In two months time, Gary is on his way to get his diploma. He is about to enter the real world - the professional league. He finished computer programming in one of the country’s reputable schools. Gary is a bit excited but is a lot more anxious on how and when to land on his first job. Gary is not much of an academic achiever and so he considered himself as an average student who cannot boast of straight A’s or flat 1.0’s on his transcript. His mediocre college credentials plus the high unemployment rate in the country make Gary doubtful of his professional career. Being in the same boat of Gary, what should you do?

MAKE THE FIRST SIGNIFICANT STEP:

By now, your entire clan and as well as your neighborhood probably know that you are about to graduate. Take this opportunity to ask them of job leads or vacancies. Don’t be afraid to do this. In fact, it is said that most employees easily got wind of vacancies through people they personally know by simply asking around.

YOU CAN GO FOR THE TRADITIONAL WAY:

If the above is not your style, then the traditionally way could be a more suitable approach for you. Try to send resumes and application letters via Internet and snail mail to companies advertised in the print media, government employment agency, manpower placement centers, college career counseling office and job fairs. Explore every opportunity you might bump into. However, you also have to screen vacancies and choose only those that are in line with your skills, interests and career path. You might just be wasting time, and money (and a lot of paper and ink cartridge as well!). While doing this, another good option is to try taking the civil service examination just in case there are available jobs in the government sector, as it usually does.

COUPLE YOUR EFFORT WITH AGGRESSIVENESS OR PRO-ACTIVENESS.

As there are hundreds of candidates out there who are in the same situation as yours, you need to be extra aggressive in your job-hunting. As a fresh graduate with no real work experience, you could bank on your on-the-job training back in school to boost your confidence. Internship generally provides a very good sense of value and self-esteem. Use your on-the-job training experience to get a good grip on your focus. You could also do volunteer works in the community for additional experience or take part-time jobs to beef up skills and on-site exposure. But be sure to take these jobs seriously because they could also open doors of opportunities for you. If you perform very well, employer might consider you for full time jobs.