Experts Reveal Why It’s Important To Land a Good First Job

Most fresh graduates face the challenge of finding a job after college. With thousands of other job seekers competing for the same position out there, the quest for landing a good job gets tougher and tougher. Some job seekers are even forced to accept a job not in line with their skills or preference just to get a stable source of income.

But according to job experts, there’s a reason why it’s important to land a good job as your first employment experience. Here is what they have to say.

The Study

According to a study conducted by Gallup, the quicker a fresh graduate lands a good job after leaving their school, the more likely they earn better salaries and climb their corporate career ladder, both in short and long-term. According to Gallup’s executive director Stephanie Marken, it doesn’t matter what a good job meant to the 4,000 adults they interviewed who graduated college from the year 2010-2016.

However, the term “good job” remains subjective and self-defined to the job seekers according to the researchers

Instead, they found that those job seekers who landed a good job right after they graduate showed how contented they were with their career as well as their financial stability. Gallup also found these job seekers are earning more than twice compared to those graduates who took around 2-12 months before they secured a job.

Some of them even earning as much as $60,000 a year. According to Marken, their study shows that the longer a graduate has to wait to land a job, the bigger the impact is to their earning power.

The Challenge

According to the study, more than a third of fresh graduates who took a year or two before landing a job earned less than $24,000 a year, compared to those who land a job quickly after graduating to college.

Aside from that, those who couldn’t find the right position suitable to their skills and qualifications are facing employment challenges like explaining their lack of working experience to their prospective employer, as well as taking a job they don’t have qualifications with for the sake of having one.

According to Marken, it’s important for college students to review their findings to help them prepare as they enter the workforce while they’re still in school.

Marken said most often these job seekers feel miserable about their work and career, especially since they feel like they have to give up their ultimate dream job just to get an income to sustain their lifestyle. Worse, it’s difficult for them to break the cycle’s curse.

Marken recommends students to enroll in courses, get as many internship experiences as possible, and build their portfolio so that they can show the employers they’re already prepared for the job despite not having a formal work experience yet. According to her, those students with applied learning experience already have a good job opportunity waiting for them upon or even before their graduation.

Tips to Land Your First Job Quicker

Marken recommends students to follow the above tips to help them secure their first job easier and quicker even if they don’t have the formal working experience yet.

Take Commissioned or Non-commissioned Projects

Are you good in Graphic Design, Illustration, Web Programming, etc.? If so, you need to utilize your talent and course by taking up commissions or projects. You can apply for a part-time job or even a sideline gig online and work on these projects during your free time.

In fact, you can even offer it to your clients for free. In exchange, politely ask them to give you a recommendation, reviews, or even use their project to build your portfolio.

Attend Seminars or Training to Improve Your Skills

Prospective employers are also interested to know if you’re looking for ways to improve your career and skills outside the comforts of school or your future work environment. So it’s important for you to attend trainings or seminars to improve yourself.

The certification you get will serve as your proof that you’re engaging in learning activities to improve your knowledge, gain more skills, and work experience.