• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The College Investor

Student Loans, Investing, Building Wealth

  • About
  • Podcast
  • Research
  • Contact
  • Save For College
      • How To Start

      • How To Save For College
      • How To Pay For College
      • What Is the Average Cost of College?
      • What Is A 529 Plan and Where to Open One in Your State
      • How Much Should You Have In A 529 Plan By Age
      • How To Use A 529 Plan For Private Elementary And High School
      • What Are Qualified Expenses For A 529 Plan (And What Doesn’t Count)?
      • The Best Brokers To Open A 529 Plan
      • Tools + Accounts

      • 529 Plans: The Ultimate College Savings Plan
      • 529 Plan Contribution Limits
      • Prepaid Tuition Plans | What To Know
      • Understanding And Using 529A ABLE Accounts
      • Using A Roth IRA To Save And Pay For College
      • FAFSA Deadlines for Financial Aid
      • CollegeBacker Review
      • Upromise Review
      • UNest Review
      • Other Options

      • Student Loan And Financial Aid Programs By State
      • The Guide To Military And VA Education Benefits
      • How To Fill Out The FAFSA
      • How To Find College Scholarships
      • The Best College Scholarship Search Websites
      • How To Find Grants To Pay For College
      • Pell Grants: What They Are And How To Qualify
      • Understanding Federal Work-Study
      • How To Use A 529 Plan If Your Child Doesn’t Go To College
  • Student Loans
      • Borrowing

        • How Student Loans Work
        • How To Apply For A Student Loan
        • Best Student Loans And Rates In January 2023
        • 10 Best Private Student Loans Of January 2023
        • Best Student Loans To Pay For Graduate School
        • Best Student Loans To Pay For Medical School
        • Parent Loans To Pay For College
        • No-Cosigner Student Loan Options
        • Guide To Income Sharing Agreements (ISAs)
        • Best International Student Loans
      • Get Out Of Debt

        • Best Student Loan Refinance Companies In January 2023
        • Best Student Loan Repayment Plans
        • Best Student Loan Refinancing Bonuses And Promotional Offers Of January 2023
        • Student Loan Forgiveness Programs (The Complete List)
        • The Full List Of Student Loan Forgiveness Programs By State
        • Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)
        • Top Student Loan Scams
        • Average Student Loan Monthly Payment
        • Average Student Loan Debt By Year
      • Reviews

        • Credible Review
        • Splash Review
        • Ascent Review
        • Citizens Bank Review
        • Commonbond Review
        • Earnest Review
        • ELFI Review
        • Laurel Road Review
        • LendKey Review
        • SoFi Review
  • Investing
      • How To Start

        • How To Start Investing in High School
        • How To Start Investing In College
        • How To Start Investing In Your Twenties For 22 – 29 Year Olds
        • How To Start Investing In Your 30s For 30 – 39 Year Olds
        • How To Start Investing With $100 Or Less
        • How To Give Kids The Gift Of Stock
        • What Is Dividend Growth Investing
        • IRA Rollover Chart
      • Tools + Accounts

        • Best Online Stock Brokers
        • The Best Traditional And Roth IRA Accounts
        • The Best Robo-Advisors
        • The Best Investing Apps
        • The Best Places to Trade Options
        • The Best Places To Open A Health Savings Account
        • The Best Solo 401k Providers
        • The Best Self-Directed IRA Providers Of 2023
        • Best Cryptocurrency Exchanges
      • Reviews

        • Vanguard Review
        • Fidelity Review 2023
        • M1 Finance Review
        • TD Ameritrade Review 2023
        • Charles Schwab Review
        • Robinhood Review
        • Webull Review
        • Betterment Review 2023
        • Wealthfront Review
  • Earn More Money
      • Extra Income

        • 20 Best Side Hustles You Can Start Earning With In 2023
        • 53 Side Hustle Ideas To Make Money Fast
        • 100 Ways To Make Money In College
        • 80 Ways To Make Money From Home In 2023
        • 5 Quick Money Making Ideas (That Take Less Than 1 Hour)
        • 10 Interesting Ways You Can Make Money Driving
        • High-Paying Side Gigs That Earn $1,000 or More Per Month
        • The 10 Best Money-Making Apps
        • Paid Surveys: Earn Money For Giving Your Opinion Online
        • 10 Crazy Ways To Make $10,000 You’ve Never Heard Of
      • Build Wealth

        • 40 Passive Income Ideas You Can Use To Build Wealth In 2023
        • 3 Ways To Make $50,000 Per Year Without Working With Passive Income
        • How To Become A Real Estate Investor With Just $500
        • 15 Best Online Business Ideas
        • Residual Income: 7 Super Smart Ways to Build It
        • The Most Common Multiple Income Streams
        • How To Become A Real Estate Mogul With Only $10,000
      • Reviews

        • Fundrise Review
        • RealtyMogul Review
        • FarmTogether Review
        • AcreTrader Review
        • Swagbucks Review
        • Survey Junkie Review
        • TopCashback Review
        • DoorDash Review
  • Personal Finance
      • Banking

        • 10 Best High Yield Savings Accounts Of January 2023
        • 10 Best Money Market Accounts Of January 2023
        • 10 Best Free Checking Accounts In January 2023
        • Best Bank CD Rates Of January 2023
        • 10 Best Business Checking Accounts In January 2023
        • Best Online Banks Of January 2023
        • Best Credit Unions Nationwide Of January 2023
        • Best College Student Checking Accounts Of January 2023
      • Insurance

        • Best Life Insurance Companies
        • Renters Insurance
        • Car Insurance
        • Pet Insurance
        • Umbrella Insurance
        • Disability Insurance
        • Tuition Insurance
        • Travel Insurance
      • Credit Tools

        • Best Budgeting Apps
        • Cash Advance Apps
        • How To Get A Free Credit Score Report
        • Best Credit Monitoring Services For 2023
        • Debt Settlement: Inside The Secret World
        • Credit Repair Explained: Should You Pay For Help?
        • Best Personal Loan Companies And Lenders
        • Online Loan Companies To Borrow From Home
      • Tax

        • Best Tax Software
        • Free Tax Software
        • IRS Tax Refund Calendar
        • Common IRS Questions and Errors
        • Federal Tax Brackets
        • Capital Gains Tax Brackets
        • 401k Contribution Limits
        • IRA Contribution Limits
        • HSA Contribution Limits
  • Forum
  • Search
Home » Earn » Employment and Education » How to Land Your First “Real” Job After Graduate School

How to Land Your First “Real” Job After Graduate School

Updated: September 12, 2021 By Robert Farrington

Tweet
Share17
Share
Pin10
Email
Print

At The College Investor, we want to help you navigate your finances. To do this, many or all of the products featured here may be from our partners. This doesn’t influence our evaluations or reviews. Our opinions are our own. Any investing information provided on this page is for educational purposes only. The College Investor does not offer investment advisor or brokerage services, nor does it recommend buying or selling particular stocks, securities, or other investments. Learn more here.Advertiser Disclosure

There are thousands of financial products and services out there, and we believe in helping you understand which is best for you, how it works, and will it actually help you achieve your financial goals. We're proud of our content and guidance, and the information we provide is objective, independent, and free.

But we do have to make money to pay our team and keep this website running! Our partners compensate us. TheCollegeInvestor.com has an advertising relationship with some or all of the offers included on this page, which may impact how, where, and in what order products and services may appear. The College Investor does not include all companies or offers available in the marketplace. And our partners can never pay us to guarantee favorable reviews (or even pay for a review of their product to begin with).

For more information and a complete list of our advertising partners, please check out our full Advertising Disclosure. TheCollegeInvestor.com strives to keep its information accurate and up to date. The information in our reviews could be different from what you find when visiting a financial institution, service provider or a specific product's website. All products and services are presented without warranty.

job after graduate school

Graduate school is finally over!

No more assignments. No more 20-page essays and overnight library stays. You are done and done.

How about that job though? Bills have to be paid and those student loans need to be paid back.

Landing a job after graduation should technically be easy because more education should mean you’re more qualified for the job.

But anybody who has been out of grad school for more than an hour knows that landing a job after graduate school can be a long and frustrating process.

In this post, I will share six major tips to landing a real job that pulls on your strengths and degree after graduate school.

Table of Contents
Take a Moment to Celebrate the Fact That You Are Done with Graduate School
Leverage Your Personal Network
Use Job Aggregator Websites to Start Your Online Search
Use Search Engines
Do Not Use a Generic Resume (or Cover Letter)
Impress on Interview Day
Closing Thoughts

Take a Moment to Celebrate the Fact That You Are Done with Graduate School

Graduate school is no walk in the park!

As a matter of fact, 50% of graduate students drop out of doctoral programs every single year. Finishing a master’s degree or a doctorate is no mean feat.

Take a moment to take stock of your achievement.

Leverage Your Personal Network

There are job opportunities that are never advertised online and which you will only find out about if you talk to people in your personal network.

According to research by anthropologist Robin Dunbar, human beings have an average network size of about 150. This network includes your parents, siblings, friends, school mates, former work colleagues, professors, your local barista, and the people you work out with at the gym.

Who are the people on this list you can talk to about landing a job after you’re done with graduate school?

Make a list of 10 to 20 people that might be able to help and reach out to them.

Networking may also involve following your favorite companies on Twitter or LinkedIn and engaging with their posts with well-thought-out, but personable, responses.

Doing this will get you on the radar of whoever is doing social media for the company and can open up the lines of communication with decision makers within the company.

Use Job Aggregator Websites to Start Your Online Search

Job aggregator websites like Glassdoor and Indeed allow you to search for jobs using keywords.

Usually, your search will bring up jobs you are looking for and you should be able to apply.

You are also able to search for jobs by industry, region, or even by the date it was posted so you are not applying to jobs that were posted six months ago and have been filled.

A major advantage of job aggregator websites is that you can set up special alerts for particular keywords that trigger an email to be sent to you anytime a job related to the keyword you used is posted.

And so for Glassdoor, for instance, you can set up alerts for multiple job keywords or even for specific companies.

Anytime a job is posted matching your search or a company posts a job, you will receive an email prompting you to apply.

Visit major websites and set up alerts to get notified of the types of jobs you are looking for.

Job aggregator websites that you will find handy in your search include:

  • LinkedIn
  • Glassdoor
  • ZipRecruiter
  • Indeed
  • HigherEdJobs
  • BioSpace
  • Monster

Use Search Engines

Another place to look for a job is to use search engines.

This is definitely a more difficult approach to using job aggregator websites, but the truth is that not every company lists jobs on these websites. Thus, you can find some hidden gems using this process.

You can search for jobs within a particular company by typing “company name + jobs” or “company name + careers” in Google.

This will yield links to the career pages of particular companies where you can then apply directly.

Do Not Use a Generic Resume (or Cover Letter)

When you use job aggregator websites like the ones I mentioned above, you are usually prompted to upload your resume so that you can easily apply for jobs that are posted on the website with one click.

While this sounds simple and appears to make things easier, it is not the best approach to applying for a job.

It is important to tailor your resume to specific jobs.

Recruiters and human resource personnel see so many resumes in their inbox every single day.

It is important that when they come across your resume, it

  • stands out, and
  • communicates that you really do understand what the company is looking for in their new hire.

You will be able to do the second point by paying attention to key phrases that are used in the job description.

Does the job description call for someone who is great at communicating because you will be interfacing with clients 75% of the time? It is important to highlight on your resume (and in your cover letter) experiences in your history that make you great at communication.

Pay attention to job descriptions and tailor your resume to suit them. Yes, this will take some effort. But once you land your dream job, it will be worth it.

Impress on Interview Day

This should be a given.

However, it’s surprising how many people show up to interviews completely unprepared: from being improperly dressed, to not even knowing what the role they are interviewing for entails.

Don’t be that person.

Do your homework on the company.

Glassdoor allows you to read reviews on the company and has people posting some of the questions they encountered during the interview.

Start there.

Is there someone who went to your school who works at this company? LinkedIn will usually give you that information.

It will serve you well to reach out to alumni from your school who work at this company to find out what their experiences have been and what you can expect.

A quick browse of company social media accounts (if they have any) will give you a glimpse of the culture at the company.

Whatever the case is, don’t go into your interview unprepared. Study the company. Study the role. Dress the part and be ready to impress.

Closing Thoughts

Looking for a job after graduate school can be a long and tiresome journey.

If your first few tries at finding a job have not been successful, don’t give up. Keep going.

Use and tweak the processes I shared above where necessary.

You will eventually find what you are looking for.

Are you graduating grad school this summer? How has your job search gone so far? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Robert Farrington
Robert Farrington

Robert Farrington is America’s Millennial Money Expert® and America’s Student Loan Debt Expert™, and the founder of The College Investor, a personal finance site dedicated to helping millennials escape student loan debt to start investing and building wealth for the future. You can learn more about him on the About Page, or on his personal site RobertFarrington.com.

He regularly writes about investing, student loan debt, and general personal finance topics geared towards anyone wanting to earn more, get out of debt, and start building wealth for the future.

He has been quoted in major publications including the New York Times, Washington Post, Fox, ABC, NBC, and more. He is also a regular contributor to Forbes.

How to Land Your First “Real” Job After Graduate School
Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, or other advertiser and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
Comment Policy: We invite readers to respond with questions or comments. Comments may be held for moderation and are subject to approval. Comments are solely the opinions of their authors'. The responses in the comments below are not provided or commissioned by any advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any company. It is not anyone's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
Subscribe
Connect with
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
Notify of

I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Primary Sidebar

Robert Farrington will teach you how to get out of student loan debt and how to start investing.

Hi! My Name is

America's Millennial Money Expert

Welcome to The College Investor. We're here to help you escape student loan debt so you can start investing and building wealth for the future

Our expert guides, reviews, and more are designed to help you achieve your financial goals.

Want to learn more? See what's in my wallet.

As Featured In

Social Media

Popular Posts

Side Hustling

53 Side Hustle Ideas To Make Money Fast

Best Side Hustles

20 Best Side Hustles You Can Start Earning With In 2023

Crazy Ways To Make $10,000

10 Crazy Ways To Make $10,000 You’ve Never Heard Of

Make $50,000 Per Year

3 Ways To Make $50,000 Per Year Without Working With Passive Income

Student Loan Scams

Top Student Loan Scams

Net Worth of Millennials

Average Net Worth Of Millennials By Age

Ways To Get Student Loan Forgiveness

Student Loan Forgiveness Programs (The Complete List)

529 Plan By Age

How Much Should You Have In A 529 Plan By Age

Passive Income Ideas

40 Passive Income Ideas You Can Use To Build Wealth In 2023

Make Money From Home

80 Ways To Make Money From Home In 2023

Ultimate Guides

529 Plan Guide

529 Plans: The Ultimate Guide To College Savings Plans

Student Loans and Financial Aid By State

Student Loan And Financial Aid Programs By State

Student Loan Advice

The Definitive Guide To Student Loan Debt

Student Loan Forgiveness By State

The Full List Of Student Loan Forgiveness Programs By State

newretirement

How to Start Saving Now: The College Graduate’s Guide to Saving for Retirement

Latest Research

How much to file taxes

Tax Survey: How Much People Paid To File And The No.1 Tax Software They Used

Inflation survey

Side-Hustles To The Rescue: Survey Shows 86% Stressed About Money & Inflation

students choose to work survey

75% Of Students Would Still Choose To Work Even If They Didn’t Have To

Institutional Merit Grants

Who Gets Institutional Merit Grants At Private Colleges?

Resume Student Loan Payments

Survey: Even With Higher Expenses, Most Student Loan Borrowers Are Ready To Resume Payments

Footer

Who We Are

The College Investor is an independent, advertising-supported financial media publisher, focusing on news, product reviews, and comparisons.

Connect

  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Press & Media

About

  • About
  • Our Team
  • Podcast
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • How We Make Money
  • Archives

Social

Copyright © 2023 · The College Investor · Privacy Policy ·Terms of Service · DO NOT Sell My Personal Information

wpDiscuz