SalesFirst Recruiter and 2022 Texas A&M Graduate Olivia Kent has some words of wisdom for her fellow graduating professionals.

Seniors in College, now that graduation is nearing, it is time to start gearing up to enter the workforce. Your years spent developing hard-earned, career-focused skills may finally be put to good use! Finding the right fit at the tail end of 2022 will have some challenges, so here are some things you may want to know as you take this next step.

1. Narrow down your list of must-haves for your first position: Ask yourself what you truly need out of an opportunity. What is most important to you? Is it location, workplace culture, industry, career potential? Perhaps it’s just pay? Rank your priorities so you know ahead of time where you are willing to compromise and where you are not. Dig deep, because others who weigh in on your decisions won’t have to live with the consequences like you will.

2. Simplify your resume: Entry-level roles attract many applications. The competition is intense, so you will want to appropiately stand out amongst your peers. Different styles work for different roles out there, but here are few things that tend to be universal.

   • Be crystal clear with what you want at the top of your resume. Try a summary or an objective that succinctly highlights your goal. Maybe it’s “Recent Marketing Graduate with internship experience seeking a full-time role at a digital agency.”

   • By all means, build a beautiful resume but don’t get carried away and sacrifice functionality. Include your name, phone number, email address, LinkedIn URL, and the city & state in which you live.

   • Keep your work history clear with bullet points that highlight your responsibilities and achievements within the role, but don’t overhype yourself. You don’t need many bullet points to show that you are motivated or dependable. Illustrating that you worked for the same restaurant for 4 years while attending school is impressive enough.

   • Add your education, some awards, or training to your resume, and take out any graphics or skills sections. A resume should be concise.

3. NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK: The saying “It’s not what you know, but who you know” often holds true. Spending any amount of time growing a professional network will result in more career opportunities both now and in the future. Try starting at your school’s career fair by talking with potential employers. Very rarely are there opportunities where hundreds of employers are in one room, so prepare yourself. Have dozens of resumes on hand, practice a simple elevator pitch, research which companies intrigue you the most, and be open to growing your network with anyone. Ask your friends and family if they have any connections in your industry and ask them out to a coffee. It works.

4. Prepare yourself for the interview: Before you begin any interview, you will want to conduct thorough research of the company and write down ten to twelve questions to ask the interviewer. This can include questions about their industry, training, growth, leadership, and culture; you get to frame this piece of the interview, so be sure to ask questions that add value and show you did your research. Practice sharing some of your accomplishments and focus on being authentic. Pretending to be someone you are not can be “the right way to get the wrong job.”

5. Be kind to yourself: The process of finding your first job out of school can be taxing and emotional. You’ll miss out on a job you thought you’d get. You’ll say the wrong thing or get tripped up on a question. All of that is normal. Stay consistent. Stay patient. And be nice to yourself.

Olivia Kent is a Recruiter at SalesFirst Recruiting and is available to represent candidates. Find her at olivia@salesfirstrecruiting.com.