While thousands of new college graduates don their caps and gowns to proudly participate in their graduation ceremonies, it’s the summer months that also mean hunting for your first full-time job. As you wrap up the final moments of college and prepare for the next chapter, we have some great job search tips to help get you started.

1. Know Who You Are and Where You Want to Go

This is where you determine what you are truly passionate about so that you can hunt down jobs and organizations that align with those ideals; from there, you can identify your relevant competencies and skills in the field. If you take the time to truly explore and solidify your thinking on this – and then apply for jobs that are “the right fit” – you will be more successful in getting employers interested.

In this important step, consider your strengths, areas for growth, values, style of learning, what excites you and what inspires you. 

2. Focus Efforts on Building Your Professional Network

Connections. Even in this day and age of social media and everything-in-a-digital-instant satisfaction, it’s all about connections. The key is to make and build connections that can get you behind that recruiter curtain; indeed, despite all of the emphasis on technology and compliance, there are more “hidden jobs” than ever. Employers would rather consider someone they know or who comes highly recommended from a trusted friend or colleague. LinkedIn, other social platforms, professional and trade associations and school alumni groups are important to stay on top of in order to build your professional presence.

To summarize, consider:

• Informational interviews
• Alumni
• Networking events
• Joining sports teams/book clubs/meetup groups

3. Clean Up Your Presence on Social Media (While Also Being Mindful of What You Put Out There on the Internet)

Your online presence matters today, especially now that employers frequently Google candidates before interviewing them to get a sense of their personality. If they uncover thoughtful commentary, involvement in professional and service activities and authentic recommendations, they’re likely to go forward with the process; if they find inappropriate postings, an empty LinkedIn profile or virtually no online presence at all, they may not call you in for that interview.

4. Build Your Familiarity and Confidence by Interviewing in Different Formats

Here is where you want to learn to excel at phone, virtual and asynchronous interviews; it is likely your first-round interview will not be a face-to-face encounter, so it’s important that you practice using different interview formats as you will have only one shot at making a great first impression. Preparation is key here, especially bearing in mind sound quality as well as finding a location free of distractions and boasting good lighting. 

Some interview formats you may encounter include:

• One-on-one
• Panel
• Open-house forum
• Testing-based
• Skype-based

5. During a Job Search for College Graduates, Maintain Professionalism

Remember to treat every part of the job search experience with professionalism that encompasses taking a phone call from the hiring manager/recruiter, interviewing, email communication and mannerisms such as following up and remembering to say “thank you.”

Contrary to what certain circles are saying, there are a great many jobs available for class of 2018 graduates, but in order to be successful you will need to be aware of – and be able to – apply the aforementioned job search tips for new graduates to your hunt.