Hi friends! I’ve been teasing this on Instagram for a while, but today’s post is the first in the Adulting with Abby monthly series. As I’ve transitioned from college kid to full-fledged working adult over the past couple of years, I’ve often wondered why there is no guide to adulthood. So I set out to create one. I know for many people, securing that first job out of school is the initial big step towards adulting. Therefore, it seemed only fitting that the Adulting with Abby series kick off with a guide on how to land your first job.
Today’s post covers my experience landing my first job out of college and the tips and tricks I picked up along the way. However, since I can only speak to my own personal experience, I wanted to include an expert opinion, as well. Next Monday, Part II featuring a Q&A with a certified career coach will go live, so be sure to come back for that!
My Experience
To preface, I was extremely stressed about finding a job during my senior year of college. If that’s where you are right now, I empathize completely! For those that don’t know, the SparkNotes version of my experience is that I targeted my job search to Washington, DC, accepted a post-graduate fellowship at a top 5 global public relations agency, and ultimately turned that fellowship into a full-time job.
Based on my experience, here is my step-by-step guide on how to land your first job:
1. Soul-Search
While the term soul-search may sound a bit dramatic, all it means in this context is self-reflecting on your interests, strengths, and past experiences to inform your next step. I think this is a crucial starting point in the job-hunting process. To me, the soul-searching was two-fold with part one being What do I want to do? and part two being Where do I want to be?
What Do I Want to Do?
Identify what your interests are and how those interests could translate to a profession. Lean on your past experiences here, including those in the classroom, at internships, or elsewhere. I was a broadcast journalism major for the first three-quarters of my college career but realized through my various internships that I was more interested in public relations with a government focus.
Then, list out all of the general positions that interest you. You may want research during this stage to find the kind of roles that exist and their common job titles. My list ranged from typical entry-level agency positions, such as Account Coordinator and Assistant Account Executive, to other jobs I thought I may enjoy in the political realm, like Press Assistant.
Where Do I Want to Be?
Once you have the gist of what you want to do, consider where you’d like to be. Some people may disagree with this approach and instead recommend casting the widest net you can, but I found it better to target a few cities with jobs in my industry of choice.
I applied mainly to jobs in Washington, DC, but also a few in Raleigh, NC, and one in Charlottesville, VA. A few factors led me to set my sights primarily on DC. First, I had spent the previous two summers interning in the District. My time interning showed me I liked the city and also allowed me to build a professional network there. Second, DC is a great place for the industry I was targeting. The city boasts an abundance of professional opportunities for political communications. And finally, the third factor was that my long-term boyfriend was living and working in Washington at the time. I was very ready to be done with long-distance and be in the same city as him.
On that note, don’t be ashamed to factor your personal life or other things that are important to you into your job decision. This is where soul-searching/self-reflection again comes into play. If being in a big city is important to you, prioritize that. If being within driving distance to your family is important to you, prioritize that. Of course, it’s all a balancing act based on what your job prospects are, but I encourage you to also consider your priorities outside of your career during the job-hunting process.
2. Research
After you’ve determined what you want to do and where you want to be, turn your attention to research. First and foremost, research when the industry you’re interested in typically makes new hires. For example, accounting firms recruit during the fall semester, while most entry-level public relations jobs are posted in the spring.
Then, research the job market. Utilize your school’s job postings portal, set up LinkedIn job alerts, and do Google searches to compile lists of all the relevant companies in your given industry and cities of interest. Many companies will only post their open positions on their own website, so this last step is vital.
Finally, research the experience and skills required for the kind of roles you’re interested in and adjust your expectations accordingly. As a senior in college, I had six internships under my belt but recognized that I did not have agency experience, which is something that large public relations firms want to see on your resume. With this in mind, I knew doing a post-grad internship or fellowship was my best chance of getting my foot in the door at said firms.
3. Reach Out to Your Network
If there’s one tip on how to land your first job that you take away from this post, make it this: Reach out to your network to let them know you’re job-hunting. During my senior year, I sent emails to my network (including former internship supervisors, family friends, etc.) sharing that I was graduating and looking for jobs, telling them the kind of roles I was interested in, and asking for their help if they knew of any open positions or could make introductions. I also attached my resume so that they could share it with others.
The old saying is true: It’s not what you know; it’s who you know. My network was so helpful during my search and I am forever grateful for the introductions they made for me. Ironically, the job I ultimately accepted was the only one where I did not have a connection, but that was largely because the company started their hiring process earlier and extended me an offer first.
4. Apply, Apply, Apply
The next step is to apply to as many jobs as you can. Outside of networking, job-hunting is unfortunately somewhat of a numbers game. The more applications you submit, the more opportunities you have to be interviewed and then hired.
With that being said, tailor your resume to each job posting. I include a skills section in my resume and add keywords from individual job descriptions there. Also, always write a cover letter, even if it’s optional. This may be a hot take, but I think not going the extra mile to write a cover letter demonstrates that you won’t go the extra mile in the role if hired.
5. Interview
Preparing for Interviews
Once you are offered an interview, it’s time for another round of research. This time, you’ll be researching the particular company so that you come to the interview (whether virtual or in-person) prepared. You should be prepared to talk about your past experiences and how they lend themselves to the role you’re interviewing for. There shouldn’t be a single item on your resume that you can’t confidently speak to. You should also be prepared with questions specific to the company that demonstrate your knowledge about the industry.
Know that an initial phone screen is typical for first-round interviews, even if the hiring manager doesn’t specify that the interview will be a phone screen. If you’re unfamiliar, phone screens are relatively short phone calls designed to determine whether you are qualified for the position and deserve a formal interview.
Traveling for Interviews
While I’m sure this is completely different in the current COVID-19 era, my experience was that after the phone screen, most companies want to interview you in person. If you want to work in a different location than your college town or where you currently reside, you’ll need to plan to travel. Dependent on the industry and job, companies may offer to fly you out for an interview. This was definitely not the case for the public relations roles I applied to, so I made plans to be in Washington, DC, for spring break my senior year and informed companies that I would be available for interviews during that time. I highly recommend this approach!
Following Up After Interviews
After each round in the interview process, be sure sure to follow up with thank you emails to your interviewers. And if in the end you do not get offered the position, it’s always a good idea to ask the hiring manager for feedback. I know it’s not easy to hear constructive criticism, but I promise that it will help you identify the things you can improve to better your chances of landing the next role.
6. Close the Deal
In an ideal world, you would receive all of your job offers around the same time. Unfortunately, this is rarely the reality. If you have one or more offers on the table, it’s time to evaluate what’s most important to you and make a decision. In March 2019, I had one offer and was in the final rounds for a few other positions. I had to quickly decide whether I was going to accept the offer or pursue the other opportunities. Since it was important to me to have the peace of mind of knowing what my next step would be, and because I didn’t want to count chickens that hadn’t yet hatched, I ultimately accepted the offer. For you, the decision may also come down to timing, or it could center on the type of work, location, salary, or benefits.
Once you accept an offer, take a deep breath. You did it! Now, it’s time to celebrate!
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I hope you found this guide on how to land your first job helpful! Be sure to come back next week for even more tips on how to land your first job, courtesy of a certified career coach. And let me know what other topics you’d like me to cover in the Adulting with Abby series. Have a great week!
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