If you’re a senior and about to graduate college, you may be like me and struggling to find a job. Most seniors have been applying since the beginning of the semester and may have never heard back, been declined, or went on an interview and the job didn’t work out. What may be more frustrating than the actual process itself, it the constant interrogation of post-graduation plans from everyone around you; professors, classmates, family, friends, even strangers. “Do you have a job lined up yet?” “Why don’t you have a job yet?” If only it were that easy for everyone.
Yes, we all want/need a job to provide for ourselves, make money, and gain experience. However, there’s so much social pressure to get a job before you’re even handed your diploma. It feels like a competition, not just to get a specific job, but to see who can get any job in their field first.
Keep a few things in mind when you feel like you’re getting overwhelmed about this:
- You’re not alone in the job hunt. You may feel like you’re the only one without a job, but I promise you, there’s so many of us still applying to every job we possibly can on LinkedIn.
- It’s okay to get those rejection emails. Again, you’re not the only one who gets them. Also, it just means there’s an even better job for you that you’re more suitable for out there.
- The job you’ll eventually get doesn’t have to be the dream job. It may be an office job, it may be a bartending gig, or retail and these are all perfectly good jobs to have. As long as you’re making money and doing what you (hopefully) enjoy that’s all that matters in a post-grad life.
- It’s okay to not have a job before you graduate! You’ll get a job soon enough you just need a little more time to find what’s right.
- This is not a competition; it’s your life; so everyone’s path is going to be different. You’re doing just fine! Just focus on you and your journey.