“You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great”- Zig Ziglar

The last year of college! Hard to believe, but yes, it is the last year. You might want to catch up with things you missed in the last 3-4 years, plan trips that were always cancelled, organize frat parties and get everything in order before you cross the exit gate.

But, what happens once you pass out?

With the college degree in one hand and your Resume in another, you stand alone in the job market hunting opportunities and finding the best fit according to your skills.

Is there any other alternative, which might fetch you the desired results?

Yes my friend, indeed there is. You can start searching for a job in you final year itself!

No rocket science, but just a few simple steps and you’ll have the offer letter in your kitty before bidding farewell to all the college memories.

Going through the following discussion will solve every doubt you have regarding job search.

How to go about it?

A mind boggling yet significant question. Let’s have a look at the following points and try to answer it.

Build a healthy CV

A curriculum vitae is a window to the academic qualifications and the achievements you’ve had as a student. It should necessarily include the following information:

• Name and Contact details
• Grades or percentage secured in high school and College
• Academic achievements
• Key skills and strength areas
• Personal interests
• References

Compiling your CV might seem intimidating at first, but following the right formatting tips you can easily include the apt information and keep it enticing enough. Once you learn the art of building your CV correctly, you’ll realize that top-notch writing can create quite a powerful document.

Get some internship experience

According to an article on Forbes, 69% of the companies with 100 or more workers offered full time jobs to their interns in 2012. Internship experience enables you to have adequate exposure in the industry of your choice. It brings you face to face with the industry specific pros & cons and the skills required for growth.

Even if it is unpaid and is in your industry of choice, it is quite important to give it some serious consideration.

Meet the players because networking matters

Make it a point to attend career fairs and different employer information sessions organized in and outside your institution. You can try and follow them on various social networking websites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Find out what are the skills different employers hunt for.

Keeping in touch with the professionals from your desired career field may also help you gain references, which’ll prove quite useful while tapping the hidden job market.

Realize the need for an online presence

With hiring trends having gone through a myriad of alterations and changes, getting online on various social media platforms has become quite necessary. It’s highly probable that at some point in the hiring process, a potential employer will undergo a background check by scanning your Facebook, Twitter, Google and LinkedIn profiles.

Keep yourself active on such websites by joining groups and communities of your field. Actively participate in various discussions held on them and connect with people who have the same career interests.

For instance, LinkedIn gives you a chance to connect with people and get the employment related skills you own, endorsed by them. This makes your profile look complete and attractive to a hiring manager.

Check in with the career service in your college

You college will definitely be having a placement cell which is responsible for organizing on campus recruitments for different companies and firms. If eligible, try and appear in these to save extra efforts.

The information and guidance available from your institution will prove to be quite invaluable to set out the plans you have for the coming months.

This goes for the pass outs too; in most cases your college career service is still at hand, even if you have graduated.

Start preparing for Job applications and interviews

Don’t wait for the ‘perfect’ opportunity or job offer. Start applying for jobs that your field offers on various recruitment websites. Work on your soft skills to have the upper hand over others during a job interview. Look for career workshops and counselling too, if necessary. Getting a career advisor to check your CV and role-play an interview might also prove helpful.

By now you would have realized that securing the desired job offer is a tedious and rigorous process, but not impossible. Keeping a hard-headed and balanced approach will definitely take you places. It’s just a matter of focused efforts and optimistic attitude. Rest will fall in place by itself.