Graduated but still don’t have a job lined up? Try this!

I know you wanted a full-time job offer by now, and some of your friends/classmates got one. But things don’t always work out the way we'd like. 

It’s okay because to have a chance at any level of success, a person must be able to quickly adapt to their current situation. It's all about doing the "next right thing."

I won't hap on "networking", that's basic knowledge. Instead, here are some actionable tips you can use TODAY.

Get an internship.

By the time I did the commencement walk for undergrad, I hadn't been interviewed for a single full-time position, let alone receiving an offer from anyone. Thus I interned for 16months, went back to grad school before receiving my first offer. 

It was through the internship that I made contacts and developed relationships that lead to the subsequent opportunities that came my way.

Would I have wanted it to happen sooner? Sure. But we don't always get our way with life. 

Do a Hail Mary.

If you don't know the story of Akosua Boadi-Agyemang, I'll tell it briefly. She was tired of not getting any results in spite of her steadfast attempts at securing a position. She then published a Hail Mary Post on LinkedIn, which was basically a coin flip. I believe her post got a couple million views on LinkedIn, going as far as LinkedIn CEO, Jeff Weiner, who commented on it, applauding her zeal. She ended up at Microsoft.

Basically, you have nothing to lose but everything to gain. Hail Mary LinkedIn posts will either get the attention of decision-makers or it won’t. 

If it does, great — mission accomplished.

If it doesn’t, don’t worry, the post will disappear after a day, and it’ll be like it never happened. 

Use Twitter too if you have it, and ask your followers to please retweet. Twitter retweets spread like wildfire. 

You never know what might happen if you don’t try. It only takes the eyeballs of that one person.

Reach out directly to people on LinkedIn. 

Put your current network to the test, and hope that the relationships you've been building thus far can come through for you.

If you haven’t had contact with them before, you could say, “I’m breaking the cardinal rule of social interactions by reaching out with an ask. I regret the fact that I haven’t had previous contact with you. I’m simply desperate. Thus, it’s okay if you’re unable to assist me. Either way, I hope this can be the start of a conversation that leads to a mutually beneficial relationship.” 

Or something along those lines.

At the very least, they’ll appreciate your honesty and will be honest with you in return. 

What’s the worst thing they’ll do? Ignore you or say they can’t help. Either way, your position remains unchanged, but you can be proud of yourself for trying despite all but certain rejection.

Additionally, you can spend more time doing research on your targets and then customize the messages to be more interesting and less formal.

Career Fair.

I know you’ve graduated, but career fairs are usually open to Alumni as well. Attend one of those if you can. The fact that you’re there and trying might impress someone. But don’t waltz in there with a resume that suggests you’re currently unemployed, IF you can help it. That’s where that Internship comes into play. A recruiter might like to see that you’re trying — don’t get labeled lazy or entitled. Humans quickly form opinions based on small details.

Be creative.

If you're the creative type, you can make a video, an illustration or something eye-catching. They've been plenty cases where people got opportunities by doing things like that. It's all about demonstrating that you're a go-getter who can think outside the box, and is willing to do whatever it takes to succeed. Who wouldn't want this type of person on their team?