Summarize in ChatGPT
While there’s no single “right” way to get hired, there are smarter ways to approach your search. Here are some practical strategies that can help you expand how you’re looking for roles, identify what’s holding you back, and focus your energy where it actually matters.
Stop Relying on One Job Search Strategy
You’ve probably already tried everything - but if you haven’t, you should. There are numerous methods to land jobs, some more conventional than others. From cold applications to online networking to LinkedIn posts to referrals to inbound messages from recruiters, jobseekers end up finding opportunities in a wide variety of ways. You won’t know how you’ll find your next job until you try different methods.
Diversify Your Job Search Methods
A successful job search rarely hinges on one perfect tactic. It’s about using several channels at the same time and understanding that each one reaches employers differently. Some methods favor volume, others favor timing or relationships. When you diversify how you apply, you reduce reliance on any single system and increase your chances of landing real conversations, not just automated rejections.
Job Boards & Cold Applications
Use every single job board that you can find. This includes Handshake, LinkedIn, Indeed, Monster, etc. There are even job boards specific to certain job fields, specific to certain demographics (ex. women), and specific to work type (remote). Limiting yourself to LinkedIn is likely a big mistake, as there are tons of other jobseekers in the same boat as you. When you use other job boards, you find jobs that are less likely to be seen by a large pool of applicants.
Staffing Agencies
Another method is working with a staffing agency such as Aerotek or Robert Half. These agencies are paid by the company once you land a job with them, so you’re not paying anything out of pocket. These agencies can help you land contract roles and put you in front of opportunities. They’re not a company that works for candidates, but rather an organization that works for many employers to help them find candidates to fill positions.
College Career Fairs
If you haven’t found a job by the time next semester rolls around, you can even go back to your university’s career fairs. Colleges typically encourage their recent graduates, in addition to their current students, to attend. For example, it would be ideal for December graduates to attend their alma mater’s career fairs in the spring in order to land job offers that start that summer (or earlier)!
Identify Your Bottleneck
In corporate speak, a “bottleneck” is something that is preventing you from moving forward in a process - it’s the factor causing you to be stuck. When it comes to your job search, we need to figure out where exactly in the job search process you’re getting stuck.
Make a List
Are you stuck on which jobs to apply to? First, create a list of job titles you’re interested in. Then, figure out what you want in a job - create your list of non-negotiables and preferences. This will help guide you on which jobs are worth applying to.
Fix Your Resume
Are all your applications getting rejected? Let’s work on fixing up that resume. Get your resume critiqued by multiple people, including your college advisors, classmates, and more experienced peers in the field.
Learn Phone Interview Etiquette
Are you getting phone screens but not advancing to more interviews? Answering common interview questions well can take some practice. The key is being able to communicate why you are a good fit for the job and what makes you interested in working at the company.
Master STAR Interview Method
Are you making it to the final round of interviews but not receiving job offers? You might be missing out on landing job opportunities due to an inability to communicate your competencies through concrete examples. Master the STAR format for telling stories (STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action, Result) in order to effectively demonstrate to interviewers that you’re a winner.
Guard Your Mental Health
Are you burnt out? Keeping your mental health in check is one of the hardest battles during a grueling job search. Make sure that you’re balancing job search activities with getting exercise, prioritizing your health, and connecting with friends and family who support you. Take breaks and don’t add pressure on yourself to submit applications every single day. Applying to jobs and interviewing from a healthy mental state, as opposed to a state of desperation, is one of the key behaviors of successful jobseekers.
The job search process has many steps, and you need to master all of them in order to land the right job. Every candidate has their own strengths and weaknesses, and it’s important to identify yours so you can focus on improving them. If you are getting final round interviews, you probably don’t need to focus any more energy on perfecting your resume. Focus your effort on where it matters most.
Strategically Network with Your University’s Alumni
Believe it or not, being young and fresh out of college has a few advantages. For one, people are especially willing to help you.
A networking strategy that I personally used extensively was to connect with alumni from my school. Did you know that you can look up alumni who studied the same major as you on LinkedIn?
You can do this by searching for your university’s page on LinkedIn, then clicking on the “Alumni” tab. From there, scroll to the “What they studied” box, click on Add, and input your major to find alumni who shared the same major. Once you’ve identified someone you’d like to connect with, send them a connection request. Add a customized message along with it, stating what you share in common with them, plus your interest in getting to know them professionally. Do note that the free version of LinkedIn only allows a few personalized messages a month.
If you want to find alumni who live in a specific city you’re interested in working at post-grad, you can repeat this using the “Where They Live” box. If there’s a specific company you want to work at, use the “Where They Work” box. You can also use the search bar to look up certain keywords.
In addition to your school’s main page, you could also look up specific departments or programs you were a part of in college. For example, your school’s business department may have its own LinkedIn page.
Once they respond, you can ask to hop on a quick coffee chat. Make sure to prepare several thoughtful questions to learn about their career path and gather advice. The main goal is to build a professional connection, though it could lead to a referral if their company has open positions. This is a great way to get to know different types of roles and gauge if they would be something you would potentially be interested in. These conversations are especially valuable because these employees aren’t recruiters, so they can often share truthful insights about working at their company.
The Riches Are in the Niches
As a new grad, you’re competing against all the other new grads for the same positions. We all want the cool-sounding job, but in reality, some of the most stable and in-demand roles are the ones that are hardest to explain.
Here’s what I mean: you might be tempted to skip over jobs with titles that don’t immediately make sense, but give them a second look - you may end up being vaguely interested after reading the job description.
Everyone wants to apply for a “Business Analyst” role, but many have never heard of adjacent positions such as Sales Operations, Marketing Analytics, Systems Analyst, Pricing Analyst, or Implementation Analyst. Your dream job might have a different title than you expect.
So, don’t be afraid to try something new or interview for a role you’re unfamiliar with. You never know what career path you may end up on.
Use AI to Your Advantage
AI is all the rage - but can it really help with your job search? It certainly can, as long as you don’t rely on it blindly. Here are a few ways you can use AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude to your advantage:
- Refine your resume: Upload your resume and ask the tool to make the verbiage more concise or reformat it into a cleaner structure.
- Tailor your resume to a job: Upload both a job description and your resume, and ask what skills or keywords may be missing.
- Prepare for interviews: Copy and paste a job description into the tool and ask it to create mock interview questions for you.
Final Thoughts
Finding a job can often feel like throwing applications into a black hole, but there can be more effective ways to land results. A successful job search isn’t about “spraying and praying” — it’s about diversifying your approach, understanding where you’re getting stuck, and adjusting your strategy accordingly. Whether that means exploring overlooked job titles, leaning on alumni connections, using AI thoughtfully, or simply taking care of your mental health, progress comes from clarity and focus. By implementing these practices, you’ll be taking steps in the right direction towards landing your first job post-grad.