The Century of the Job Seeker

Graduates: Create Your Own Job

by Ron McGowan

The biggest mistake graduates make in their search for employment is putting all their eggs in the traditional job basket. Their assumption is that someone will offer them a job, and when that doesn’t happen, they end up unemployed, or underemployed. They don’t understand that if the only option they give employers is to offer them a traditional job, they’re making it hard to hire them.

To succeed in today’s workplace, graduates must:

• Learn how to operate as freelancers or contractors. It’s not enough to be willing to do this; you have to learn how to do it effectively. Here’s an example of the world of freelancing: http://www.elance.com
• Learn how to find hidden employment opportunities. The majority of employment opportunities today are never advertised.
• Learn how to market themselves effectively. Graduates are often uncomfortable with this but their discomfort is based on ignorance of what it is all about. The good news is anyone can learn how to do it; it’s mostly common sense.
• Learn how to create marketing tools beyond the the resume/CV that are focused on the needs of the employer they’re contacting.
• Understand the role of the Internet and Social Media tools in finding employment opportunities and in creating an online presence that will attract employers and recruiters. A good resource for this is: http://www.bradanddeb.com/works.htm.
• Create a LinkedIn account. Spend as much time doing this as you would creating your resume/CV. In today’s world, it’s just as important.

For graduates who are interested in starting a small business, thanks to the Internet and modern communications tools, it’s easier to do this than it ever has been. Today, you can operate a business from your Smartphone and it doesn’t matter if you’re doing it from your living room, or your local Starbucks.

So graduates, stop shortchanging yourselves by settling for low paying jobs in the service sector, or unpaid internships. Take a position that you’re going to find paid employment in your field, just like millions of your peers around the world are already doing. It’s largely a matter of believing in yourself and refusing to accept anything less.

Ron McGowan is the author of the international bestseller “How to Find WORK – In the 21st Century”, currently in use at hundreds of colleges and universities worldwide. The 2013 edition has just been released by Thames River Press.