When it comes to the dreaded post-graduation job hunt, it’s easy to feel like a little fish in a big pond. Between the stress of graduating from college and the terrifying thought of entering the real world (taxes, insurance and health care, oh my!), it can be hard to feel like you have a leg up on the job hunt.
Luckily for us, we have the World Wide Web to help us out! Here are seven of our favorite websites to help you learn more about the company or field you want to work in so you’ll be in the know no matter where you end up after graduation.
1. LinkedIn
Okay, so LinkedIn isn’t that unique anymore, but it does have some cool features and resources you may not be taking advantage of.
“Many people don’t know, but if you search the business in the search box, before clicking enter, there should be an option that comes up that says, ‘See people who worked here,’” says Laura, a junior at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. “When the list of names comes up, you can see if there is anyone that you are either a first or second connection with that you can contact!”
Browsing your dream company’s profile will not only alert you to any shared employee connections, but it will also tell you how many people work for the company, update you on any job openings and provide suggestions for similar companies. Plus, you can check out what former employees are up to now, giving you an example of what your career path could look like.
“It really helps spark ideas of where I might want to take my career, while also giving me a potential inside source to a company,” says Elizabeth, a recent graduate of Brigham Young University.
What are you waiting for, collegiettes? Time to perfect that profile!
2. Glassdoor
We are so in love with this website, and for so many reasons. If you’ve been living under a rock for the past few years and haven’t heard of Glassdoor, it’s essentially TripAdvisor for your career! You can search any job at any company and get info from real employees (past and present) about salaries, work environments and tons of other aspects of work life. There’s even a whole section on each company’s page dedicated to real interview questions asked by the company, which is perfect to check out before that nerve-wracking interview!
While many Glassdoor users are mature and respectful, keep in mind that some ex-employees might view the site as a way to express their frustration with their former employers. As long as you look at a company’s rating overall and take outlier reviews with a grain of salt, visiting this website is a must before accepting any job offer.
3. Salary.com
With astronomical student loans, insanely expensive studio apartments and the occasional well-deserved shopping spree to pay for, graduates have every reason to be concerned with their salaries. As a college senior, you may be nervous about negotiating your starting salary at your first real job, or you may not even know what you should be earning for the work you’re doing. That’s where Salary.com comes in!
This free site allows you to search by profession and provides you with job descriptions and national salary data, including a median annual income as well as the standard benefits and bonuses. You can even refine the data by selecting a particular city, the level of your education and your years of experience to get a more accurate picture of what your salary should look like. For the working twentysomething, this website is a lifesaver.
4. Spotlight on Careers
If you’re getting ready to graduate from a liberal arts college, Spotlight on Careers is a site you should definitely check out! Mary Lothrop, the assistant director of health professions and STEM advising at Middlebury College, says this “premier career resource for liberal arts students” was developed by the Liberal Arts Career NetWORK, so it’s tailored specifically to job hunters with liberal arts majors.
In addition to being able to search for jobs and internships by industry, you can read up on the pros of graduate school and even get advice on how to polish your resume or brush up on those interview skills. Plus, the website offers a feature that allows you to search for alumni advice by college so you can see what your school’s alums recommend doing after graduation. Think of it as an online campus career center!
5. CareerBuilder’s Advice & Resources
Powered by CareerBuilder, Advice & Resources is a great website for job hunters. The homepage lists current career trends, helpful tips and a weekly list of 10 companies all over the country that are hiring. There’s also an option to filter thousands of articles by industry, so you can check out advice articles and career-related info tailored to your interests.
Advice & Resources also offers targeted articles containing advice for every stage of the job search, whether you’re just starting to see what’s out there or you’re on your third round of interviews. Expert advice on how to maintain eye contact during an interview, how to use social media to your benefit in the job search and how to find a career that makes you happy are just a few of the articles available to the budding careerist.
6. CareerOneStop
CareerOneStop has almost more features than we can count, but suffice it to say that it’s one you should check out. For the collegiette who isn’t quite sure how to format her resume, there are sample resume templates available to download as well as sample thank-you letters to send out to your interviewers (a great way to make a good impression!). And, in addition to providing detailed job descriptions and salary info, CareerOneStop is also a one-stop site for info on the less exciting aspects of the real world, like health plans and the cost of living (boring, but important!).
Our favorite feature, though, has to be the free Skills Profiler. All it takes is 20 minutes to fill out your skills profile with some basic information, and the profiler will comprise a list of your skills and aptitudes, a list of jobs that employ those skills and a percentage of your skills that match each job—perfect for the collegiette who isn’t quite sure what she wants to do after graduation!
7. The Princeton Review’s Career Page
You trusted The Princeton Review to help you make your college decision, so why not look to it again during the job hunt? The site’s Careers section allows you to search for your dream career and then provides you tons of info specific to that career.
“It gives you a ton of info, such as quality of life, what a typical day on the job is like, the average career arc, how long it will take you to achieve a senior position and more,” says Aja, a sophomore at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. “Whenever I discover a career I might be into, I look it up!”
The site even tells you what degree is required to work in your field and what the most common undergraduate major is. And, if you decide a particular career isn’t for you, The Princeton Review’s Career page also lists similar careers that employ the same skills. Sounds pretty great, right?
Finding a job after college is notoriously stressful, but if you know where to go for expert advice and insider information, you’ll be one step ahead of the game and on your way to scoring your dream job. Happy hunting, collegiettes!