7 Tips When You Can’t Find a Job After Graduation

Prepping-for-Life-After-Graduation
Prepping-for-Life-After-Graduation

Find a Job After Graduation: You’ve spent the last three years working hard (and partying much harder) to get your degree. You’ve tossed your mortarboard in the air and shouted your final farewell to the lecture halls, the student union bar, and your student apartment.

You’ve just finished the best three years of your life (ideally), and now it’s time to go out into the big wide world of employment and leave your mark.

It’s finally time to acquire that amazing job – and pay – you were promised as a graduate and start enjoying the good life, right?

Unfortunately, no.

For many, life after graduation is not as idyllic as they had hoped. For many, this is the start of the actual hard labor.

After you graduate college, you might look forward to your first full-time paycheck coming in. But what if you can’t find a position as easily as you had thought you could? It’s hard to not feel stressed if you are in this position. Still, there are some things you can do to stay on track while you try to get ahead.

That is the real essence of this article, check out our 7 Tips When You Can’t Find a Job After Graduation.

What to Do When You Can’t Find a Job After Graduation

#1. Cut Down Expenses

When you are not bringing in a full-time income, it is important to make your savings last as long as possible. This can help you stay in a better place financially, especially since you do not know how long you will be without a job. You don’t want to build up even more debt than you likely already have from school. One way to reduce costs is to move home or with another relative. Food, rent, and utilities can all be costly, and many times, parents do not charge full market value for these things.

Even if they require some kind of exchange, you might be able to offer to help out around the house in exchange for living there. They may be especially appreciative of your help if they are getting older. No matter where you are living, a major monthly expense can be student loan repayment. You likely need to start thinking about these as soon as you graduate, whether or not you have a job lined up. However, you do have some options. One option is to refinance your student loans. When you refinance student loans, you might be able to extend your terms to get more time to pay them off, and you may be able to get slightly more favorable interest rates.

#2. Stay Positive

It can take a while to land a job that fits your needs, and in the meanwhile, it is easy to start feeling discouraged. However, do not let your lack of a job get you down. Work on staying positive and motivated during your search. Think about how you have come this far already. As a college graduate, you are already doing better than many other people out there. Even though you might feel you should spend all your time on your job search, it is still critical to ensure you are spending time doing some things you enjoy each day. That might be spending time with family, taking a walk, reading, or working on a hobby. You can look forward to this each day and maintain your positive attitude.

#3. Create a Website

If you are passionate about something and wish to share it, become a Youtuber, or create a blog, and see if it takes off. You could write about sports, tech, cooking, or personal finance. It can take some time to build up a readership, but it can be a good side hustle, even if it never generates a huge amount of money. You will need to spend some time on social media each day building up your following as well. It doesn’t cost that much to get started with a blog since there are so many free platforms out there.

Prepping-for-Life-After-Graduation
Prepping-for-Life-After-Graduation

#4. Do Some Networking

If your job applications are not getting you anywhere, consider spending some time networking to make more personal connections. It can pay off because it’s not just about your knowledge, but what connections you have. If your school has an alumni association, consider joining it. You might have already gotten emails, mail, or other communications about the association. If you can, try to attend functions to meet other graduates of that school. Many times, people love to work with other alumni, so you could get your foot in the door of an organization with this type of connection.

It might take several months to land a job, but if you are only looking in a narrow field, you are limiting your opportunities. If you are only looking in certain industries and have a long list of things you want in a position, you might not find a job as quickly. You might decide to be open to relocation, entry-type positions, different industries, and a range of careers. At this point, getting your foot into the door should be your focus. After a couple of years, it might be easier to land your dream job.

#6. Do Volunteer Work

Sometimes, you need to take an internship to get in into a certain industry. This is typical in filmmaking, video work, and some communications-related fields. You might need to work for free before you can become an employee. It’s also a great way to build your network and land a better position. You might also do some volunteering with organizations like the Peace Corps. Understand that even though you are giving your time to them, it can still take time to get accepted, and even once you do get in, you will need to commit for a certain amount of time.

#7. Stay Busy

You might find that looking for employment feels like a full-time job in itself, but you can still stay productive during this time. Look for chances to learn something new, pursue your interests, or even take on some work from a temporary work agency. You might be able to get extra licenses or training that can help you build your career. If you have reached the end of the interview process and are not moving ahead, ask what types of skills you could improve upon.

Perhaps you were not able to answer the interview questions that smoothly. You might ask a friend to help you with a mock interview. You could also stay busy by starting your own company. Focus on something you have a lot of experience or knowledge in. If you are good at fixing up cars, you might offer to do basic repairs for your friends. And if you like to sew, you may do some tailoring work. Getting into consulting work can also pay off, and it does not require that much investment.

Frequently Asked Questions About Finding a job After Graduation

  • Be an Adventure Guide.
  • Become a Nanny.
  • Become a Research Assistant.
  • Find an Internship.
  • Invest in Your Passion.
  • Start a Business.
  • Take a Continuing Education Class.
  • Pursue a Part-Time Job That You’re Passionate About.

The ability to make more money and get your life and career started is a major reason that life gets better after college. The more time you can spend working on growing your career and learning to enjoy your life while making money, the more you will feel that your degree has paid off.

It is completely normal to feel lost after graduation because you are experiencing a massive change in your lifestyle. However, this feeling will fade away as you adjust to your new lifestyle as a graduate.

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