7 Steps to Landing Your First Job in 7 Days
These seven steps can help you land your first job without any prior experience.
Getting the first job is very exciting and challenging. Whether you are fresh from college or looking to change your career, preparation for getting the first job needs great persistence and a clear strategy.
Here is a step-by-step guide to help you get your first job successfully-
Know your strengths
However, first of all, you need to check your strengths, skills, and areas of interest before applying. Knowing what you are good at and enjoy doing is the easiest way to hit your mark opportunity.
Identify your strengths. Make a list of the skills you possess, be they hard skills or soft skills. Then, take some time to determine what interests and passions you have. Discovering what excites you or aligns with a long-term goal can help drive you toward a job that he or she will enjoy.
Reflect on your past experiences, volunteer work, internships, or personal projects to point out areas in which you did well. It helps to know what your strengths are, and how you would apply those strengths in the very first job.
Know the job market
Now, we need to check the job market. You need to check, what kind of openings are there, what is the average pay, what job opportunities are aligned with your skills, and what is the interview process.
You can use online job portals like LinkedIn, Naukri, Indeed and Glassdoor to check current job openings. Create a list of job openings to which you want to apply, and learn about those companies hiring processes. Also, learn about the industrial trends and career growth in particular sectors.
Build a Strong Resume
Your resume is the first point of interaction with your employer. It speaks about your skills, experience and experience. So, you need to make sure it should be very professional.
You may not have any prior experience to add to your resume. You can add your skills, relevant coursework, internship, extracurricular activities, and projects you have worked on. Also, you can create your own portfolio.
Write a Cover Letter
A cover letter plays an important role in telling your employer why you are a perfect fit for a particular role. You should create each cover letter according to the company and job opportunity. You can take the help of the job description to write a cover letter. while writing the cover letter, you should consider these points-
- Address the hiring manager with his/her name.
- Tell why you are interested in the company.
- Highlight your skills and tell why they are important for the role.
- Keep it short, not more than a page.
Leverage Your Network
Networking is always beneficial when you search for a job or looking for a career change. Ask your friends, teacher, family or schoolmates for referrals.
Most of the job opportunities get filled by the referrals. You can use LinkedIn to connect the school or college mates, professionals who are working in the same domain, HRs, and employers.
Prepare for the Interview
Once you get selected for a role, you should start preparing for an interview. You can go through common interview questions and practice the mock interview.
While preparing for interview, also learn about the company and culture. You should be able to answer why you and your skills are a perfect fit for this job. You should also prepare some insightful questions to ask the interviewer about the role at the end of the interview.
Stay Persistent and Positive
Getting your first job could be a time-consuming process. So staying persistent and positive is very important throughout the job search journey.
You should keep working on your skill improvement. Try to complete online courses, get certification, and attend the workshop. If you are not selected for an interview, take feedback from the interview and refine your approach.
You should keep applying daily and grow your network. These efforts bring you closer to your goal.
Conclusion
The job search process is getting harder day by day. It takes time and lot of effort. But right strategy and mindset, you will land to dream role.
Remember, consistency is the key. So keep building your skills.
Thank you for reading this article, consider clapping 👏 for this article.
