i just realized its been a little over a year since I graduated and had to pull my shit together to find a job. heres some tips if anyone feels a little lost and some examples from my own struggles.

start with your cv! whether you’re applying for a summer internship program or fresh outta uni trying to figure out how you’re supposed to navigate the job market, start with your cv. take every little thing you’ve ever done and construct something out of it! look at any extracurriculars youve done or any interests and skill you’ve picked up over the years and figure out. i literally got my foot in the door because i learned how to read html/css on tumblr so i kinda dropped it in my interests and mentioned it in my interview and im pretty sure it gave me a bit of an edge for getting the position. 

window shop a little! there are so many jobs and job expectations out there! take a look around and familiarize yourself. getting yourself acquainted with the market and the language that people use is super important and can help you go back and polish up your cv to fit it. I struggled with this a little bit myself. I went to uni in canada but came back to hk so the entry position names and the terms that they used for recruiting was pretty different (idk if its the same for other places but uhhh like in hk all the entry level/fresh grad positions are ‘executive’ positions lmao which i did not know). i would say definitely try to figure out key terms or skills that will make it easier to filter your search.

dont preemptively disqualify yourself! apply to jobs that you dont think you’re fully qualified for. literally. actually. apply. im not saying like shoot for the something unreasonable. but dont be turned off by postings that expect more years or more experience than you have. dont disqualify yourself before you even get the chance to try. the worst that could happen is you dont get a response. the best that could happen is you get called in for an interview. either or its still just another part of the process! everyones gotta start somewhere with experience so just give yourself the chance to get some.

alter your cv’s and cover letters! everyone says it. actually do it. have one basic cv that has everything on it. thats your building block and probably the cv you can use to send out to general jobs that youre kinda interested in but really just shooting your shot just to try. when you see a job you’re really interested in or really fits a certain skill or background that you have then create another cv that accentuates those skills! you gotta mold yourself a little to fit the image that the person whose hiring you is looking for. tailor your cover letters a little to the company and the job posting and align yourself for the position. its the same concept as buying the right shoes for the right sports. youre not gonna wear converse to a 100m sprint. and youre not gonna send him some generic cover letter to a job youre really aiming for.

make a spreadsheet! i literally applied to so many jobs that i couldnt keep track without the spreadsheet. it was helpful for if i got a call for an interview and had to go back to reference what the exact expectations for the post was. mine looked like this (company; position applied for; location; date applied; where i found it; a response column; and a details column that linked to the job posting’) but for sure tailor yours to your own job search. [yes i applied to like almost 150 jobs but yknow most were just shots in the dark for shits and giggles]

dont necessarily take the first job you hear back from! congrats maybe you got an interview and got an offer! don’t be scared to say no. unless its a job that you know you’re really gunning for and super interested in, i wouldnt advise to settle if you can afford not to. the tip i gave my friend was to think about whether or not you still wanted to look for other jobs when you receive the offer. i know this is a luxury not everyone can decide to take but if you can then do so. if you cant afford the extra search time, then take the job as a learning opportunity. like i said before everyone has to start somewhere if theyre gaining experience.

give yourself a break.. dudes its hard to transition out of a system thats been guiding you since you essentially knew how to write your name. if you get the chance give yourself a break and dont continually get stressed about this. take a breather, schedule some time outta your day. if youre trying then a job will come. the right one. 

edit: i wanted to also add some general places to look at for postings

linkedin / indeed.com - both let you create cv’s, job search, save jobs youre interested in, and quick apply. theyre good places to start just cause there’s so many postings. dont just look at the jobs, look at the companies and sister companies.

go directly to a company you’re interested in - if youve got an interest in working with a certain person or company, literally go to the website and see if theres a hiring/contact/linkedin for the company and directly apply there. send a email! there’s bound to be a way to contact them (lmao respectfully pls)

check out some university job boards - some are public, or if youve just graduated there might still be access for you. my uni also had a ‘jobs’ facebook page. dont forget about alumni groups if your school might have one. alumni groups are literally made for you to connect and try to open opportunities.

graduateland / angellist / jobsdb (if ur in asia) - check out the smaller more ‘boutique’ places that are more tailored to ur geo or interests. like for example angellist is mostly for startups and smaller companies.