You’ve Graduated! Now What?

Posted on Tuesday, December 9th, 2014

Most college graduates finish their programs in the spring, but at Algonquin College’s Waterfront Campus, students in six programs are completing their studies just before the holiday season begins. What a great gift to themselves, but it won’t be long before they are making their list of New Year’s resolutions, and finding that first job in their field will be at the top of the list.

So here are a few suggestions for our new grads:

1. Take advantage of graduating several months before most college and university students are ready to join the workforce. Be aggressive in your job search in the months of January through April, because after that there will be a lot more competition as thousands of graduates from other post-secondary schools will be completing their studies and will be looking for work.

2. Access free services within your community to better prepare for your job search. For example, Employment Ontario officesprovide a large menu of free services from helping new graduates with building resumes to preparing for interviews. Some of these organizations also have access to programs that provide incentives to employers to hire new post-secondary graduates. These programs can be very helpful for grads that are looking to get their foot in the door and get their career started.

3. Use social media wisely. You never know who is looking at your social media sites and you want to portray the best image possible. Make sure you have a LinkedIn account and that it is up-to-date. LinkedIn is a great place to join professional groups and to monitor job postings that fit with your education.

4. Don’t be afraid to move. Sometimes getting that first job requires a change in scenery. When you are looking to start your career, you need to go where the job is. Get some experience and then you can be more picky when choosing the right job and the most desirable location to work.

5. Keep in touch with your fellow graduates. Your former classmates may be the best source of information for job openings within your field. Joining the Algonquin College Waterfront Campus LinkedIn group would be a smart first step to keeping connected.

Algonquin College is proud of all of its graduates and we always like hearing about their successes. Please let us know when you land that first job!

Posted by: Jamie Bramburger, Manager of Community & Student Affairs

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