I'm a College Grad, Now What? | andrewjdumont.com

I’m a College Grad, Now What?

Posted on 11. Aug, 2009 by Andrew Dumont in Marketing, Random Musings

It’s that time of year, people are graduating. Many friends of mine have recently made the ultimate post-high school step and now posses their ticket to the “real world”, a college degree. But there’s one problem, they don’t know what the hell to do with it.

The excuses are what you’d expect, “the economy stinks,” “I have no experience,” etc. But, are these people really not qualified? Is the economy really that bad? No, not at all, I actually think quite the opposite. The distinguishing factor is laziness, or lack of drive. It’s statements like this that separate the successful from the, well… not so successful. There are plenty of jobs out there for the taking and many different careers that beg for the inherent skill set of recent college grads.

As with many things in life, you’ve got to go and take what you want, the things you want rarely fall into your lap. So, how do you go out and take the jobs you want? It’s simple, here are 5 steps to help equip you with the tools needed to step out from your mediocre 9-5 job, into the job of your dreams.

1) Learn how to brand yourself - Picture yourself as a product, just like the clothes you wear or the food you eat. Everything around us has gone through the process of branding, and you’re no exception. Step back and ask yourself, what type of product am I? Are you a Bentley or a Geo Metro? The decision is yours. Everything you do has to support the product that you’ve created or desire to create. Once you’ve figured that concept out, the rest is easy, all you’ve got to do is market that product. There are tools all around us that are built specifically to help us better market ourselves. Set up a Linkedin account, create a Twitter page and polish up your Facebook profile, use this as an advertising medium for your product and your personal brand.

2) Throw away your resume - Seriously, throw it away. This isn’t 1950 anymore, managers don’t care how good you can make a piece of paper look, it’s all about the full package. I don’t even look at resumes when I’m interviewing someone, I look at culture. Trust me, it’s easy to train someone, it’s impossible to mold the personality and beliefs of a person into what you want. Stop taking an application and dropping if off with the lady at the front desk, that’s the easy way out, and a sure-fire way to get looked over. Do you really want the job of your dreams? Step outside the box, separate yourself from the rest of the pack, quit handing them a damn resume.

3) Do the math - The concept behind hiring an employee is very simple, there’s a very obvious cost-benefit analysis happening every time a W4 gets signed. When you’re interviewing with your potential employer, you should have one goal. Explain to them why hiring you is going to make them more money, simple as that. It’s a business, businesses need to make money, will you make the employer more money than they’re paying you?

4) Utilize connections – This is one of those things that should be common sense, but nobody does it. I’ve built strong relationships with hundreds of professionals all over the nation, yet I’ve never received a request for an introduction from any of my friends. It just doesn’t make sense. Use pre-established connections to your advantage, in many cases, it will most likely be the ticket to the person you need to get in contact with. Remember, everything you want is only a connection or two away.

5) Take risks - I know, contacting someone out of the blue is scary, I get it. But trust me, no opportunities are going to come up unless you put yourself out there. Let me put a real life spin on it for you. Back in September of 2007 I read an article in the local newspaper about NetworkText, a site that Derek Johnson had just launched out of his parent’s basement. I was intrigued by the idea, so I did a little research and dropped Derek a quick email to invite him out for lunch. A week later, I was in that same basement, helping him flesh out what we know today as Tatango. One email. One email that completely changed my life and took me to the place I am today. Do it, trust me, you’ll never believe the possibilities that can come from simply picking up the phone or sending off an email.

Conclusion – Go out and take the job you want, it’s yours if you want it bad enough. And if that doesn’t fire you up, just watch this, it’ll do the trick.

Ps. Sorry for the unbelievable gap between my latest post and now, things have been beyond hectic. I’ll throw up a post soon explaining why… I appreciate you sticking with me.

10 Responses to “I’m a College Grad, Now What?”

Jacob Petz

11. Aug, 2009

I agree with everything you said but what made this post worth reading was the link at the end! I’m feeling it now. Nice work!

Reply to this comment
Andrew Dumont

11. Aug, 2009

Thanks Jacob, nothing like a little “eye of the tiger” to get you fired up!

-Andrew

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Brian

11. Aug, 2009

To everyone reading this nonsense there are a few things you should completely disregard. 1. Do not throw away your resume, just because this guy doesn’t read them, established companies do read them… I would love to see somebody march in to Microsoft and demand an interview without a resume. Take a step back in to reality and realize that the only kind of job you might actually be able to pull this off in would be an hourly job in retail, waiting tables, hawking cell phones in the mall etc… Jobs that are most likely well beneath anyone with a degree. Resumes are a critical element in the employment process primarily for getting you that first big interview, you need to be able to leverage your strengths on paper and not just assume everybody is going to be willing to listen to a guy running up to them saying “look how great I am, can I have a job? I will make you so much money!”

Secondly, I strongly disagree with the statement ‘The distinguishing factor is laziness, or lack of drive’ in regards to those individuals who are very qualified but due to hard economic times are unable to find work at a job where they would actually enjoy working, is relevant and that actually allows for career growth. That statement is obviously being made by somebody who has never had to apply for a job in an environment saturated with “over qualified” workers with 10 years experience applying for the same entry-level job as you are. I graduated top of my class and had difficulty for about 3 months finding something in this harsh economic climate. I don’t think this guy even knows what the current unemployment rate is or maybe he wouldn’t have made such an ignorant statement.

Lastly, in regard to, ‘Is the economy really that bad? No, not at all, I actually think quite the opposite’ … what evidence supports the fact that our economy is apparently thriving? Just wondering, or is this another ‘well me and my company are doing just fine so therefore the whole economy must be doing great also…’

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Andrew Dumont

11. Aug, 2009

Hey Brian – Thanks for the comment, it’s good to see a little backlash against some of the points I’ve made. Keep in mind, I am a very opinionated person, not to say that everything I say is correct, but I am more than willing to say what is on my mind, this post was a prime example.

To address your first point… I agree with you, a resume is necessary… eventually. But here’s the problem, resumes have become a safety net, at least for many people I know. They think that all they have to do is create a resume, drop it off and they’ll be hired. Making that point was intended to urge people to leave the comfort of a resume and think outside the box, sorry I portrayed that incorrectly.

Secondly, the economy isn’t that bad. Yes, it’s obvious we’ve been in a recession for quite some time but that does not mean that people are not hiring. There are ALWAYS jobs available, always. During the “hard economic times” that you’re describing, people may have to settle for an entry level position and work their way up to their desired position, but it is far from impossible. Another thing to consider is that tough economic times inspire innovation and entrepreneurship, a job position that is always available. Also, the current unemployment rate is right around 9%, last time I checked.

Again, getting back to the economy, as you can tell from the trends of the dow over the past 6 months ( http://tinyurl.com/6oz3xp ), the economy has hit it’s bottom and is on an incline out of the recession, in my opinion.

But really, who knows and who cares, for that matter. It’s all a guessing game. The economy will do what it will and we have no control over it. All I want people to do is stop using the economy as an excuse and start hustling to get to where they want to be, as nothing is ever impossible. I hope that clears my points up a bit and thanks again for the comment.

-Andrew

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Kristi

12. Aug, 2009

Andrew!

I like the post… I like your message, your energy and you being confident and clear about your opinions. That said, I appreciate Brian challenging you and can understand some of his frustrations.

I don’t think there’s any sure-fire way to nail a dream job… but, like you mentioned, there are definitely many “do’s” and “don’ts” to consider along the way.

Overall, getting a great job (in my opinion) boil downs to crazy-sweaty-hustle, passion, creativity and usually a little luck

Keep em’ comin!

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@maxbeatty

12. Aug, 2009

I’m also a recent college graduate and agree with all of Andrew’s points. I don’t want to pick on Brian because he does make some valid points, but those same points date his point of view like saying “I remember where I was when we landed on the moon.”

To back up Andrew, I think resumes are a waste of time these days. Mine isn’t shabby. Coming out of college, I’ve interned with successful startups (Cha Cha Search) and Fortune 100 companies (ArcelorMittal), my cumulative GPA was over 3.0, and I had a few awards and extracurriculars outside of the classroom (scholarships, freelance projects). This made me qualified for just about any entry level job available. My resume never got me anywhere.

What got me further was branding and networking.

I don’t want to write a full biography of my last year in college but to summarize- I had 3 job offers in Nov 08 when the economy was terrible and probably could have had a 4th or 5th if I didn’t stop interviewing. The IT sector wasn’t booming with jobs, but there were (and still are) plenty out there.

I credit the job offer I chose to accept to my roommate. He interned at the company the summer before, knew my HR contact, and put in a good word for me. He didn’t get me the job (company has >100k employees), but having him as a connection helped.

That job’s start date got pushed back six months (blame the economy) so I hit the job market again for something temporary. My personally branding landed me two different jobs in a month on top of freelancing through word of mouth leads. I got one job by showing up at a startup’s grand opening and offering to work for free. I was more bored than broke so it wasn’t a huge risk, but it got me in the door and at a desk.

Andrew’s outline here is the new way to find a job. I’m no Derek Johnson as far as energy and effort, but I do all of these things and it works. TONS of my recent grad friends are jobless with no hope because they’re stuck in the cycle of dropping off apps and resumes like it’s 1950.

Brian is right when he says you can’t walk into Microsoft without a resume. The truth is you can’t get in the door without a connection on the inside. Microsoft and other big corps sift through thousands of lackluster resumes every week. With a personal brand, a little networking, and the ability to convince the interviewer you’re committed to improving their company’s bottomline, you will stand out and land a job.

To prove Andrew’s points- I do these things and had multiple job offers twice. Brian (not picking on you) thinks these things are crazy and spent 3 months looking for a job after being top of his class. I’m just saying…

Reply to this comment
Andrew Dumont

12. Aug, 2009

@kristi Agreed, 100%. Thanks for dropping by, I’m expecting a make a wish reunion shortly… ;D

@Max I appreciate the comment and the exploration of a real-life example of what I discussed in this post. As I said in my previous comment, Brian did make some very valid points, but Max is correct, this is “landing a job 101″ for our generation. Thanks again Max.

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Melanie Sinclair

09. Nov, 2009

Great blog. Like you, I have many friends studying and graduating. I think one of the major issues is the ego-nurturing which goes on in universities – so many people turn their nose up at entry level roles.

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Missy

08. Feb, 2010

I think that the problem may not be laziness, it may be that person’s personality.

I have a degree in PR, did an internship, and worked as an Editor for a nonprofit before I graduated. When I graduated, I found myself faced with the fact that the jobs I should be getting were being taken by people who had 5-10 years of industry experience. All I was ever told when I applied was “Well, you are off to a great start in your career, but we are going with another candidate.” lol

I have had to take jobs in retail, insurance, fast food, and customer service, because I can never get any jobs in the Communications field. To this day, 9 years after graduation I still can’t get a job because all the job ads specifically say the requirements for an entry level job such as a copy editor or proofreader is 3-5 years of agency experience. The experience I was never able to get.

Since I had to pay my rent, I had to take junk jobs. So that means when I finally do get an interview for a good job here and there, they spend more time asking me why I haven’t worked in my field than asking me why I would be a good fit for their company.

Why have I failed in my career? I worked hard. I got the degree. I went on tons of interviews. I scoured every job web site. Why did I fail? Personality.

I’m just not the kind of person who has or can keep a lot of friends. I’m a nerd, and I’m not good in social situations. I do well with people in passing, but as far as building a social network? I don’t have one. I never even have boyfriends. Socially clueless. Does this mean that I don’t deserve a job?

So you are saying that someone like me should just go around asking people out to lunch? That’s like asking a cat to go program your computer.

Also, you are everything that society embraces – young, good-looking white male. Your options will always be better than, say an obese 35-year-old woman with 2 kids – especially if she is a minority. Behaviors that come across as cute and quirky, or enterprising and ingenious, would come across as pushy, disrespectful, or unprofessional for someone of any other demographic.

So really, I’m telling you all of this to say, it can’t all be boiled down to laziness. There a lot of other factors at play here. Personality, demographics, heck – even personal appearance all play a part in how people react to you professionally. So I would encourage you to at least give that some thought.

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- Andrew Dumont
  
  08. Feb, 2010
  
  Missy – A very insightful comment, it brings up a lot of very good points that I failed to touch on.
  
  I completely agree, personality, demographic, etc. all play a huge role in the decision making processes of an employer – whether they acknowledge it or not.
  
  Thanks for sharing your story.
  
  -Andrew
  
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