Step By Step Guide: Overcome The 6 Biggest Struggles Of Fresh Graduates.
Challenges College Graduates Face in Life and How to Resolve Them?
Congrats! You’re finally graduated after years of hard work, sleepless nights, and hell studies! Now you might be thinking that you can face challenges in real life and make way to the future.
Well, even the little challenges seem to be too hard to face and you end up feeling that your college life was a lot simpler minus the ramen. Fret not, however, because today we are going to discuss some of the real life challenges students face after graduation, and what they can do to stay job ready.
Challenges Students Face After Graduation
1. Don’t Know what to do after graduation
2. Annoying relatives asking too much about future plans
3. Feeling low because other friends are getting jobs
4. Confused how to manage your hard-earned money
5. Frustrated because your office clothes start to look old
6. Eventually missing old school days
1. Don’t know what to do after graduation
The moment you complete your graduation, the most anticipated compliments and graduation excitement starts to fade and there is no celebration. This is where you face the turning point of your life. With every passing day, you feel that you are running low on money to spend.
The Solution — If you have enjoyed your trip after graduation and got enough rest, you may feel that you are now emotionally, physically, and mentally prepared to kick-start your career. Now you may want to start your job hunt and apply for the jobs you feel comfortable with. To get started, you may also take a few projects or part-time work from home to just make enough to deal with your daily expenses. You may also take online certification courses for a minimal fee to boost your career profile in your resume.
2. Annoying relatives asking too much about future plans
It is a common scenario comes in every graduate’s life. Everyone has at least one relative who frequently asks you about your future plans. It is something happens most of the time and you cannot avoid it.
You may know that you will used to come across this type of question when you graduate, it may still be frightening to answer this curiosity of your loved ones.
The Solution — When you face this question in any part of your life, just smile and tell them that you are just pursuing your desired jobs. Rather than getting scared with this situation, take your stand and ask your relatives back about any recommendations or suggestions.
3. Feeling low because other friends are getting jobs
Just after few weeks or months when you graduate, you start to hear that your classmates and even some friends start getting their first jobs or just got a new offer. All of a sudden, you get worried and start finding problems in your skills or studies.
The Solution — Keep in mind that different people have different pace. If your classmates started getting jobs, it’s not the end. You are not lagging behind in any way. If you are worried, you can start from today. Try to boost your profile and prepare to get the desired job you like.
4. Confused how to manage your hard-earned money
If you have got your favorite job, you will eventually getting familiar to your workplace. You get your first paycheck on your payday and you may want to reward yourself for all the hard work and compromises of your time and efforts you have made over the past weeks. This way, you find all the things you have ever desired to buy on the shopping mall. Suddenly, you are wondering whether these things are really worth your hard-earned salary.
The Solution — You definitely deserve the reward on your first pay. You may want to buy something you love and also treat your loved ones. But don’t overdo it. Also save enough for your bank account and yourself. Money doesn’t take much time to fly off your pocket. Make sure you are spending your money to the right stuffs or place.
5. Frustrated because your office clothes start to look old
Just a few weeks after joining, you notice that your co-workers are neat and well dressed. Everyone seems to be well dressed with finely ironed outfits while you start to lose the days when you wore your old clothes in your college. Since you initially have few clothes for your work, you end up wondering what to wear every day at work.
The Solution — Your dress code at your work is up to the nature of your job and the workplace. But you can at least look presentable and dress well. If you have some money in hand, simply buy some cozy formal shoes and workwear. While moving from your student life to professional life, you may want to start upgrading the closet. Be sure to find quality pieces which can last for years.
6. Eventually missing old school days
The situation is that you have already spent your first couple of months in your office and you start to experience what real life is. Here, you might be missing your old college life and secretly want your school days to come back soon.
You may soon realize that you have left a lot of pleasures behind during lunch breaks and while traveling to and from your office. You start to realize how badly you wish your college life back. You start to think of what you have done and haven’t do in the past and still desire to have time to do those things now.
The Solution — Here, you should keep in mind that moving from student life to work life is not that simple. Now, you have many responsibilities because environment has changed now. Keep in mind that you should try hard to find time to do your favorite things that you have always wanted to do. With this transition, the best thing is that you have learned the principle of hard work if you want to do something you love and even get allowance to pursue what you want.
Challenges Employers Face with Fresh Graduates
Well, it’s not only the fresh graduates who face troubles in real life when getting a new job. Even those professionals who have been working for years are still facing troubles in ensuring job security for longer time. There are still some reasons behind the increasing unemployment of fresh graduates.
Just like fresh grads facing certain challenges with their employers, even employers are facing headache when hiring and training fresh graduates, whether they are job portals, small companies or even multinational giants. Here are some of the common struggles of employers with fresh grads.
1. No experience and skills
2. Poor communication skills
3. Being too demanding and unrealistic
1. No Experience and Skills
Well, it is one of the common struggles employers face. Most of the fresh graduates they come across have lack of experience and skills. Most of these students have completed their studies in colleges and universities after getting results. It is true that they have proper theoretical knowledge by reading the notes and preparing for exams.
But most of them don’t have practical experience. So, they don’t have skills to face the real life problems. This is the reason employers find it hard to pay high amount to meet their needs and even spend their valuable time for their trainings at the same time.
2. Poor communication skills
It is one of the common threats and one of the main causes behind unemployment. Due to poor communication skills, it is hard for the recruitment agencies and recruiters to believe that they are interviewing a degree or diploma holder.
Despite meeting all the job requirements placed by the employers, most of the candidates are rejected just because of poor communication skills and command over English language. Most of the time, they are not fluent and cannot speak well due to lack of practice in interviewing and they speak only in their own language just like in their college days. Without fulfilling this basic requirement, recruiters don’t risk filling the vacant position with a person who is not suitable for it.
3. Being too demanding and unrealistic
Finally, it is the most unavoidable reason behind not acceptance of fresh graduates by the potential employers. These candidates are either too unrealistic towards their job or ask for too much amount upfront. For example, most of the candidates who have Bachelor Degree or Diploma from their colleges or universities feel that they are more deserving than those who don’t have such qualifications.
Those mindsets and expectations are completely false and confusing. When they have no exposure to the relevant industry or field and they don’t have any experience, there is no point in expecting too much. Rather than just looking at their academic qualification, recruiters and employers also look at skills, performance and experience of their employees to determine their salary Because of irrational and nonsense expected pay, most of these fresh grads face rejections by the recruiters and employers.
These are some of the common problems in fresh graduates from colleges and universities employers face. It goes without saying that these are some of the main reasons behind unemployment among fresh graduates. Fresh graduates should make some changes and modifications in terms of mindset, attitude, and career path.
What College Graduates can do to be Job Ready?
So you have completed your graduation. After years of hard work, you have gained all the knowledge and skills to kick-start your career. You just want to get out and start chasing your dreams. Don’t expect the path is going straight without any barriers. Getting the right job is not that easy.
Even when you get your job, you should avoid taking wrong steps and ruining your relationship with bosses or coworkers because it can go against you. Luckily, you are not alone who is facing these challenges. Here are some of the top tips for fresh grads to stay job ready –
Build Value and Credibility
This is the world of competition and it has become more entrepreneurial. You might be called an employee. But employers are actually buying your service that you offer. So, you need to build your value and credibility. Volunteer in something where you can your skills, propose projects and try your hands on new challenges. Get the most of your network and learn to sell yourself.
Learn from Your Mistakes
Don’t scare to make mistakes and taking risks. Learn from them. No matter how awful the experience is at the moment, you can gain an effective learning edge in future. Failure is the best teacher in life. It teaches more than what success can do for you. Early on, don’t worry about making mistakes. You can start learning from them once chances are lower.
Look for a mentor
Don’t underestimate the power of mentors. Find and stay around with someone who is more experience than you. It can give you competitive edge and it can help you in your prolonged career growth. It is important to manage your own profession. In your early career, you will always need a mentor.
Get Recognized as Giver and Helper
It may sound obvious but it is not that simple. You need to get recognized as a giver and a helping hand over someone who is just focused on their career. You should prepare to be dedicated, eager and helpful. Start networking and grow your eager for growing and learning. You must be willing to help others to open more doors of opportunities.
Work on your soft skills
This way, you should know yourself. It holds true to this world. Know yourself and find out the soft skills you should improve for your own career. Your education is your hard or technical skills.
Dress well
Your dressing sense should match your company’s culture, especially when it comes to grow. Remember, first impression works! If you dress well with well-fit clothes and polished shoes, your coworkers start taking you seriously.
Develop patience
On average, a career lasts up to 40 years. Develop patience with experience. Start your job search and become professional. Don’t forget to practice your patience with supervisor, team, and company. Develop patience, stay positive and calm. Also be a supportive employee and teammate while being compassionate at the same time.
Turn your focus
Employers hire an employee for their potential. Everyone vest their interest on your growth and learning. You should understand how you are going to contribute them and how you can make change by providing your own services. It can make you stand out when you interview and land your career.
Emerge as a Team Leader and a Player
It’s fine and true if you don’t know everything when you land in your first job. If you join your work and assume that you know everything and don’t do grunt work, everyone will get annoyed with you, including your managers and most of your colleagues. In fact, most of the grunt work is important to get introduced to your new job. Ask for help when needed and brainstorm your ideas to improve and grow with your superiors and coworkers.
Know your strengths
After graduation, you are not alone who is going to hit the ground. There are thousands of candidates like you. To make a lasting impression, you should know your strengths. What is unique in you and how you will be remembered among others? Frame your strength and unique element in everything, be it your interview or resume.
Explain what you do using strong verbs
It is not enough to know your key strengths. You also have to communicate them properly so others may value you more. To explain what you do, you need to use strong verbs rather than your job titles. Paint image of real results with words like “I develop success stories” or “I make things simple”. It reminds the hirer about what you can bring to their table. When it comes to introduce yourself, communicate or explain what you do, use these verbs.
Keep Learning and be flexible
What jobs you might find in future may not exist these days and you can’t even imagine them. So, you should always stay up-to-date with latest changes in your industry for both opportunities which will open up in coming years and threats to your career and work. No one can share about the best options. Make moves when you have the right time and stay ahead.
What Colleges and Companies Can DO to Prepare Fresh Grads for the Job?
According to the recent surveys, it is clear that the overall business landscape in the worlds has changed tremendously and the way colleges and universities prepare young talents for their job should stay ahead with it. Both corporate boardrooms and college campuses should change and look at themselves. They should ask themselves how they can change the world and fix the issues in modern education and work scenario. Here are some of the best steps both businesses and colleges should take to prepare the fresh grads for their future.
1. Colleges to provide both hands-on training and classroom learning
2. Companies should work with colleges
3. At least one business course should be compulsory for students in all majors
4. All students should undergo internships
5. Freshman year should be provided with career services
1. Colleges to provide both hands-on training and classroom learning
Students may want to pair on-campus training, foreign study programs and collaborate with inter-college sports teams for hands-on training and also get classroom learning to double and better their chances to prepare for first jobs. This way, a college student can easily be transformed into a deserving candidate with this dual approach of practicing classroom knowledge.
2. Companies should work with colleges
If it is not being done yet, it’s the right time for companies to think about it. They may want to work with colleges to shape up their career services and to update the curriculum of colleges to stay ahead with the changing scenario. In some colleges, companies visit them to provide guest lectures, judge competition of students and take part in discussion panels. It is not a social work. In fact, it better trains the students to do exactly what they need and get the job-ready workforce right from the colleges.
3. At least one business course should be compulsory for students in all majors
Even students in music, art or philosophy should take one business course at least during their education. This business course would benefit every student, whether he wants to be a social worker, therapist, or museum curator. In these courses, students may learn basic skills and get head start in any field they prefer after graduation.
4. All students should undergo internships
There are several benefits of internships for both employers and students. Students can get hands-on training to leave a lasting impression among their potential employers. This way, a fresh graduate can develop all the important skills and respond to all the vital questions, including whether he wants to pursue this career. With internships, employers can build future workforce and find out the fresh talents. Internships are the best ways to find jobs for students.
5. Freshman year should be provided with career services
Job search after graduation seems to be a long journey for a fresh graduate. They think that they need a lot of time to network and start their job search later. But the truth is that students need to visit their career services in their college from their first semester, even if they haven’t started major.
This way, they can come up with the best resources to search for their job and look for a counselor who can help them through their years. Students no longer need to wait until they finish their final years to start their job hunt. So, they won’t stay far behind to make career plan.
Conclusion
Though these stems are not the permanent solution, you can at least start with them. When there are some responsibilities of colleges and employers to prepare graduates for their next steps, graduates should also prepare themselves to avoid failures to a great extent.
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