Working Strategies: Stripped down job search for recent college grads

Amy Lindgren If you re a contemporary college graduate without a job my sympathies Although job hunting is almost never a preferred activity there s something about a post-graduation search that feels extra discouraging It apparently doesn t help to know that this summer s industry is shaping up to be more challenging than in current years past While it s too early to have solid figures for the whole season anecdotally we know this If lots of companies are laying people off while authorities agencies and nonprofits are dealing with reduced funding while employers of all stripes are slowing their hiring to cope with the volatile market even without a summer s worth of evidence we can say things aren t pretty And that s all you re going to hear from me on that I ve learned through multiple job droughts that there s no use reviewing the laundry list of woes when you have a concern to solve Which if you ve of late graduated from college is that you need a job In last week s column I presented ideas for using time productively if the sector isn t cooperating with your search From starting a small business to self-crafting an internship to volunteering there are multiple options that will add to your skills and marketability One thing I left out was military operation so consider that the th choice With only a minimal of these ideas being fully immersive you can still conduct a job search simultaneously the process just demands to be streamlined to fit a tighter schedule Speaking of schedules one of my bigger surprises as a career counselor came years ago when I started to see that bulk people seemed to have no timeline in mind for completing their job search process They were working diligently but without a deadline as in This takes the time it takes and I hope I have a job soon That s a formula for burnout but not for success Without a plan and a strategy it s too easy to fall into half-hearted search habits including entire weeks without activity To see this idea treated as a mathematical formula check your browser for C Northcote Parkinson a British naval historian who wrote in a essay for The Economist Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion He built on what swiftly became known as Parkinson s Law with another formula defining the development of bureaucracy via the new addition of governing body workers But I digress I m endlessly fascinated by how our innate human nature works against so several of our higher goals In this matter the willingness to believe that job search outcomes can t be controlled leads job seekers to accept an endless process with diminishing returns With this in mind I m presenting five strategies for a streamlined and productive job search which can be conducted alongside another major activity such as the career-builders from last week For a streamlined job search you need A deadline In bulk cases I rely on days or weeks or three months if you prefer Whatever date is days from when you start is the deadline for your job search A primary job target You ll move faster with a somewhat narrow target That s why entry-level social media marketing is better than marketing and both are better than a job somewhere A list of organizations to contact For the above social media marketer this could be larger nonprofits because too small may mean no staff Or it could be companies in a certain space such as retail or hospitality A r sum and cover letter that fit the target at least generically These can be modified for specific opportunities which will be easier if they are somewhat targeted to start with A daily schedule of two to four hours Monday through Friday devoted to job search Two hours will be enough if you do them This is where Parkinson s law applies If you only have two hours to complete a daily goal of three outreaches you ll need to hustle But if you have all day to complete your three contacts you may never get to them at all Human nature again In a related point if you have a deadline to meet you re more likely to build in checkpoints and revise your process if things aren t working Next week we ll complete this mini-series with a review of strategies for college graduates living with their parents who are hoping to launch independently Even in a tight economic system this is quite doable but the key is planning Related Articles Working Strategies Certain ideas for college grads who can t find work Working Strategies Second Sunday Series Information to address an AI world Working Strategies Random thoughts Office not work on-the-job training Working Strategies Adjusting to and surviving return-to-work Working Strategies Do you have a bucket list for your career Amy Lindgren owns a career consulting firm in St Paul She can be reached at alindgren prototypecareerservice com