Graduation is an accomplishment filled with joy, pride, and overall excitement to reach a milestone. Although, without proper planning and confidence it can be difficult to find a job after graduation. Maybe even after a break of one-three years, it can be a struggle to continue pursuing a career that seems out of reach.
Let’s talk about the truth of the matter. Chasing your dreams is scary and intimidating. An interview followed by an email that doesn’t come with a job offer can build into doubt in the job application process.
My advice to you is, don’t give up! The real challenge is not earning the degree, it is finding an opportunity that aligns with your education and passion. This article will help you build the confidence to apply for roles that align with your strengths and land that dream job!
Know your S.W.O.T
To have confidence you need to clearly understand your strengths, and weak areas, and how you can build opportunities in your experiences for your personal goals. Take the time to do a personal inventory and write out a list of your S.W.O.T.
When we write it out we can gain clarity and ownership of our character traits and personal assets.
I have developed a toolkit that will help you explore your career journey. By working through different activities and intentional reflection, you will start to become more career confident. You can use these worksheets to help you explore your strengths and areas for improvement. This will also help you with your career direction with confidence.
Know your “Why”?
Before you start writing your cover letter, you need to understand your “Why” so that you can align it with the expectations of the role. Your “why” is the backbone of the reasoning behind your actions and goal-setting. What is it that drives you to continue and not give up? Do you want to help others, build processes or engage with people in the community?
Once you take the time to assess, you should focus on building a succinct message that shares your “why” with others. How would you share your “why” in 3-4 sentences? Keep in mind that you have to be clear, informative, and share insight into your heart and mind.
For example, my WHY is:
I desire to be a transformative and transparent leader that empowers others to believe in their contribution to their community. I aspire to uplift others to reach their fullest potential and in return be a light to others.
Update your Resume with Career-related terms
You want to make sure that you are incorporating all of your related experiences and transferable skill sets into your resume. Research different job postings and don’t keep yourself limited to a region or educational experience. Just search! For example, you might want to be a data manager but you know that you need to be a data analyst first. Don’t just research data analysts for examples of skill-sets, you need to look at the manager position as well to include language that is forward-looking.
Make a list of common job description bullet points and from there you can build out a list of your related tasks and an example demonstrating your skill set.
Invest in your Confidence!
After graduating, the truth is that you are removed from an environment that provides safeguarding and you could use being a “student” as a reason behind not getting your dream job.
As a Career Confidence Coach, I have helped many clients work through these steps and level up their confidence, and gain the job they deserve! You don’t have to do this alone and invest in accountability structures and self-esteem building.
I hope this article helps you gain some clarity on how you can be more confident in the job application process!
Live your worth,
Cindy Alvarez
@CareerConfidentMujer
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