I stumbled upon a great guide by the Washington Center, for students who are graduating during these tough times of the Covid-19 pandemic. As a Spring 2020 graduate myself, I found this guide incredibly useful and wanted to share it with all of you!

Keep on reading to gain new insight on ideas, mindsets, and resources that will help you develop immediate and long-term action-plants during these confusing times.

 

Phase 1: Getting Started. 

Sit back and take the time to think critically about your approach in jumping into the post-graduation life. Especially now, this is a different, strange time for all of us – be adaptable and step out of your comfort zone.

  • Be Practical
    • Companies that you have been interested in may not be hiring right now
    • Compromise and utilize a practical approach – this will set you up for long-term success
    • Focus your job search on companies that are still hiring during these times
  • Stay Connected
    • Network, network, network!!
    • Most people find jobs through networking and personal connections
    • Stay connected with people in communities
  • Be Action-Oriented
    • Be assertive, action-oriented, entrepreneurial, and gritty
    • Actively seek out opportunities
    • Connect with as many people as possible
    • Be comfortable with the unknown
  • Share How You’re Feeling
    • Reach out to counselors, advisors, coaches, etc
    • Share your feelings – accept and be okay with feeling vulnerable

Phase 2: Immediate Actions

In the past couple of months so much has changed in the job field, and it will be continuously changing as we enter into economic struggles in the future. The best way to enter the job field at this time is to take immediate action. Virtually market yourself to employers that need certain skillsets to help them during these unprecedented times.

Phase 3: Resources for Long-Term Sucess 

This is the most challenging time to be graduating, luckily, we have so many online resources that can help us create long-term plans for our future. Here is a list of resources that will help you along the way!

  • Personal Budgeting Resources-  The job market is tough right now, this may cause reduced income over-time. Use these resources to help you budget your money wisely.
  • Invest in Life-Long Learning
    • Stay up-to-date with innovation and marketing trends, and use this extra time wisely to learn be constantly learning new skills
  • Commit to Lateral Movement
    • Studies have shown that changing jobs may help people’s income over time. Don’t choose loyalty with a certain company over mobility for yourself.
  • Negotiate Everything
    • Don’t settle for less! Practice negotiation skills
    • Studies have shown that low entry-level salary can reduce your income over time.

I hope you had some helpful takeaways from this blog post! To read the original post, click here.