For most university graduates or who are about to graduate, the sky is the limit.

That is, until reality strikes!

Priorities change, and you get distracted from your goals. Some graduates take up any employment they can find (even if it doesn't match their field of study) as money becomes a top priority. Others become overly focused on developing an active social life. And by the time they come to their senses of building their career that ship has already sailed.

Seek internship opportunities

Internships are great to gather hands-on, valuable experience in any industry. To be hired as an intern, ask your professors, classmates, friends, family, and your academic advisors if they can refer to anybody looking for interns.

Search the internet or career websites for internship openings. You can also contact employers or a company's human resources department to find if they're interested in recruiting interns.

Participate in work-study programs

Take part in various work-study programs offered by colleges and universities. These programs provide undergraduate or graduate students part-time job opportunities, which help them earn money to fund their studies and help them gain valuable experience and knowledge in their field and their communities.

Hone your skills, knowledge, and strengths

Companies want to recruit candidates with skills and experiences. Make the best of your college days to expand and hone your skills and knowledge. Take elective courses that will help you in your future career aspirations. You can also work as a teaching assistant in your college if there are programs for it. All these will help you develop your skills, knowledge, and creativity.

Build relationships even if you don't need them now

There are plenty of discussions on the importance of building meaningful relationships for finding jobs, and we can't emphasize enough. Furthermore, waiting for something until you need, especially during a crisis, is a real buzz killer, and hardly anything good or substantial comes from it. Instead, it's damaging for relationship building, so avoid it.

Make everyone aware of your strengths and awesomeness

If you have a unique idea or a solution to a problem, don't hold it back. Instead, sharing or challenging it might be a better way. Your inexperience can be a precursor to revolutionary ideas or innovation, so use it as leverage.

Be relentless and responsive

If you get a request, respond to it within a few hours, or minutes if possible. If you're in the middle of something or lack the needed information or time to get the job done, it's perfectly fine. But, respond to it promptly by letting your sender know that you received the email and working on it.

Stay focused

Nothing is more important than staying focused on your career goals and aspirations. Don't let anything veer you away from it; instead, utilize your skills and experiences to guide and propel you to your future plans. Your mistakes will be valuable for learning and gaining experience and knowledge.

These are a few selected nuggets - you can read the full blog piece on the source link below.

Sources

Studentjob Blog
Career Advice For University Students When They Graduate