As a recent college graduate, I am fortunate to have found a job I enjoy so quickly after entering "the real world." However, it is difficult to share my excitement and new career with my friends and fellow graduates who remain unemployed, or are underemployed. With that said, I did a little digging to figure out some roots of the problems and some quick solutions to increase the chances of employment for recent graduates.
There's no looking back wishing we did this differently--more internships, better grades, more career fairs--so now is the time to move forward and make it work. We are arguably the most computer and tech-savvy generation so far, but are we optimizing the tools we've grown to obsess over?
Build your social media brand. It will establish your identity and is the first step in distinguishing yourself from competition. Take advantage of the outlets we were raised to assume are only for social interaction and boredom. Business and social media are becoming more compatible by the day.
Creating a LinkedIn profile not only gets your name out to the professional world, but it organizes all experience and skills gained over the years. It will ease in job searching and the application process, making it one of the most user-friendly platforms for finding employment.
Some peers hesitate to make a profile because of lack of experience, or experience not correlating with their career goals. Do not use that as an excuse--we all have to start somewhere. LinkedIn is filled with people who can connect you to where you want to go, and you can follow companies and read articles that will help set you in the right direction.
Get yourself on LinkedIn and become involved with the right people, groups, and companies. Once it's created, maintain it and check it every day (or as often as you can). After all, LinkedIn is how I got my job.
Kelly Foley is managing director at NEREJ Tech, Norwell, Mass.