Graduating Students – 3 Tips To Land Your New Job

As graduation season approaches, many grads are looking to the same places to find jobs: online job banks, newspapers, job fairs. These methods are rarely helpful, as HR managers receive hundreds of e-mailed resumes, and seldom have the opportunity to sift through them all. How can you differentiate yourself enough to win an interview?

To differentiate yourself from the competition there are a number of options, many of which are not easy, and one that is. For example, in addition to a resume, some experts suggest creating a website to showcase yourself and your background. This involves paying a hosting site, as well as knowledge of website design. Although this is a fine idea for the more technically-oriented person seeking differentiation, there is a simpler approach – that’s as easy as 1-2-3.

1. Get an Online Profile

An online profile is a powerful tool that differentiates you from the mass of resumes flooding the market, and gives you an advantage in networking. A professional online profile is easy to create, easy to maintain and update yourself. No technical or website development skills required. No hosting service fees necessary. It enables you to present a digital photo, work experience, and contact information in a compelling and visual professional format that is more appealing than the traditional resume. To see an example of a graduating student’s online profile, check out Dario Paone’s and Ra Un’s profiles, both created and listed at Ziggs for free:


2. Search for Networking Contacts

Use a search engine for finding people in the field you seek or for finding people with a common background point such as your college. For example, using a search engine dedicated to professionals, you can conduct a keyword search for contacts in your field and city of interest and yield a networking list that results in the right introductions needed for the desired job. For example, you can do a keyword search at Ziggs for “marketing” and “Boston” and find an instant list of networking possibilities if your field of interest is marketing-related.

3. Connect with Networking Contacts

Once you have a list of potential networking contacts, e-mail your online profile with a quick introduction, followed up by a phone call. E-mailing an online profile to offer a warm introduction can establish trust and goodwill with the recipient, and can lead to a request for your resume and an offer to help.

Go to Ziggs today to jumpstart your job search. Ziggs can help you 1) create a free professional online profile, 2) build networking contact lists by conducting keyword searches against the more than 2.25 million professionals in the Index, and 3) begin networking immediately by e-mailing your online profile to your new network list. With Ziggs it can be as easy as 1-2-3 to land your first job out of college or grad school. Good luck and let me know how it goes.