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AGCAREERS.COM
AG & FOOD CAREER GUIDE
KEEP THE
CONFIDENCE
T
he job hunt can be so exhausting!
Being turned down is hard to hear,
not being told anything is even harder
to fathom. Questioning thoughts come
into play, “after all this school, why is it
so hard to find a job?”
I have been there! A lot of us have!
So, how can you keep your
confidence during the job search, the
interview process, and how do you
take rejection with grace?
These are some tips I learned from
my personal job hunt, AND advice from
Brandi Adkins, 2021 Purdue University
animal science graduate.
START EARLY
This may be what all of us think coming
into the job search, start early, but
not necessarily so you can secure a
job early, but so you can gain a lot of
experience. Adkins explained by doing
this she felt like she was able to gain
a competitive edge because she had
so much more practice not only with
filling out applications and writing
cover letters, but also practice having
professional conversations in interviews.
“This is a good way to set yourself
apart on applications because you have
had all this practice filling them out,”
Adkins said.
If you are not a college senior, you
can start early by talking to people in
your industry, building your LinkedIn
network, applying for internships,
keeping your resume updated, and
attending career fairs.
KNOW WHO YOU ARE
Now this can sound pretty self-
explanatory, right? Know yourself. But
this is about knowing yourself on a
professional basis because you are
now entering a different world. How are
employers supposed to get to know
the real you if you don’t know yourself?
Learn more about yourself by making
time for some self-reflection, asking
yourself, “What am I good at? Where
does my light shine the most?” If you
are struggling with this, ask your friends,
what qualities they see in you. This
is one of the realest answers you will
receive. You could find out things that
people see in you that you didn’t even
know
KNOW HOW TO
PORTRAY YOURSELF
This means on paper, through your
resume and cover letter, online
through your LinkedIn profile, and in
the interview through professional
conversation. It shows confidence if you
truly know your strong points!
Prepare examples of how your
strongest skills have come into play
and how you have used them in your
professional experience. In an interview
this is what employers want to hear!
What sets you apart? What makes you
different from the person interviewing
before you? Also, be transparent and
know what your weak spot is because
we all have one! But what is more
important is to mention how your
strengths make up for your weakness.
PREPARE MENTALLY
“I went into the job hunt thinking I was
going to get an interview every time,”
Adkins said. I thought that too, but we
both came to the harsh reality that this
process is out of our control. Now as
you are going into your job hunt, think
about this. Know that unfortunately, you
may not hear back every time. Prepare
yourself mentally that the job hunt
will take a lot time and whole lot more
dedication. Go in thinking, “this will be
will not be easy, but I have the skills to
do this!”
SET GOALS
I love to check off boxes and set goals
for myself, so that is what I did! I set a
goal for my senior year to apply to one
job a week. Once I did that, I put in the
work, researched the company, updated
my resume, and wrote my cover letter
for that one job I applied for that week.
I was able to find confidence within
myself by knowing I did it and was
working towards the end goal. Keep
track of these jobs on a spread sheet,
or some other way that works best
for you, and keep track of if you have
heard from the employer. If you are
super passionate about a certain job
position, reach out to the employer after
a while and tell them you are still very
interested. This will show persistence
and confidence!
> > >
by Clara Boles, AgCareers.com Talent Solutions & Digital Marketing
PHOTOS: Photo by Damian Zaleski on Unsplash,
Photo by Good Free Photos on Unsplash