How to Land Your First Job

You’ve just graduated from university, now what? 

Landing your first job out of school can be scary and intimidating, especially when you have no experience. 

Although getting that first job may take a bit of time, don’t get discouraged! With the proper preparation, you will be on your way to your dream job in no time. While it may feel like there is pressure to have everything figured out as soon as you graduate, but in reality, it takes most people a bit of time to figure out what they want to 

Here are some things to consider while on the job hunt. 

Talk to Recruiters

A recruitment agency will act as a middleman between a company looking to hire and individuals looking for jobs. They may reach out to you via email or LinkedIn if they have a position they think may suit you or you can search the recruitment agency’s job postings to try and find the right fit.

There are recruitments agencies in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal and almost all other major cities across Canada that can help you find a job. 

Know How to Network

Whether you’ve been meaning to or not, you’ve been networking your whole life and knowing how to use these connections may help you land a job. Talking to your friends and family about your career goals can help you in your job hunt because it’s possible that someone in your extended network could be a connection to your dream job. 

Using tools like LinkedIn are great for staying connected with professionals and making new connections. It’s also a good idea to keep an eye out for networking events in your desired field that could help you meet valuable connections. 

Remember that networking happens everywhere and you don’t have to be at the cocktail hour of a conference to make professional and influential connections. 

Write an Amazing Resume and Cover Letter

Your resume package tells employers about who you are and what you can bring to the table. 

Make sure you only list your relevant experience. If none of your experience is related to your desired field, it’s important to highlight your transferable skills. 

In your cover letter, use keywords from the job posting and relate them to yourself and your experience to explain why you are the best candidate for the job. 

Prepare for Interviews

Once you get offered an interview, it’s time to do some serious prep work. Consider doing mock interviews with your friends and family to get comfortable answering common interview questions. 

Always look the part when going for an interview. When in doubt, it’s better to air on the side of being too formal than being too casual. 

Once the interview is over, send a follow-up email thanking the interviewer for their time, reiterating your eagerness to work for the company and offering to provide any additional documents or references. It’s also a good idea to talk about something that was mentioned in the interview. For example, if you discussed the employer’s plan for growth, in your follow-up email you could talk about how inspiring you found their growth plan and how excited you are by the possibility of being part of that growth.