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Tips For The Newly Graduates


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  • 3 weeks later...

- job hunting (information and techniques)

 

Short list the companies that you would want to work for. Its not a good thing to go for whatever job is available unless you really are a below average graduate. Your first job will likely define your career trajectory. Choose badly and you'd end up getting stuck in limbo for sometime. Choose wisely and you could land a job that's both satisfying (financially, emotionally, intellectually, etc) and would provide a good platform to develop your skills further.

 

You have to choose a company that shares your personal values. Believe me, you can't fake it. If you hate the work environment, you're setting yourself up to fail. And unlike in school where you could simply shake off the failure and live another day, a misstep in the professional world could really f#&k your career.

 

Once you have a short list of companies, then go look for job openings. Please don't rush. Your parents waited 4-5 years for you to finish a degree. They could wait some more. Philippine economy is booming. There are and will be always be jobs for good people.

 

- job interviews (usual questions and best answers)

 

do your research about the company. Get an idea of its corporate values, its mission/vision, and what it expects from its workforce. Also, find time to learn the industry in which the company operates, where the company is relative to its competitors, where it exudes strength, where it struggles and what are its corporate plans moving forward. These information are typically on their websites, or you could get them from people who are working or have worked there.

 

Why do all that? Well, its to allow you to frame your answers in a language that they readily recognize. You don't have to suck-up to them. The whole point is you could be just as sincere while being "efficient" in answering interview questions. You have to capture your interviewer's imagination. And the best way to do that is to work with ideas and material that are already familiar to him.

 

Some people say you should sell yourself during interviews. Well, not really. What you need to sell is the idea that the company needs you.

 

Some obvious rules apply - dress well. look good. be polite.smile. don't "uhmmm" your way to interviews. speak clearly. use first person and active sentences when talking abt your experiences. and grab the chance to ask questions abt the company.

 

- resume

 

Tailor-fit your resume to the position you wish to apply for. you may even have different resumes for different companies. Avoid grammatical errors and spelling blunders. Use sans-serif fonts. Reduce clutter/organize information visually. Include relevant extra-curricular stuff - things that would subtly show that your personality aligns well with their vision of a "ideal" employee. But pls, don't over-indulge. And you really don't need to put personal stuff like religion, marriage status, age, etc. They waste space and don't really provide the company with anything. All you need to specify is 'mobility' (are you able to travel and/or posted elsewhere?), 'flexibility' (are you able to take odd hours?), etc..anything that's relevant to the job that you're applying for.

 

- self confidence (what to do when ure oh so nervous)

 

Prepare. Write some questions for yourself...questions relating to the job itself, work environment, achievements, failures, career aspirations (short term, medium term, long-term), target renumeration package (including must-have benefits).

 

Essentially, tackle the fundamental question of "why the company should invest in you?"

 

After that, write your answers and rehearse. This isn't being a phony. This is being prepared. Be honest with your answers, but be prepared to relay them in a very fluid manner. Surely, there will be a question or two that's totally going to be outside the box. f#&k that, at least you reduce your exposure. And also, if you're skillful enough, you could even steer the discussion to something that you're already familiar with.

 

- starting salary and employers

 

Multinationals should be your priority, unless you're a very idealistic ISKO who truly loves your country more than yourself, your parents, your bros and sis, etc. Simply put, Unilever, P&G, Shell, hp, IBM, Accenture, etc. would pay more for a particular role compared to their local counterparts.

 

After that, you go for established local companies with good training and career development programs. Typically, companies who invest in their people are the ones who also pay good money. Plus, if you cant land a job that pays top money, then settle for a company that sets you up to be able to make that jump later to companies who could pay you more. And who knows? you could also stay.

 

- sss, tax, tin, benefits etc etc etc

 

These are part of your renumeration package. Fairly straightforward.

 

 

- freelancer (may money ba dto?)

 

Have no idea whatsoever lol.

 

- call centers

 

Also have no idea aside from that their organizations are typically flat, which means long-term career growth and options may be limited.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 8 months later...
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  • 1 month later...

I hate to bring bad news sa new graduates but somebody has to tell it as it is.

 

1. If your educational attainment is service oriented in nature (manager, accountant, lawyer, consultant, etc), within 12 months you'll probably be out of the job. In short you are SCREWED.

 

2. If your education attainment is tied to manufacturing, production and basic commodities, chances are your job is safe. More or less.

 

3. If you're one of the few, and I mean very few (like 1 in several hundred thousand FEW) people who had the insight to study farming, CONGRATULATIONS dude! You just made yourself a millionaire. Provided you also own farmland.

 

This boils down to a simple fact.

 

12 months from now the global reserve currency will collapse (dollar) which will lead to the collapse of all paper currencies tied to it. Philippine Peso included. Runaway inflation leading to hyperinflation will occur within days, maybe even hours of the news that the dollar is no longer the reserve currency.

 

In a scenario where paper money is losing value on a daily basis, the price of basic commodities (food, water, medicine) will skyrocket.

 

I know what you're thinking. You should have chosen agriculture as your degree. :D

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Actually they're thinking 'Who was that mad man'?

 

My advice to fresh grads: there's no denying it's a tough world out there, especially with exponentially rising competition to gain employment. But hang in there.

 

Do find a job that you love and you'll be rewarded immensely. And if ever you're in a job that you don't like, use the opportunity to gain new skills to get into a job that you do want.

 

Don't worry about the meager pay at first (we've all been there). Eventually, you'll earn a lot more as you gain experience.

 

Sa interviews, try to remain calm and ralaxed.

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 5 months later...

Find a job that you love and be good at it though it might not pay that much. The money will follow especially if you excel at what you do. And in case you are working with foreigners, please do not be intimidated. They are just like you and me, we can compete with them. Lastly, when you go overseas, do not call your officemates or superiors "Sir" and "Ma'am" that is not how it works overseas. Call them by their first name.

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  • 2 months later...
  • 2 months later...

Don't stop aiming for higher! Make that your goal right after you graduate if you really wanna be successful.

 

Invest on postgrad if you have to! Its a worthy investment. Aside from adding up more credentials to your resume, it also gives you a title which you can carry throughout your life.

 

Nung ito ang binigay kong advice sa isa kong kakilala ang sagot ba naman "ay ewan ayoko na bumalik nanaman sa eskwela!". Eh papano aasenso kung ganyan ang ugali?

 

Eto ang mantra na lagi kong dinala

 

Losers will always settle for contentment, for what is easy and convenient, and then spend the rest of their lives sour graping.... Or worse hating on those people who have more than what them. Winners are the people who dont mind putting in the hours, the sacrifice, and hard hard work to fulfill something

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