Getting from College to Career

Lindsey Pollak

• Publisher: HarperCollins e-books
• Year: 2009
• ISBN:
  9780061857096
• Topic: Personal Development
• Subtopic: Careers

"A well-written, lively and easy to follow guide."
—Time.com

"Perfect for today's students, who inevitably want what they want (and only that!) when they want it."
— Campus Career Advisor

Getting from College to Career by Career Expert and Global Spokesperson for LinkedIn, Lindsey Pollak, is an insightful, essential world guide for college students and recent graduates who are preparing to embark upon a career beyond the university walls. Now newly revised to reflect the most recent changes in the economy and job market, these "90 things to do before you join the real world" will give every young grad a head start, providing essential information for adapting to and succeeding in a marketplace that is now more competitive than ever.

Chapter 1

GET STARTED

This first section is all about getting ready to discover and pursue your ideal career. I am entirely certain that you, no matter who you are, can find a terrific, fulfilling, enjoyable job that will start you on the road to a career that will make you happy and successful. But first you have to believe that it’s really possible. No matter what, don’t let anything—including your own thoughts or fears—get in the way of getting a head start on your bright future.

1. START WHEREVER YOU ARE

Between my own first job search and researching this book, I’ve read virtually every career-advice-for-college-students book available. And every single one offers the same opening advice about finding a great postcollege job: start early.

Good advice, for sure, and I wholeheartedly agree. If you are reading this book as a college freshman, sophomore, or junior, then you are in great shape. But…

What if you haven’t started early? What if you have, in fact, started really, really late? What if you’re a second-semester senior? What if—gasp!—you are reading this book when you’re already a year or two out of college and you still haven’t found a job or a career path?

I’m here to tell you that it’s okay.

I agree with all of the other books that it is ideal to start thinking about your career plans as early in your life as possible, but I also know the reality is that many people don’t do this, and it isn’t very helpful to tell a college senior that she should have started doing internships her freshman year. I promise you that this book contains strategies for those who are starting early (Welcome, freshmen!) and those who are starting later.

It is never too early or too late. But one thing is essential: you must choose to start your planning and searching wherever you are right now. The smartest strategy for any job seeker is to accept and embrace your starting point. Your task will be to maximize the advantages of your particular situation and work hard to minimize the obstacles. Virtually every tip in this book applies to job seekers at every stage of the process.

But whether you are a freshman, sophomore, junior, senior, recent grad, or not-so-recent grad, there is one thing you must do as the first step of this book:

Starting this minute, commit to starting and having a great career. Therapists and self-help gurus will tell you that happiness is a choice; well, I think that having a great career is a choice, too. You can make it happen. And by reading this book, you will.

As you’ll see in many of the stories ahead, if you’re willing to do some work, take some risks, and apply some wise advice, you can and will get a terrific job and build a smart career path. Don’t worry about what you could’ve done, would’ve done, or should’ve done up to this point. Just get started right now.

Your very first assignment: put a big, fat, satisfying check mark in the box on page 3. The path to your dream career is waiting.

Make This Work for You

Make a commitment to work on your career, starting today.

Done!

2. KNOW THE NUMBERS

When you’re graduating and just starting out in the workforce, it may seem that everyone is getting a job faster than you are or no one is moving back home to live with their parents. Well, it’s time for a reality check. The truth is that over a million people graduate from college each year, so I promise that whatever your situation, lots and lots of other people are right there with you. Take this quick quiz to learn the real stats about college graduates and the job market:

1. How long does it take the average college graduate to get a job?
   • a. Less than 3 months
   • b. 3 to 9 months
   • c. Over a year

Answer: b. According to Money magazine and many other sources, it generally takes several months to land a first job, so be prepared not to find a position overnight.

• 2. What percentage of college graduates move back home after graduation?
  • a. 17%
  • b. 32%
  • c. 48%

Answer: c. MonsterTRAK’s survey of 2006 grads found that almost half will move back home. This percentage tends to go up when students graduate in a year when the economy is poor. It’s perfectly okay and totally normal to move back in with your parents or parent for a while to save money and get on your feet professionally.

• 3. How long do most recent college graduates plan to stay in their first job?
  • a. 3 to 6 months
  • b. 2 years
  • c. At least 5 years

Answer: b. MonsterTRAK’s survey also revealed that 60 percent of 2006 college graduates said they planned to stay in their first job for two years or less. If you’re an average American college graduate, it’s highly unlikely that your first employer will be your last. While it’s commendable to look for an employer you’ll want to remain with for a long time, it’s okay to make a decision based on where you want to be for the next few years only.

• 4. How much more money over a lifetime does a college graduate make than a high school graduate?
  • a. 25% more
  • b. 50% more
  • c. 75% more

Answer: c. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that over a typical, forty-year working lifetime, the average college graduate earns about 75 percent more. This can equal about $1 million or more. So, yes, that degree is worth it!

• 5. About how many jobs will the average person have in his or her lifetime?
  • a. 5 to 7
  • b. 12 to 15
  • c. 20 to 25

Answer: b. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average worker currently holds ten different jobs before age forty, and this number is projected to grow. Forrester Research predicts that today’s youngest workers—that’s you—will hold twelve to fifteen jobs in their lifetimes. But don’t panic—you won’t hold so many different jobs that you have to go through the whole job search process every year or two!

3. AVOID THE BIGGEST MISTAKE IN CAREER PREP AND JOB HUNTING

Remember how the nicest grade-school teachers always said, “There are no stupid questions.” Well, I would add that there are no stupid ways to gain experience and look for a job. The only stupid thing you can do is to do nothing.

That’s right; the worst mistake you can make is not to take any action at all. How do I know this? Because I did it. As you learned in the introduction, when I returned from graduate school in Australia and moved back into my old bedroom in my parents’ house, I spent about a month under the covers. I did absolutely nothing, except sprain my ankle when I finally ventured out jogging one day. That led to another month of doing absolutely nothing.

By not taking any action at all, I pretty much guaranteed that I wouldn’t find a job. Once I started making some phone calls, meeting some people for lunch, and sending out my résumé, I built momentum and began to find opportunities. The minute I took action—any action—things started happening.

Whenever you are stuck, frustrated, nervous, clueless, confused, discouraged, or overwhelmed, in my experience the answer is always action. Just do something. That’s why this book is arranged in action-oriented tips. Every page includes a way for you to move forward, no matter where you are in the career planning process. And I recommend taking at least one career-related action every single day.

This is a great mind-set to keep with you at every stage of your career. As long as you’re not standing still, you can rest assured that you’re moving closer to your goals and dreams.

4. EMBRACE YOUR STEREOTYPE

I know that you’re a special person with many unique qualities that we will explore and expand upon throughout the tips in this book. At the same time, you are also totally generic. What I mean by this is that you are in no way the first, the last, or even the fifty-millionth person to be in your current life stage.

Along with the burping baby, the blushing bride, and the midlife crisis man with a brand new sports car, the I-am-ready-to-take-onthe-world-just-as-soon-as-I-figure-out-what-I-am-going-to-do-next-year-and-for-the-rest-of-my-life graduating college student is a familiar American stereotype. Everyone knows it’s challenging but also exciting to go from a campus environment to the Real World, but hopefully you can take comfort from the fact that almost everyone who has gone to college has experienced this in some form. You’ve probably already realized this from the number of times adults have said to you, sometimes in a good way and sometimes in a bad way, “Boy, I sure remember what it was like to be in your position!”

Instead of rolling your eyes every time someone says this, my advice is to take advantage of it. Whenever you’re telling anyone, from a relative to a professor to a random stranger in line behind you at Subway, that you are looking for your first job and that person’s response is something like, “Wow, I’m so glad I’m not in your shoes!” or “Wait until you have three kids and a mortgage, kid. You’ll be dying to go back to this time in your life,” don’t just smirk. Instead, smile, take a deep breath, and then treat the situation as an opportunity. Ask for some free advice. I bet you’ll be surprised at the responses you get and the detailed ideas or real job leads you might pick up. As long as you ask politely and with genuine interest, most people will take a few minutes to help an earnest young college student or recent grad.

What exactly should you ask in such situations? Here are some good, simple questions you can pose to anyone and everyone who seems to take an interest in your situation:

• What’s your best job search tip?
• What was your first job, and do you think it was a good choice?
• Who do you think are the best employers in this area?
• Have you heard about any young people with really cool jobs during or after college?
• What do you wish you had known when you were my age?

By asking questions like the ones above, you’ll start collecting tips, suggestions, and warnings that can really make a difference for you. For instance, if nine out of ten people at the launderette tell you that they wish they had learned more about their career before jumping into it, then you might want to take that advice quite seriously. If your parents, your older brother, and your three cousins from Ohio practically cry when they talk about how much they regretted procrastinating finding a job after college, then you’ll be much more likely to start as soon as possible.

Remember, no-cost research opportunities are literally everywhere. There is an enormous amount of information, experience, and expertise out there that you can tap into at every stage of your first job search and for the rest of your life. So, start asking questions, listening to the answers, and taking copious notes.

Besides getting some good information, this exercise is important for another reason: you want to get into the habit of regularly talking about your career planning, job search, future goals, and networking needs so they become a more and more comfortable topic of discussion for you. This will come in handy later when we start to talk about the importance of networking.

To give you a head start, I surveyed a hundred professionals in a variety of fields and asked what they wish they had known at your life stage. Here are some of the most revealing answers:

“I wish I had known that I wasn’t going to be an overnight success.”

Derek Billings, business manager for an interior design/graphic design firm and part-time artist

“There are no mistakes, and even a job that seems to have been a mistake or a bad fit can lead you to the next step—the people you meet, the experience you had, etc.”

Cali Williams Yost, author, Work+Life, and president and founder, Work+Life Fit, Inc.

“If you’re patient, big dreams can come true. Success doesn’t always come in lightning-fast ways, and in ways that you could have predicted. Stay focused on your dreams, but be willing to bend.”

Maggie Jackson, contributing columnist for the Boston Globe

Make This Work for You

This week, ask at least three people: What do you wish you’d known about your career when you were my age? Record the three pieces of advice you find most helpful:

1.

2.

3.

Now commit to incorporating this advice into the rest of your career planning and job search.

Done!

5. OVERCOME YOUR STEREOTYPE

Remember ...