So, you graduated with your MBA and don’t have a full-time job waiting for you?

Before we dive in, let me congratulate you on earning your MBA degree. I know it took a lot of effort on his part, possibly a sacrifice on many levels, and it was also stressful, fun, exhausting, and satisfying. Well done!

Graduation itself was probably a mix of happiness, relief, and even a bit of sadness that you were saying goodbye to some good friends.

Perhaps there was also something else. You knew that many of your classmates had full-time job offers waiting for them in a few weeks or months, while you did not and did not have anything ready.

This article is for you.

I am communicating with you because I was you six years ago. I graduated from Kenan-Flagler Business School (UNC) with an MBA in Marketing and had no job waiting for me after graduation. I was a career change (from Wall St. to Marketing) and despite the many parallels between the two career paths, many recruiters and companies did not see the connection and instead saw only limited marketing experience in me. resume.

Does any of this sound familiar to you?

Also, I know that income is needed. You have expenses, possibly including new student loans. I understand. I came home after graduation. I certainly don’t have advice for every specific situation, but what I do know is that you can’t get discouraged or let negative thoughts creep in and impact your next move.

You have a lot of value to add to an organization and now you need to regroup and find a way to get in. Keep in mind that this can take several months or longer, however if you remain persistent and focused you will get over this little setback.

Let me offer some advice based on my personal experience or what I learned in hindsight. I hope they help you.

1. Don’t compare yourself to your classmates

You don’t know what you don’t know. We are all in a different situation. For example, some of your classmates received the offer of their dreams, some possibly accepted an offer and now have a shred of regret, some perhaps accepted the first or only offer that was presented to them, while others are returning to the companies they worked for before the school business because they have to.

You don’t know everyone’s story and it doesn’t matter. Your classmates are starting their new journeys and so are you.

Wish them the best and focus on your next steps.

2. Take care

Exercise at least several times a week.

Eat well

Get enough sleep

Go outside

· Laughter. Read funny books; watch comedies or monologues

Looking for a new job is stressful and even more difficult if you are sick. Staying healthy.

3. Get together with people

Communicate with friends, train co-workers or classmates for coffee or lunch. It’s great to catch up and have a good conversation. If they can help you directly is not the point. Meeting with them will most likely give you a boost and make you both feel good.

4. Wait for networking events

Sites like meetup.com and alumni events are a great place to make a new connection or two. You never know where a meeting might lead.

5. Add variety to your day

Don’t spend 8 hours a day looking for work. You will burn. Mix it up to stay motivated … and sane.

Take time each day to read the newspaper, different magazines, online articles, books about people or topics that interest you. You can get all of this information for free at your public library. It is a great resource. Take advantage of that.

Also, even though I know you just finished 2+ years of classes, there are also tons of online courses available if you want to learn or become familiar with certain topics.

6. Think about where you want to go in the long run.

You most likely have an idea of ​​where you want your career to go in the next 5 years or so. Keep that perspective handy and realize that your first job will be a stepping stone to the next opportunity that will lead you to your larger goal. Getting a job is not the end game. It’s a chapter in your biggest book.

7. Set parameters for your job search … but be open too

You will regret taking any job or the wrong job and you don’t want to be in that situation. Focus on where you want to work. Consider the daily commute, the hours you are willing to work, the type of organization, the size of the organization, etc. If an opportunity arises where you may need to make compromises, you can make them at that time. Also, you may have an opportunity that seems interesting but is not necessarily what you are focusing on. At the very least, be open and see if it will help you advance toward your career goals.

8. Do not endlessly apply to companies through their online portals

I made this mistake. Who knows how many hours I wasted completing and submitting my resume, cover letter, and other information only to never get an answer.

Submit your abstract and letter directly to a business of interest to you via USPS (not by email), whether they have a job posted or not. Use LinkedIn to research and send your information to whoever you want to hire in the department that interests you. Let THAT person contact RR. H H.

8a. You need a good fit, not 100

Don’t expect to hear from companies; keep moving forward. I don’t know when many companies started to think that not communicating with candidates is acceptable, especially after you take the time to interview them, but it happens far too often and there is a good way to deal with it:

Acknowledge that it is the loss of the company, not yours, and move on.

9. Keep practicing your interview skills

You may have time gaps between interviews. Make the effort to constantly rehearse your answers to common interview questions to stay alert. You can practice with friends or even just out loud. If you’re working with a recruiter, ask them to ask you a few quick questions so you can respond and get feedback right away. This will also help take some of the pressure off when the next interview comes around … which it will.

10. Consider other approaches

This was the turning point for me.

After months of submitting applications to those online portals, I realized that one of the companies I was interested in kept posting the same jobs over and over on their website. I decided to contact the UNC Career Management Center in February 2012 to request a student to work for the company. I thought it would be better if I contacted someone at the company rather than hoping that a computer would like my resume.

I received the information, I immediately approached and explained my situation to the student, who was understanding. As we talked, I told him that I would even consider an internship because in my mind I knew two things: 1) UNC had a strong connection to the company and its summer internship program and 2) I couldn’t hear that it did. not having “enough experience” for a full-time job once again. I thought the internship would be a no-brainer for them and a decent backup plan for me.

Simply put, they ended up offering me the summer internship in April 2012, which I accepted.

That’s how it is. A YEAR after graduating, I was now going to work in the field I was studying for. I was a graduate of 11 current MBA students who were in their freshman and sophomore years. I didn’t care. This was a victory for me.

I worked hard that summer, learned everything I could, and left in August with a summary that now helped recruiters and companies see the “connection.” Ridiculous, right? The idea that it was now substantially more commercial thanks to a 10-week internship was silly. But that’s how many people see it and that’s why I knew the internship would be worth it.

A few months later, a recruiter helped me get a job where I stayed for 4 years and 2 months. I was fortunate to work at that company because I learned and contributed more there than I would have done in a larger company. In the end, this made the entire year after graduation worthwhile. I finally got to where I wanted to be at this point in my career.

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Remember, you are not at a disadvantage for not having a full-time job right now. Your path just looks different, which doesn’t matter anyway. (Point 1)

Focus on you and realize that you have a lot to offer an organization that deserves it. Don’t be discouraged and don’t let any company or individual make you guess the reasons that led you to this point.

There is no right way to pursue your career. Do what you have to do to prepare to keep moving toward whatever your short-term and long-term goals are.

I wish you the best.