a job lined up by the end of May!