Just Graduated? Should I pursue my post-graduation or should I start applying for Jobs, this is a common dilemma every student goes through in his or her life. Well, It gives anxiety to everyone to even think about what the future is going to be like.
Class’ 24 will be done by their exams in the coming months, few would have been placed in good jobs, a few must be all set to pursue higher studies abroad or in India, or a few might have taken a path of Entrepreneurship, but post final exams few will have a transition from being a student to being unemployed, where they will be building their resumes, or in the process of interviews.
For all of you, in the ever-evolving job market, here’s a blueprint for crafting a career plan in 2024 required to the demands of the current job market:
Career Plan for Class’ 24
Know What ‘Career’ you want to go in
Let’s begin by conducting a thorough self-assessment. First of all, ask yourself a few questions. What is it that I want to do? What are my long-term career goals? Will it be risky to pursue something out of my ‘field’? What is it that I am passionate about? What motivates me? Are my skills enough? What are my strengths? Think practically, because you have to decide for yourself, yes you can take help from your peers or parents, but at the end of the day do what you want to do in terms of career choices. There are many career paths for you, see what really fits with you. Don’t worry about making a few little mistakes. Everything can be fixed if you know yourself and your strengths.
Develop or Update Your Skills, Work on your weakness
Now that you have made the decision let’s hop into the real world of struggle. For every job interview, the most asked question is ‘What are your top strengths? What are your weaknesses? What did you do to overcome your weakness?’ Yes, these sets of questions are thrown towards you. This can make it or break it for you. Improving yourself from time to time in an ever-evolving job market and keeping up with the trends will give you an upper hand over others. Don’t be lazy! If your field requires you to have advanced skills, learn them as soon as possible or you will fall behind others. Skills can be improved by doing some courses or internships, which we’ll further talk about. Moreover, identify your weakness before anyone else pinpoints it, and start to work on it.
Make ‘Yourself A Brand’: Resume Building
‘Resumes’ serve as your way into your dream job. A well-written and error-free Resume, makes you stand out in the crowd.You have to pay attention to what you are putting on your Resume or the cover letter. It is like a first impression of your on the potential Employers. Pick what you have in you, your skills, qualifications or others to put in your resumes, if you are confused, ask for help or just look on the internet, all career gurus have made it easy for you. Now you have your resume ready, let’s make it online. Just like being active on Instagram, have an online presence on these ‘Job Social Media’ like LinkedIn, or say Indeed. You can always find entry-level jobs there. So, build your profile there. Make employers know all your unique selling points. Remember, “Jo dikhta hai, Woh Bikta Hai''.
Build Connections
Now that you have a LinkedIn profile, capitalise on your conversation skills, send connection requests, and see others’ profiles of what people with similar educational backgrounds are doing in their careers. You’ll be surprised to know that there are many options out there, not just limited to what you have learned from your classes. Then, try to send cold messages to your peers, and people in your field, they surely will help you with any query you have. Also, Don't be afraid to ask for help from mentors, career coaches, or people you trust. They can give you good advice and help you figure out what to do with your career. Listen to what they say and be ready to learn from their experiences. Lastly, ask for referrals and capitalise on them for job opportunities. It's often more effective than just applying. So yes, a good way to ‘Network’. But don’t just limit your networking to Social Media, have some networks offline’ too. How? Attend events and Job conferences. You can always explore other options too.
Do Internships
Don’t be shocked when you see 1-2 years of experience required by employers in ‘Entry-level’ Jobs. It’s quite common out there. If you are wondering how a fresh graduate will have these many years of experience, yes it is quite unfair. But don’t worry as I said earlier, Internships are the best way to update your skills or even re-learn them in a ‘professional setting’ not just rot-learning, All this will help you to gain those years of experience. But remember apply to good internships only, that serves you right not just any illogical unpaid ones. So, with Internships, you will have a way to showcase to potential employers your commitment towards your career as you are taking the initiative to gain experience.
Prepare for your Interview
With this comprehensive career plan guide, it will be easier for you to at least make it to the interview round of the potential jobs. Now interviews are a big challenge, it is heartbreaking when you reach the last step but get rejected, so now you have to go back and climb those steps again. So, to avoid messing up in your interviews, start preparing for it. Step 1: learn to Communicate yourself well, Step 2: Know about yourself, the job you are applying for, the company, etc, Step 3: Present yourself well, make them know that you are the best fit. You can always learn it from your Seniors, mentors, or even online on how to crack interviews.
So, if everything goes right, you'll have a good and satisfactory job in hand. But remember to Stay focused, stay adaptable, and never stop learning and growing.
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