Figure Out Your Next Move
Start by giving your job goals some serious thought. You don't have to map out your entire career path, I recommend that you use these first few years after college to explore different fields and types of organizations to discover what's best for you before committing to any long-term career goals — but you need to narrow down your search to some degree.
For instance, is there a particular industry or company that especially interests you? While it's unrealistic to assume your first entry-level job after college graduation will be your “dream job” it's not unreasonable to target jobs at companies that are in your dream industry.
Don't Be Afraid to Intern
If you're having trouble breaking into your desired field, be willing to pursue an administrative or customer support role, or even an internship, to get your foot in the door. Many “entry level” jobs today require one or more years of experience. If you didn't intern during college to gain the prerequisite experience, you are at a disadvantage when competing for an entry-level job.
Update Your College Resume
As an entry-level job seeker, your resume is “typically” one page long, but not required. Remove any references to your high school career and focus on highlighting your best-selling points, such as your education, leadership skills, internship experience, and any awards you achieved during your college career.
Take Advantage of Free Job-Search Tools
The resources listed below are all free job-search tools that can help you during each stage of your job hunt.
Exploring Career Paths: If you're struggling to narrow the focus of your job search, do a little research into different career paths with some help from Vault and The Muse.
Research: CareerBliss and Glassdoor offer information on interviewing, pay, perks, and corporate culture at various companies. Hoovers provides company, industry, and market information.
Salary: Prepare for upcoming negotiations by researching and comparing average salaries for your target job with PayScale and Salary.com.