Often, it is the positions placed on a college hiring board that provide the perfect entry level position for a new graduate. Since the employer is placing an advertisement with the intention of it being seen by college students, it is clear the employer wants to hire a recent grad. Again, this opens the door for a great opportunity that students would be well advised to advantage of.
How can you take advantage of it?
Now, is this some sort of trick question? No, it most definitely is not. Rather, it is a sincere inquiry regarding whether or not you understand what is needed to make sure that you apply for the job in an effective manner. Frequently, college grads will overlook a few fine points that enhance their chances of success. In order to make sure you do not err in such a way, here are a few tips to boost your ability to get the most out of the listings on a college job board:
Never make the mistake of answering for the hiring authority. This is a common error that those new to the job market may make. They might assume that because they are not the perfect fit for the advertised job they should not apply for the position. Again, this is not the right approach to take. You should take the chance and apply for the job if you make a slight match to the requirements. No, this does not mean you should put in for jobs that you clearly and totally do not qualify for. (An English Literature Major is doubtful to be selected for a Chemical Engineering position) But, when you do match some of the qualifications, you should give the job a shot. You may find the college job list may be more open to a wide array of applicants.
Be sure to check out the listings on college job boards as frequently as possible. New job listings do appear with frequency. You do not want to miss a day checking the listings because this can lead to completely losing out on applying to that can't miss opportunity. The college job bank is there for a reason - it is for you to review the availability of entry level jobs. So, review it!
Apply for any job that you see as soon as humanly possible. Keep in mind, when a publicly listed job appears many different people will be seeing the listing the same time you do. That means the hiring authority will receive a large number of resumes within the first day or two. If you wait a week to send out your resume, the odds are that the hiring process is well into an advanced stage. So, you want to get that resume out the door and in the mail as soon as humanly possible.
Some may wonder if that automatically means if a job that was posted a week early should be automatically ignored. No, you would not want to ignore it and you should definitely send your cover letter and resume to the address on the listing. But, do so with a "hope spot" mentality because you are sending in the resume rather late. In other words, you need to be aware that the odds of being called in for an interview are drastically reduced with a late response. But, the chances of being called will not be completely eradicated.
When you run into trouble, ask for help. This may seem like the most basic form of advice yet most people do not think of it. Basically, you always want to be sure you are on the right track. When you see you are not getting responses from your applications, look towards a career counselor at the university for advice. Often, a minor change is all that is needed to deliver results. You just need the necessary changes pointed out.
A college job board can be a fantastic resource for finding the top entry level jobs open to soon to graduate college students. Having the right approach to applying for these jobs will frequently lead to great results. Hopefully, the tips listed herein will help a great deal in this regard.
