dailypedia
First things first, I would like to extend my greetings to this year’s graduates. To be more specific, congratulations to our new college graduates! Have you ever wondered where will your college diploma lead you after you set your feet out of the graduation hall?
“How will I get a serviceable work experience if every employer is looking for applicants with at least half a year to two years work experience?” Yeah, it really sounds unreasonable and unfair.
Will I ever get the dream job that I have been longing for ever since I started out being a college student? Will this type of motivation come into a pragmatic fruition? Will it be better for me to take up a Masters Degree and heighten my credentials even further? These are just some of the most frequent predicament of every fresh graduate.
Work Experience
I suppose it is unjust to expect too much from a fresh graduate who is just about to enter the vindictive job market with only his/ her diploma, soaring energy, and high aspiration as their main weapon. They are often having a hard time thinking how to start-up their career when no one is even eager to give them a chance. This may not be the same case for those who graduated from top schools but this happens to almost every fresh graduates coming from mediocre to decent universities. Truth hurts and I am one of those who are terrible dismayed by this kind of disposition.
So how can you deal with this? Study says that you can highlight your OJT (On-the-Job Training) or even part time jobs, summer jobs and casual jobs as one of your qualifications when applying for your first job. Seize the opportunity to emphasize how trainable you are. Every single detail of your accomplishments counts. You may not have a lot impressive arsenal yet so try to make the most out of the simple credentials that you currently have.
Starting Salary
After I passed our course’s professional licensure exam, I had a short chat with one of my professors. He told me that engineers like me usually receive around Php 18,000 as a starting salary. Any offer lower than that is would be considered a travesty. So I went out to test the waters of our country’s job market. I was oozing with confidence during that time. Unfortunately, I failed some of my first interviews as I have figured out that I am asking for a rather unlikely starting salary. So I negotiated with every company’s HR personnel until I found myself modestly asking for a Php 13,000 starting salary just to get hired! Good thing I am already past that pace now.
I suggest that you should always keep in mind that every employee usually starts from the bottom, from tiny steps. This requires a lot of patience. It isn’t easy. You may even start out once again as an intern or trainee just to prove to your prospective employer that you are capable. You don’t have to worry, ten to fifteen years from now, you will just see yourself in good spirits with a smile on your face realizing how for you have already come to. There will always be an exception though, if you come from these big named schools or if you are a Latin honor, chances are you may have the right to command what your starting salary would be. So you must strive hard and think meticulously if you are just about to begin your college life!
Tight Competition
In accordance with the some statistical studies, about half a million (500,000) Filipino fresh graduates flock in the streets with the hopes of finding their first jobs. Imagine that, you are competing with thousands of young and energetic applicants who have the same credentials as you. Don’t lose hope; all you have to do is to highlight all the accomplishments during a job interview no matter how small it is. Include in your resume all the seminars, workshops and trainings that you have attended during college. You may also feel free to include some of the outreach programs or charity events that you have participated with as it may appear to be impressive to the eyes of some employers out there.
Be resourceful and clever when looking for a job. Use every job vacancy sources possible. Browse the internet for online job postings, read the some of the well known broadsheet’s classified ads every Sundays. Explore your network and find connections which you think may help you find a job. If the saying “ It’s not what you know, it’s who you know “ is right, then just embrace that fact and prepare to plunge in!
To give you a clearer perspective from the “employer’s side”, here’s a short speech which may serve as representation of every recruiter’s mindset:
[blockquote author=” David P. – Aftersales Manager at Jonathan Lee Recruitment | jonlee.co.uk”]Firstly, and probably most obviously accept that your degree is not going to guarantee you employment. It might get you to the starting line but you still have to run the race! For those of you that may still be studying, get yourself involved in some practical work based projects, whether it be part-time, summer placement or industrial placement and take some learning experiences from it. It will add to your stock when applying for jobs!! If you have already graduated and are seeking employment then you should consider the following; Are you only applying to graduate schemes? There are many other opportunities out there if you are prepared to look beyond the “scheme” arena. Are you looking beyond the big brand, blue chip organisations? There are an abundance of businesses out there where opportunity to gain a wider scope of experience is broader than those within the larger organisations. How are you differentiating yourself from your peers? I’m not talking about becoming an eccentric or dressing in outrageous clothes, I’m talking about showing initiative, being pro-active, expressing a desire to learn and develop and most importantly, demonstrating to potential employers that you can be of commercial benefit to their business!! What I am really saying is that in this extremely competitive marketplace, you need to be sharp and savvy and consider what is going to help you stand out from the crowd! Your degree will get you to the start line, the rest is down to you![/blockquote]
References:
What’s the biggest dilemma faced by fresh graduates today?, https://www.linkedin.com/groups/Whats-biggest-dilemma-faced-fresh-3971830.S.59865307
recruitmentbeast, Common Fresh Graduate Dilemmas, https://recruitmentbeast.wordpress.com/2013/10/19/common-fresh-graduate-dilemmas/
