A lot of students are guilty of failing to plan for life after school. It like a soldier going to the war front with no weapon. Life can get very hard without proper planning. One minute you're happy you gained admission to an institution and the next you're preparing for graduation.

It gets a whole lot harder if you don't have a plan that will see you through after graduation. The state of the economy keeps dwindling and the country keeps graduating millions of students every year. You don't want to be caught up, trying to figure out what to do with your life, after getting your certificate.


Having a job straight out of school does not guarantee you are safe from the effect the poor economy of the country poses. Having a job straight out of school should be seen as a way of giving your life the financial stability it needs for a while. A good job with an attractive paycheck to keep you financially stable and independent should be the goal as a student before graduating.

Hence, in this post, we will be sharing with you 5 tips to land a job straight out of school. These tips should act as guides to planning your financial life after school by being gainfully employed. This will give you an edge, over thousands of other students. With these tips, you will be well equipped to stand a better chance of getting your dream job immediately after school. If you're ready, let get on with the tips.

1. Set Out Your Plans With Alternatives

The starting process is planning, we've all agreed. A study showed that university students always anticipate applying to 10 jobs after graduation. Which is a good idea, in my opinion. You need to set out alternatives at the early stage of your planning. If Company A doesn't accept your application, what do you do next, go home? of course not, Apply to company B, C, D and if possible to Z. Most companies you apply to, won't need your services, hence before graduation you need to do the following :

  • Identify one major company you had always wanted to work for, your dream job.
  • Identify other companies as plan B if you get rejected by the first.
  • Start your application process with your dream company.

2. Start Building Your Interview Skills

While preparing for graduation as a final year student, you should also start building your interview skill. Research the company, and know more about them. You need to impress the interviewer, and one best way to do that is to show them you know a lot about the company. It gives you an edge over thousands of applicants. The interviewer will see your unique interest in the company and that might just win you your first job.

  • Another way to build your interview skills would entail you learning about possible questions you might be asked and prepare answers for those questions.
  • One important question being, what you will add to the company if employed. Do adequate research and prepare answers to them.
  • You need to also brush up on your communication skill. It will be useful during an interview.
Communication goes beyond speaking good English. You need to know what word would be suitable during the course of the discussion. Being widely read would also be good for your interview. The interviewer will be impressed by your versatile knowledge.

3. Starting Early Is Always The Best

Am sure we all know one quote or the other about doing things early. So let me save you from a quote! The truth is, starting early puts you in a better position compared to other students. While others might be thinking of how to arrange a CV. You are probably already being interviewed. Starting early is a great way to stay ahead of the crowd. And while you are ahead, makes things easier when you eventually graduate.

In light of starting early and staying ahead, don't forget that you're bound to make mistakes and those mistakes will serve as a learning experience for you. It simply means you're more experienced than thousands of other students. It is therefore not too early to start the job search process. You'd learn a lot while on the search.

As you start early, it worth mentioning that it, not a must you apply to your dream job. It better you start with an entry-level position in the industry you are interested in. Therefore, it advisable you focus on starting from small and building your connections for a better position in better companies, probably your dream company.

4. Think Experience Over Degree

It is what it is! Experience is accepted more than a degree. Many Students think having a great degree is the best way to get that dream job, while this is true to some extent, it not really what happens in the employment industry. Research has shown that companies hire students with more experience than those with a better degree. What this tells us is that, in today's world, companies want valve and that can be gotten from experience, someone who knows how the industry works.

We are in no way saying, degrees should not be thought of, all we are saying is that it should not take your entire focus while in school. This post seeks to enlighten students on how to get a job straight out of school. Focusing entirely on your degree is not a good idea. While a good degree is needed, you should also focus on building experience in the industry you want to go into.
If it your first job, and you're looking to build experience, you shouldn't be afraid or anxious. It totally fine to be a newbie, we all were newbies at a point too. All you need do is focus on yourself and what you can offer the company. Learn from your bosses and work hard. In no time you'd be experienced to move out to bigger things.

5. You Need Connections

This might come as a surprise for many who have been exposed to the wrong use of the word. As a matter of truth, it means exactly what you're probably thinking but professionally. You need to connect with people who can guarantee you that dream job. Connections are needed in all aspects of our lives and your career life is not left out.

Employment personnel receives hundreds of job applications daily, most of which are the same. They are laden with the burden of picking the right applicant for the job, and this is where connections into play. They tend to pick the applicant with a connection to them. See how the word comes into use in that context? The connection of relationships they might have, might be that of family, relatives, and friends. It sure goes wider than that, but those are the three basic units to which others are extended too.

You need to start building connections while still in school. If you identify your dream company, you need to work your way to finding someone you know in that company. Then extend the connection to top officials who can guarantee you working there. Don't forget that connections should be built on valves and not money or other illegal or immoral vices.

 Three basic things you need to do while in school; study, work hard and connect with the right people. That's how it is done.

Conclusion

Finding your first job might be a daunting task as you have no experience. You are competing with thousands of other applicants with a better CV and resume than you. Whether you're a university graduate or high school graduate, you can make the process a whole lot easier if you go through the tips given here. Go through them again and start working on them. You'd get your dream job with a good result, hard work, and the right connections.