It’s that time of the year for college seniors everywhere—the start of the job hunt. You’ve worked hard for the past three years, have gotten the grades and have prepared yourself for your career. It’s certainly a daunting task. Hundreds of companies with their recruiters swarm college campuses each fall and spring, putting on info sessions, hosting meet and greets (which always seems awkward); sort of like speed dating meets Hunger Games. How will you ever make it through?  

1) Realize that it’s a two way street. As companies are on the lookout for qualified candidates, you should be on the lookout for companies that you’d want to work at. For a while I was just looking for a job, and applied for any and every position that came available. It definitely caught up to me when halfway through interviews I realized that I didn’t actually like the company, and could have figured that out by doing a little research on them. Fit goes both ways, it’ll only work out if your job will be happy with you and you’ll be happy with your job.

2) Don’t sell yourself short. You’ve worked hard and are a qualified candidate. Any company would be lucky to have you on board. You definitely have earned the right to be a little picky. You can find a job in most places, a boring, unfulfilling job that pays the bills. Life is too short to work in a dead end job that you don’t enjoy. Go after the elusive job that will be challenging to you and bring you happiness. You may not land your dream job right out of college, but if you don’t try, you certainly won’t land it.

3) Do your homework. It quickly becomes evident who is prepared in an interview vs. who isn’t. I was applying to so many jobs senior year that I totally got the companies mixed up once in an interview. Uhhh, whoops. Take fifteen minutes and learn about the company you’re applying for. What’s their story? What is their mission statement or core value? What gets them out of bed each morning? Who are the biggest competitors and what changes is their industry going through? Employers aren’t looking for employees that roll out of bed and do the minimum. They want employees that will prepare, be ready, and think ahead.

4) Find a way to stand out. Companies might accept hundreds of applications and interview 15 to 20 candidates for one position. Unfortunately, the odds aren’t in your favor (well they are a bit better after reading this post). Don’t be afraid to do something unique that’ll make you stand out. Be confident in yourself and don’t be afraid to go off the beaten path. Ask questions like ‘was that the answer that you were looking for’ or explain in great detail why you’d make a great fit.

5) Don’t fake it. Recruiters do this a lot, for some of them, it’s their job. They can smell garbage a mile away, so don’t even bring it. A 4.0 scholarship, honor, blah blah blah will quickly become evident in the interview as false if you’re making it up. Try to stress the truth. Did planning that 5k for your sorority or serving as treasurer of the Spanish conversation club really prepare you for a career in investment banking? Tell me more about how your skills in business relate back to your freshmen year.

6) Always compliment a guy’s tie. I’m dead serious about this one. Interviews are tense times. There’s a lot of pressure in a short amount of time. A guy often puts a lot of thought and planning into his tie choice. Complimenting his tie will put him at ease and take him back a bit. He’ll forget for a second that he’s actually interviewing you and enjoy the kind words. It’ll help both of you feel a bit more relaxed and help the interview go smoothly. Guaranteed to work, most of the time. Haven’t figured out what to do if it’s a lady interviewer though…

Thanks for reading the article and good luck with the job search! Here are some other articles you might enjoy:

The grad school decision

When your roommates are also your parents

Don’t waste your life away