Congratulations! After years of hard work, you finally finished college and now you’re ready for the real world. Right now, the economy is improving, which means you are in a great position to land a fantastic job.
According to Tara Sinclair, economics professor at George Washington University, and chief economist at the website Indeed, September 2014 saw the first time in six years that the unemployment rate dropped below 6%. She also says that unemployment is currently as low as 2.5% for those holding at least a bachelor’s degree.
This does not mean finding your job will be easy or that you won’t have competition. In order to get a job quickly, you need to focus on fields that are growing, and position yourself well.
Here are some of the fastest growing fields and how you can find your first job:
Focus on technology or healthcare
According to Indeed, 80% of the top jobs are in these two fields. Of those, three quarters are in technology. According to Sinclair, there are more job postings in these fields then there is interest from job candidates.
Reinvent yourself
If you’re having troubles finding a job that fits with your degree, consider how you can spin your education and experiences to match what potential employers are looking for. For example, if your degree is in English or another discipline that required a great deal of writing, you have the perfect background to write copy that gets people’s attention.
If you have trouble connecting your degree to the job you want, or if you’ve discovered that what you studied is not what you want to do with your life, you’ll need to get some experience in the kind of work you want to do. This leads to a bit of a dilemma. Employers want you to have experience, but you can’t get experience without a job.
The easiest way around this is to get an internship, do some freelance work, or even do some volunteering. When it comes to landing the job you want, getting paid is less important than gaining experience. Worst-case scenario, you may have to get a job in the evenings and on weekends while you volunteer or work in internship during regular hours.
Keep learning
Even if you get your dream job right away, the fact is very few people stay in the same job these days. Statistics show the average person works 11 different jobs before they reach 45, and change careers at least three times.
Some of these changes are planned, some are not. You need to be ready to change jobs or even professions on a dime if you need to. Besides that, even if you do stay at your job forever, you won’t be able to get promoted if you don’t keep learning your profession. A lot of companies offer financial assistance for continuing education.
Still looking for more? Feel free to check out our comprehensive personal finance guide to learn more about managing your budget and staying financially healthy.