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Considering how much effort, time and money people expend in getting their college or university degree, it's amazing how so many new graduates just fling themselves into job interviews and new jobs with little thought about what their career trajectory is.

The result is that graduates often dislike their first jobs, and before long are on the hunt for employment again. In short, the job hunting and selection decisions that you make now - and how you approach those decisions - can have a defining, often negative effect on your future.

There are two ways you can search for a new job: send out lots of resumes and hope for the best, or target the company for whom you want to work. Since most of us are familiar with the first method, let's take a moment to explore the other one.

Start by better understanding yourself and deciding what is important for your life. Consider things like commuting time, working hours and days, corporate culture, benefits, training and development, and company reputation. The next step is to look for companies that can offer you what you seek. Last and most importantly - package and position yourself and focus on making them need you.

The writer is the special-projects manager for Wall Street Institute School of English.

 

By Kevin P Jones

kevin@wallstreet.in.th

Special to The Nation