It is almost 1 year since I have started to my proffesional career and I want to share my 'new graduate job seek' experiences before I forgot. I also want to remember them in future :)
I do not know exactly how many applications I did, how many analytical exams I took, how much travel, how many interviews, how many failures, how many wins... and how many total hours spent on this process. But thankfully a correct decision ;)
I know that it is really hard for a new graduate or for a senior university student to know deeply about the outcomes of a job title. And if you are living in a country like Turkey, where the education system does not really comply with the job market, you are in an ocean without a compass other than your expectations and feelings.
I am talking about the 'outcomes' of a job title, not the accountable benefits of a job. You can measure and compare the benefits of jobs but what really matters is the 'outcome'. Your job affects your life style, your habits, your colleagues, future friends, where you eat, how you look like, what you talk about... And I can imagine that after a while your job defines 'who you are?'. Do you want to introduce yourself with how much you earn? Hopefully not... Then, it is much better to be an idealist.
First of all, if you really want to work and not extremely lazy, you will find a job so feel comfortable. Maybe it is not your dream job, maybe it is not so quick but at the end you are not unemployed! Do not forget to 'trust yourself'.
#1: Start as much as early because you will learn a lot about business life during interviews and even by watching people while you are waiting for the interview so go early to interviews. Do not wait untill graduation!
#2: If you do not have any idea about where to work, apply different sectors, different departments and try to find out which fits you more. After you decide on something (e.g. you want to work in a technological environment), narrow down your search criteria. If you continue to apply all kind of positionts till the end, you might be in trouble at decision stage.
#3: Never forget that this is a two-way evaluation process! You are not a guilty and interviewers are not judging you. They are trying to know you so you should also try to know them. If they fails in your interview, do not hesitate to reject the offer.
About the decision
#1: Think about what kind of life you want. You will spent most of your time at work. And how busy your work will have an affect on your remaining time. If you do not want to work more than 8 hours a day or do not want to travel, it is not so appropriate to be a consultant. If you want to be away from stress, it is not a good idea to work as procurement manager of a big factory. If you want to work in an office rather than outside, sales might not be your job. If you want to use your own creativity, accounting is not a good choice...
#2: Think about your 'likes' and ' hates'. If the tie is your enemy, what is the point to work in a bank! If you want to wear fancy clothes at work, being a civil engineer will not provide you. If you hate coffee, it will be a nightmare to work in a coffee shop...
#3: Think about what kind of people you want to work. People will have a huge affect on how much you like your job. I do not know any statistics for that but what I observed is people who are not happy at work, mostly complain about their managers.
You should have some criteria while deciding. You know yourself better than anyone. Do not value so much the entrance salary. You might think that it will increase more but if you do not like your job, you will not be able to perform well enough.
Never ignore your feelings, they will tell you more than you expect.
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