Ultimate Career Advice for Undergraduates

Many families see education as a ticket out of poverty. However, straitened circumstances limit their ability to give their children the proper education they need. This is one of the many reasons why there are many undergrads in the market. With many things to consider, working became their main option to help their family build a good life. But this became an underlying problem in the workplace in the last few decades.

The mentality of the community before is that one must have a degree to qualify for a job. However, that’s not so true anymore as the world is changing and evolving. Today, more employers are open to accepting undergraduates into their growing companies. Business owners have realised that acquiring employees with skills and experiences is better than having employees with degrees.

 

Advice to Succeed as an Undergraduate

 

Keep Learning

Learning is a choice and a personal responsibility. It can take place anywhere and everywhere. Absorb everything and commit it to memory as you’ll need what you learnt from long before at one point in your life.

So treat your job as a learning curve towards a bigger goal. It doesn’t matter where you begin because everything is a scale. The key is to learn and evolve as you go. Educate yourself and thrive to do better.

 

 

Always Ask

Asking is relative to learning. Ask when in need of help, when you have questions, and when you want to learn. Asking benefits people in a lot of ways. Say you’re new to the company and learning to use a software program. Ask for the assistance of your co-worker to learn the program faster.

It’s reasonable to ask for any kind of help whenever you’re faced with trouble. In the workplace, business owners appreciate if you enquire and request for aid when you find things difficult. It shows that you are willing to learn and be taught by your co-workers. In addition to that, asking helps build better working relationships in the team that is evident in their communication and collaboration.

 

Be Confident

Note that a diploma is simply a piece of paper and a proof of academic attainment. The skills, experience, and character of the applicant are the things that makes a candidate qualify for the job at most times. If you’re an undergrad, be confident enough to go for the role as dropouts backed with talents and skills are just as good as anyone.

Don’t be afraid to present yourself as a great candidate for the position. Trust in your ability to perform well on the job. The job vacancies in the market keeps increasing making it easier to land better job opportunities.

 

Try and Try Again

Failing is only one way of learning how not to do things. To succeed, be courageous to try again. Learn to turn your flaws into assets and if you fail, be motivated enough to try again. Say you didn’t pass in an interview, get feedback from the recruiters. That’s the best way to evaluate yourself and improve on your shortcomings.

Remember that you only fail when you stop trying. The science of success is simple: attempt to do things again and again in different ways until you succeed.

 

Be Timely

Slips happen in the workplace. Say you overlooked your timeline and missed a deadline, you can rectify your mistakes by submitting the document despite the untimeliness.

Manage your time better and keep an order of things to avoid miscalculations. Punctuality is a must in the workplace and in all aspects of life.

 

Additional Pointers to Make a Great Impression as an Undergraduate

 

Update your CV

It’s vital to keep your CV up-to-date. It keeps recruiters informed of your current technical skills, abilities, and experiences.

Pro Tip: Avoid designing your CV. It’s a business document and you must treat it like one. If you wish to showcase your skills and abilities, create a portfolio which is a business document prepared to exhibit your capabilities.

 

 

Dress Smartly

It is unethical to arrive in an interview dressed inappropriately. Always present yourself in a professional manner and arrive well-groomed. This means no shirts, tank tops, shorts, mini-skirts, and slippers.

The appropriate attire for men is dress shirts or polo shirts, pants, and dress shoes. For women, dress semi-formally which means slacks or pencil skirts, flat shoes or heeled footwear with a maximum of 2-inch heel height, and blouse.

 

Research

Recruiters like to hear that you know something about the company. Review their website and social media pages. Another great tip is to familiarise yourself with the movements they’re involved in. This shows that you want to learn about the company’s culture and you have plans to stay.

 

 

Make copies of your Business Document

Many recruiters prefer printed copies of CVs and portfolios. Print a few copies a day before the interview. This is to avoid rushing everything on the day of the interview.

 

Bring a Pen

Always bring a pen with you. Recruiters always have something for you to fill out and sign that it’s important to be ready with a pen all the time.

 

Prepare for an Interview

Rehearse your line a day or two before the interview. The vest wat is to practice in front of a mirror and deliver your message. Keep your answers precise and professional and avoid veering from the topic of the conversation.

Preparing also means writing questions for your interviewers. For example, ask if there offer learning programs or opportunities that are in line with the role. This way, you can learn.

 

Submit a Recommendation Letter

Letters of recommendation are as good as contact details of character references. This presents interviewers with upfront references from former employers or direct supervisors of the applicant.

 

Places Undergrads should Look for Opportunities

 

An Internship Program

This may not be the best scenario for an undergrad looking for a paying job. However, there are many companies that offer paid internship programs.

Undergrads are encouraged to take on internship programs if they have a career that they’d like to pursue. This working experience exposes them to the trade in a particular industry.

There are upsides and downsides to this. A major downfall is that some internship programs are unpaid. Internships also don’t last long as interns only need to fill in a number of hours.

However, one of the greatest upsides of internships is absorption. Many companies absorb interns and promote them as full-time employees.

 

A Part-Time Job

Part-time jobs vary from one another. There are jobs that require manual labour like working in a fast-food chain, in a construction site, or in the wet market. Some part-time jobs are white-collar like a seasonal customer service job offer.

A great thing about part-timing is that you can fill your day with as much work as you can. However, note that no two schedules must coincide with one another.

This type of working experience offers various opportunities for undergrads looking to acquire skills but quite unsure of what to pursue. This experience builds character and work ethics the same way a full-time job would. The only difference is the number of hours a worker puts in.

Note that the job experience you have as a part-timer doesn’t affect your long-term career. The skills you learn will become your foundational skills until you find that one thing you’d like to specialise in. Choose your options carefully and decide which opportunities can benefit you the most.

 

An Entry-Level Job

An increasing number of foreign-owned companies are penetrating the market. Since foreign employers are more open to hiring skilled professionals, talented dropouts have a higher chance of landing a job.

The employment vacancies available are no longer limited to dead-end jobs. It’s become complex and full of opportunities to scale and grow as a professional.

In conclusion, dare and advance yourself. The world has become open-minded that it now serves both silver spoons and self-made man.

Be bold and fearless in going for positions that only you think is too good for you. Success is always within reach, so just keep reaching for it.