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career after college

Your Career After College: Benefits

As you ready yourself for your last semester or last year of college, you may be worrying about supporting yourself after college. In 2019, when the job market was tight, college graduates said they would work for any company that hired them, according to a survey by Fast Company. In 2022, the market has drastically changed. You now have more choices for your career after college, and among those choices are the benefits you can ask for.

According to a recent LinkedIn study, one benefit rose dramatically from nowhere on the 2019 list to second in priority in 2022: a flexible work environment. What are your must-haves? They might include:

  • Career development
  • An easy commute or travel allowance
  • Work-life balance, including wellness and mental health benefits
  • Student debt assistance and/or assistance with post-grad education.

One “benefit” you can always negotiate is salary. Some experts say that you can negotiate up about 5% from the initial offer, but not always. If you cannot negotiate the salary you want, then you might try negotiating for other items on your “must-have” list—all of the benefits listed above, including flexible scheduling, may be negotiable.

Two pieces of information are essential for any negotiation:

  • Knowing the normal salary for your position in your industry in your geographic location
  • Knowing your value and communicating it.

Your value consists of the skills, education, experience, and perspective you bring to the company. To communicate your value, you first need to research your preferred companies and industry thoroughly so that you know what it is important. What are typical company or industry goals, values, gaps in talent, recent initiatives that succeeded or failed, and so on? What do you offer in helping to expedite those goals, values, gaps, and initiatives?

Once you have your research in hand, your resume is the initial tool for communicating value. Your resume should align, not only with your own must-have list, but with the must-haves of the company and industry. The closer you come to fitting their criteria, the better chance you have to negotiate a fit with your own criteria.

Is your resume communicating your value? Does your resume align with both your ideal benefits and the needs of the companies and industries where you are applying? If you are not sure, now is the time to ask for help with your career strategy. Robin’s Resumes® offers a free initial consult. We have helped many college grads on their path to the right job and we can help you.

Your Career After College: Location

If you are heading into your last semester or last year of college this fall, you are probably beginning to worry about your career after college. Will companies hire you? How exactly will you use your degree? What should you be looking for in a company? What will they look for in you as a new hire?

Among the questions you should be asking yourself are: Where do you want to work? Best Colleges recently surveyed recent graduates to ask what they considered when choosing where to live after college. In order of importance, the graduates considered:

  1. Cost of living. A beginning salary may not match the cost of living in the area of your choice. You may need to consider a roommate or returning home until you save enough or have enough income to strike out on your own.
  2. Career opportunities. If you try for a career in marine biology in Nevada, you are likely to be disappointed.
  3. Safety. Some careers—such as first responders or hang glider instructors or prison guards—have more challenges in regard to keeping safe. You may also know of parts of cities or towns that are considered “unsafe” and where you may not choose to live or work.
  4. Proximity to family and friends. Social connections are important for your health, but you should also consider that your friends are likely to disperse after college and that you will make new friends at a new location, including friends at work. With family, carefully calculate what proximity will feel comfortable and balance that against career opportunities and affordability.

Affordability might also include the cost of moving to a new location. If you decide to search for a job outside your current geographical area, your company may offer a moving allowance (relocation reimbursement) or signing bonus. In 2022, moving allowances varied from $2,000 to $100,000, depending on many factors, including your role. Signing bonuses may be given in a lump sum or may be paid out over time, so the funds may not be available to finance your move.

When you have decided on the physical location where you want to start your search, the company will have to decide if they want to hire someone outside their immediate location, even for remote work. The company’s location requirements may appear in the job posting or advertisement.

Robin’s Resumes® will help you construct a resume that meets the location or relocation criteria for your career after college. There are several ways to do that, and we will work with you to find the best way for your situation. Contact us today.