This article was published here http://ezinearticles.com/?So-You-Are-Graduating-College---Now-What?... by Marc Mustachio

So you're graduating college this year and you're probably thinking... Now what?!

I know this because two years ago at about this same time, I was beginning to think something similar. So I've put together a rough, post-graduation-life road map based on a speech that I gave to some students at Montclair State University who were approaching their own graduation day, and more likely than not beginning to ponder exactly what they were going to do after receiving their undergraduate degrees. Whether you are planning on getting a job, going on vacation, or have no idea at all because you haven't thought that far ahead, the following information should be of some help. Enjoy!

Charting a Course

From my own personal experience, the very first thing that I realized after graduation was that there were no more course outlines. What I mean by this is that in almost all collegiate courses, or any structured class for that matter, students are always provided with a course outline or syllabus to explain to them a few things:
1) What they can expect from the course
2) What will be expected of them
3) When their assignments will be due, and
4) How the assignments should be prepared to achieve a high grade.

Well after graduation, there are no more course outlines! No one telling you what to do and when to do it! You are free to do whatever you would like, which is both a blessing and curse as I can tell you first hand. So you have to create your own course outline based on what you want in life, and when you want to get it; I like to call this an action plan.

The easiest way to begin developing your course outline, or action plan, is to write down a list of goals. These can be as simple or complex, as vague or specific as you would like them to be. Some examples may be 'to obtain an entry level job working for XYZ Company' or 'move into your own place within a year'. Write down as many goals as you may have, and then begin identifying the things that you will have to do for you to accomplish these goals.

For example, if one of my goals is to obtain an entry level position in marketing, my action plan would sound something like this:
1) Develop a resume that accentuates my education and experience in a way that would make me a desirable candidate to hire for an entry level marketing position
2) Research companies to identify those that are looking to fill entry level marketing positions
3) Send these companies my resume with a customized cover letter explaining why I feel that I would be a good candidate for the available position
4) Follow up with the companies to see if they would like to schedule an interview
5) Prepare for, and go on the interview(s)
6) Follow up with the individual you interviewed with, thanking them for the opportunity and telling them you look forward to hearing from them.

The next logical step in a best case scenario would be you accepting an offer for an entry level position in marketing!

Follow this methodology of developing an action plan for your goals, and in no time at all you'll have a course outline similar to those from your collegiate courses showing you exactly how to achieve them.

Creating a Daily Itinerary

Just like with the course outlines, there are no more course schedules telling you when and where you have to be to succeed. So, short of winging it, you are going to have to begin developing your own structured schedule, a daily itinerary if you will, based off of your newly created action plan.

To do this, you can start by setting aside a predetermined amount of time each day dedicated to accomplishing each step of your action plan, and stick to it!

For example, if I were to use the sample action plan that I created above, my daily itinerary might sound something like this:
1) Spend one hour each day working on my resume until it is suitable to be presented to companies
2) Spend one hour each day researching companies that are hiring candidates for entry level marketing positions; I might go about doing this a few different ways including browsing job search engines, networking with family, friends, classmates, and teachers, attending online and in-person job fairs, familiarizing myself with alumni job placement tools, etc.
3) Spend one hour customizing my resume and cover letter to appeal to the companies I had identified during the previous hour, and apply for the open positions at these companies either through an application process or via email; the job posting will usually specify the desired method
4) Spend one hour responding to any replies I had received from previous days, or verbally following up with a polite phone call; the latter of which is sure to show your interest in obtaining an interview.

The example above is only to demonstrate the idea of creating a daily itinerary. The time frame does not necessarily need to be an hour, and the same steps need not be performed each day. However, it is important to develop a structured schedule and follow through with it, regardless of the time frame or frequency. Adhere strictly to your schedule and you will most certainly see results and begin making headway towards accomplishing your goals.

Some Final Tips for Your Journey

I've presented you with a few things I've learned in own my own post-graduation-life. Consider the following as my way of telling you, "Yes! The stove is hot, because I touched it and burned myself already and now I'm telling you, so you won't have too!"

Before you graduate, begin protecting your online social presence with the privacy features available to you. Something I learned quickly was that a lot of the things that impressed my friends in college probably won't impress potential employers. Things like pictures of you at fraternity/sorority parties taking three minute keg stands, or people writing obscenities all over your "wall", or posts on your feed about how crazy last night was...you get the point. Take the steps to make sure that only people you want to see these kinds of things can see them. This can be done simply by restricting access to only those people that you are already connected with, and then thinking twice about adding additional people, like your new boss, as 'friends'.

Also, start creating profiles using some of the business networking sites out there. They're similar to the social networking sites you may already be a member of, except they're purpose is to help you network with business professionals, or others in your desired profession. Additionally, they give you a chance to create a positive, professional online presence that XYZ Company will see when deciding if they want to hire you for an open position.

Another helpful tool when starting your transition into your career is to create a new email address. This can be done for free through any number of available websites. The benefit of this is that when you're communicating with potential employers, they'll see an email from John.Smith@Yeha.com as opposed to BMXRider54 @ xxx. com. It's also a lot easier to tell somebody your email address when it's your first and last name then some random words and numbers.

In addition to preserving your online image, you should also follow some basic interview guidelines that are sure to help you stand out from the rest of the pack. Some may sound like common sense, but then you would be surprised by some of the horror stories I have heard straight from the hiring managers that I've interviewed with (talking about candidates who interviewed before me of course)! First, be sure to confirm all interview details including time, place, and what is expected of you. Always show up at least fifteen minutes early to gather your thoughts. Also, they may want you to meet some additional people or shadow an employee for a day; in which case you'll want to make sure your schedule is clear.

Prior to the interview, always do research on the company to gain a decent understanding of who they are, what they do, how they do it, etc. One of the worst things you can do during an interview is ask, "So what does your company do?" However, you should prepare how you're going to answer some basic questions, as well as have a list of questions that you would like to ask the person interviewing you; preferably questions regarding information that isn't regularly available on their website and is relevant to the job you're applying for.

Also, when you're in the interview, never sound negative. If they ask you how you feel about cold calling or something else that you might not be too fond of, just say something along the lines of "I enjoy challenging opportunities", even if you do not! The goal here is to get an offer for employment from the company. Once they offer you a job, you can decide whether you really want it or not because at that point, the ball is in your court. After the interview is over, be sure to send a thank you letter telling the person who interviewed you how much you appreciate this opportunity and mentioning a specific date which you plan to follow up to check on your interview status.

Finally, go on as many interviews as you can. This not only helps to familiarize yourself with the many different styles of interviews that you may be presented with, it also helps you practice interviewing so that should you come across a company that you would absolutely love to work for, your prepared for whatever they might throw at you.

I wish you luck as you begin your post-graduation-life however, I am confident that if you follow the ideas and guidelines presented in this article, you probably won't need any luck at all!

Marc Mustachio