I graduated from college last May, and if I’ve learned anything since then, it’s that job searching takes a considerable amount of patience and resolution. Hours upon hours have been spent searching for open positions, writing and rewriting cover letters, preparing for both job and informational interviews, and yet I’ve found myself again and again just falling back to where I started. I’ve had many late nights where I stay up wondering if it’s ever going to happen and battle with the anxiety of not being as accomplished as my peers who have already secured full-time positions.
But then I have to realize that comparing myself isn’t going to help anyone, and that the only thing that there is to do is to keep moving forward. It’s not always an easy choice to make, but I would rather choose positivity than negativity, and keep working hard in the hopes that eventually I’ll be presented with the right opportunity. So to all my fellow recent graduates who find themselves in a similar boat, here are three things I’ve been doing over the past several months that have helped me keep my head held high as I continue to job search.
Set realistic short-term goals and accomplish them.
Job searching is inherently accompanied by rejection, and in the face of that inevitable rejection, it’s important to celebrate the small things. When you’re not necessarily succeeding with your long term goal of getting a new job, setting short-term goals in other areas of your life and achieving them can help remind you that you are capable of achieving new goals, some just take longer than others. After I graduated, I set a few non-career related goals for myself. One of them was to finally get my driver’s license. I went to school in the city where public transportation was easily accessible and frequently used, but now that I’m living back home in the suburbs, the lack of a license has been sorely felt. So, I’ve been taking classes, in-car lessons, and I have my test scheduled in a couple of weeks. Its felt really good to be able to work on something and be rewarded with a tangible result. And that feeling of accomplishment has renewed my excitement and motivation for goals I have in other areas of my life. And that really is a huge part of staying positive in your job search. It’s easy to be hard on yourself when things don’t feel like they’re going the way you thought they would, but that’s what you have to fight against. Make the choice to believe in yourself rather than drown in self doubt. It’s not an easy choice, and it does take work, but in the end, if you truly want to get to where you want to go, it’s the only choice you can make.
Invest in your hobbies.
After graduating, I found myself with a lot of extra time on my hands. I have my part-time with The Niche Movement, a couple tutoring jobs here and there, and I’m obviously working on job applications, but for the most part, I’ve still found the last couple of months to be pretty slow-going for me. So, instead of spending that extra time binging Netflix (although I can’t say I haven’t done that every now and then), I’ve been trying to do things that I didn’t necessarily have time for while I was a student, like writing poetry and starting a personal blog. I realize not everyone is in this situation, and that they might not have the opportunity to invest hours at a time to their hobbies, but even just dedicating one hour to do something you like can make a difference. The point is to explore what makes you happy and to actively produce something from that, which is important in this day and age of passive consumption. Keep yourself busy and don’t think of this transition period as a failure. Instead, treat it as an opportunity to explore and try new things. And by following the things that make you happy, you might be able to add or adjust your career goals. I was initially looking for digital marketing positions when I started searching for a job, but now that I’ve had time to think about what I want and the kind of work that brings me joy, I’ve adjusted my search to include writing opportunities and am now leaning towards roles in publishing rather than marketing. And I wouldn’t have done that if I wasn’t paying attention to where my interests were taking me.
Be vulnerable and vocal about your job search.
Don’t be afraid of sharing what you’re going through with others. As someone who is naturally very private and who likes to be in control of all situations, this is a lesson I’m constantly learning as I search for new opportunities. At first, it was hard for me to admit to others that I was in this in-between period and that I wasn’t really sure what the future held. Whenever someone would ask me about what my plans were post-graduation, I would play up my part-time and talk about the multiple interviews I had set up. I was scared of what other people would think and I was scared they would judge me for not having a full-time job lined up right after getting my degree. But the more people I talked to, the more I realized there was nothing to be ashamed about. A lot of people go through the same experience, and in reality, talking about it can help you more than you think. By vocalizing to others that you’re looking for new opportunities, you’re increasing the chances of finding a connection that can lead to your next job. It really is all about who you know, and the more you ask for help and advice and put yourself out there, the bigger your network will become and the more likely you’ll be top of mind when someone comes across an open position. It’s about sending out the intention and having faith in its reciprocity. Don’t hold yourself back by not talking about your situation.
I’ve been learning firsthand the work it takes to keep going in the face of rejection over the last seven months or so, and like I said earlier, it’s easy to feel discouraged under the weight of it all. Hearing all those “no’s” takes a toll and it can make it difficult not to fall into self-doubt and deprecation. But that’s the crux of it. You have to have faith that eventually someone will take a chance on you and say “yes.” When things get tough, keep in mind that things won’t be this way forever. You and the world around you are capable of change; nothing is static. There is growth and new opportunity out there, you just have to keep going after it. The worst thing you can do is give up, because you never know what’s just around the corner. And most importantly, don’t give up on yourself. You are worthy of your dreams. Align yourself to them, invest in the things that bring you joy, and the rest will follow.