How To Maneuver the Post-Grad Job Hunt and Not Lose Your Mind

Steve Jobs said it best when he said, “If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart you’ll know when you find it.”

As you begin to embark on your new post-graduation journey, it will feel like you have to take the first job that comes your way. You want to make your parents proud. It seems like every other minute your peers are landing amazing jobs and posting their elation all over social media. All these thing can heavily influence your decision-making process.

But this isn’t just trying out a new trend or even getting a haircut your unsure about—this is establishing the foundation of your career. Don’t compromise the vision that you have for yourself just to have the satisfaction of saying you have a job. The right job for will find you because you have prepared for it. The last thing you want to do is lose your sanity by taking a job you hate.

Needless to say, jumpstarting your career after college is a nerve-wrecking process. But there are a few things to keep in mind when navigating the career world.

Here are seven perfect reminders to recall when the job hunt gets tough:

1 – Allow Yourself Time To Adjust: Up until this very movement in your life, everything has been structured around school. In a weird way, after you graduate it all suddenly stops. There are no more papers or exams and now it’s time to enter the real world and chase your dreams. Give yourself processing time to comprehend that you’ve graduated. It’s definitely scary but will also be the start of some amazing new adventures so get ready!

(Photo via @lykaday)

2 – Stop Comparing: It’s really hard watching all of your peers secure jobs, especially when you haven’t heard back from any employers. Your journey is uniquely yours. Your dream job will come, it just takes some persistence and patience.

(Photo via @stylefromalexis)

3 – Apply, Apply, Apply: Writing cover letter after cover letter (after cover letter), can start to seem like a waste of time when you can’t seem to get in contact with anyone. But take a second to think about how many people are submitting to those positions as well. It takes time for recruiters to get back to you. The more you apply, the higher the chance of someone calling you back.

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4 – Dealing With Rejection: Getting rejected from a job position is never a good feeling; especially when you have taken the extra initiative to apply, develop your portfolio and craft an awesome cover letter. Always remember out of a thousand “No’s”, it only takes one person to say “Yes” to land your perfect job. Ask the recruiter for some feedback or what made the other candidate more qualified for the position. This little bit of feedback will help you get closer and closer to your dream job.

(Photo via @jaidabrinkley_)

5 – It’s Not Always You: When hunting for a job recruiters have a lot of variables to consider. They have stacks of applications to go through, a position that needs to be filled quickly and a limited amount of time to do it. Sometimes jobs get filled before your submission is even reviewed. Be confident in your skills and just keep trying to push your application to the top of the pile.

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6– It Takes Time: Don’t be afraid to follow up after an application or an interview if you haven’t heard back from your point of contact within a week. As much as we would like to hop right into our fields of choice, the application process doesn’t always give the instant gratification we fantasize about in our head.

(Photo via @gabscherer)

7 – It Will All Work Out: I am a firm believer in the power of things working out. There’s no need to drive yourself crazy sending obsessive follow-up e-mails or over-analyzing your faults. As long as you are putting in the work to get your name out there, your calling will find you.

(Photo via @sofinaa)