Originally published in the Wabash College Bachelor
As seniors, you’ve now executed a solid college strategy, ensuring you’ve not only learned the technical skills and got the grades, but acquired practical work experience to qualify for your first real job. You’ve researched the company and the hiring manager. You’ve been to mock interviews, you’ve polished your resume and you’ve ironed your shirt.
Now what?
Storytelling is the piece that pulls it all together. It is a powerful tool that will help you stand out in a job interview. By sharing the relevant anecdotes from your past experiences and relating them to the job you are interviewing for, you can illustrate your skills, qualifications, and value to an employer.
- Practice your stories ahead of time. Write them down and be prepared for follow-up questions.
- Keep your stories concise, relevant to the position, and focused on your positive attributes.
Showing you have experience solving complex problems and using critical thinking can help tackle two of the three top skills employers in every industry are looking for. The third? Communication (and that will come through in a well-articulated story). Remember, the goal is to engage the interviewer and leave a lasting impression.
Evaluating Compensation. If you are fortunate enough to have multiple offers or offers in a few different states, you need to compare apples to apples. Even if you only have one job offer, you still need to understand “total compensation”.
Total compensation is the full benefits and compensation package an employee receives. This includes your salary, bonuses, stock options, health insurance, 401k and other employer contributions.
Why is this important? Salary alone does not paint the whole picture. Even if it did, cost of living alone would take $100,000 in San Diego to equal $64,573 in Indianapolis (nerdwallet.com). But salary alone doesn’t tell the whole story. Here are a few other components to consider:
- Health Insurance: An employer paying 100% of your medical insurance premiums vs. an employer offering you group medical insurance (at your cost) is a value of nearly $400 a month or $4800 a year in compensation (Forbes.com).
- Retirement plans: With a salary of $50,000, an employer with a 10% match is the difference of $5,000 more a year in compensation vs. an employer just offering the option to participate in a 401k.
Financial responsibility means being accountable for your financial well-being. This goes well-beyond paying your bills. This includes creating a budget, investment goals for your future, managing student loans alongside expenses you may not have incurred as a student, saving for unexpected repairs or health costs. It is making informed spending and debt decisions.
Why is this important? Financial responsibility creates the foundation for a secure financial future. Budgeting and saving will help new grads avoid debt, build a strong credit score, and work towards long-term financial goals. This provides for more choices and flexibility in life, reduces financial stress, and will enable you to focus on your career and personal growth.
Top Tip: A credit card is not your money. If you don’t have the money to buy those new shoes or go on a vacation to the islands, don’t. You will have those things and go to those places when you do have the money and, for most people, that will be a little later in your career. Put together a 3-5-10 year financial plan to work towards the goals you have (which could be that vacation to the islands, but should also include maxing out your 401k each year).
If these or any other financial considerations are something you want to explore more in depth, your career services office can help.
The Magic Number TWO
Congratulations, you’ve landed your first job! Now stick with it for two years.
I’ve lived in 3 states, 6 cities, and 10 homes. It takes about two years to find good friends and a feeling of belonging. I’ve worked in 3 industries and 8 companies and found that it takes about two years to learn the business, navigate the culture, and master the role.
I’ve seen too many new grads quit their first job within the first year. Unless your mental, emotional, or physical health is truly being jeopardized, don’t quit. Because you “don’t like it” is not really a good reason. Stay two years.
Build qualifications: Two years is enough time to learn new skills and build qualifications to include on your resume.
Build relationships: You can build relationships with other employees in your field.
Show dedication: Staying at your first job for at least two years can show that you’re dedicated to a job.
Be a good reference: The longer you stay at a job, the better it will look as a reference. You’re going to want a good reference from your current employer.
That being said, if you do want to make a change, make a plan first. Explore what you want to do next, network in that industry, learn the skills you may be lacking outside of your current working hours, and prepare yourself to land a new job before you quit your current job.
Overall, two years will give you the experiences you need to be better qualified for your next stop while showing the next employer that you are worth the investment.
Landing that first job is just the beginning. It takes time to build skills and experience, develop and grow relationships, and demonstrate your dedication. While you’re there, take the opportunity to learn more about yourself and what you want in your career. Use this knowledge to make informed decisions about your future. And if the first job is not everything you dreamed of….you’ll be preparing to land your dream job down the road.