IT is that time of the year again when questions like “What are your plans after graduation?” and “What job do you have in mind?” are asked among college peers. It’s the time when questions about one’s life goals and career path are thrown around, weeks before you get your hard-earned diploma. But what if you did not have the chance or time (because you are busiest during the final months of school) to actually and seriously contemplate on those “adult” questions thrown at you? Maybe you’re thinking of putting it off until you have enjoyed your summer vacation. There is no need to rush things anyway. Besides, you have fewer commitments after you have finally graduated, at least for a few months. Well, any time is a good time to decide what your first job after graduation will be. Here are a few things to consider when making that daunting but exciting decision.
Make a list.
List down the companies that you want to explore. It can be corporations that caught your attention or interest when you were a college freshman or maybe you know someone who works in a certain industry. Your list can also include jobs that you have heard so much about from your friends or family that it started to sound like a good option to try out or consider.
Do your research.
You have to ponder on the availability, description, requirements and responsibilities of a job that you are thinking of pursuing. Knowing these details can help you narrow down your choices. You can browse through employment websites such as PhilJobNet, Jobstreet and Indeed to look at more job options.
Know your strengths and weaknesses.
You need to know yourself inside and out if you have a certain job in mind. What are the soft and hard skills that you have? According to the personal finance website The Balance, hard skills pertain to abilities or skill sets that can be taught and are easy to enumerate. Computer programming, web designing, proficiency in a foreign language or being computer literate are some examples of hard skills. Soft skills, on the other hand, refers to “the way you relate to and interact with other people”. Soft skills typically include your ability to communicate effectively, your flexibility, ability to work well in a team, and wise time management.
Pick a job that interests you.
Cliché line coming up: pick a job that you love doing so that you will not feel like you are working. Although this line may be considered a worn-out advice for fresh graduates or job seekers, you cannot deny the fact that it does make sense. As Steve Jobs puts it, “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.”
Look at in-demand options.
You can also look at the much needed professions in Cebu or in the country to have a wider range of information when it comes to job hunting. According to employment website www.mynimo.com, call centers or business process outsourcing (BPO) have the highest number of job postings (632) while sales, marketing or retail comes next (459), followed by accounting or finance jobs (434). You can also check out the Department of Labor and Employment’s Career Guide, which lists down the in-demand professions for the succeeding five to 10 years for additional reference.