2021's college graduates are entering a job market that's improving, but there's also fierce competition. It's not unusual to have several hundred people compete for the same position.
David Nour is an executive coach and author of the book "Curve Benders." He says as 2021's grads get ready to enter the workforce, they should forget about mass applying to jobs and trying to beat the bots with resume keywords. Instead, they should be networking.
“You know more people than you think you do. So, whether it's through LinkedIn or other professional sites, leverage your relationships to find out, how do I reach the right person? How do I reach the recruiter or hiring manager to simply have a conversation? And then find opportunities to set yourself apart,” he said.
Nour says those opportunities might come in the form of a video resume rather than text.
“How did you overcome this herculean effort of getting an education through the pandemic? What did you do in your internships or your co-ops if you were able to secure those? So, the more you can bring your personal brand, really the purpose of that job and why you want that job, to life with a short video, the more you're going to elevate yourself above the noise,” said Nour.
Once you do land the job, Nour says remember to be flexible.
“And be open to new ideas, new possibilities. News flash: your 20s are the perfect time to figure out what do you enjoy doing, what are you really good at doing, what lights a fire within you, and what really takes that energy away from you,” he said.
