“Adulting” is what it’s called now—life after graduation. The reality of student loans sets in. You now have to find a good job to pay for your college degree as well as that new car note you might have congratulated yourself with along with the rent that’s due next month now that your roommate moved out to accept that new job offer! That part-time job you held for the past four years is suddenly not bringing in enough money anymore. But there’s good news: now that you are a college graduate, you’re now eligible to apply for better paying jobs!
What Exactly Does “Adulting” Mean?
“Adulting” means that you’re completely done with college life and you’re now taking on the responsibilities of an adult. It’s now time for you to pay your own way, but you can’t really do that until you land a decent-paying job. Now’s the time to put all of those skills you’ve acquired throughout the past two to five years in college to work.
Job Hunting in Miami
If you are looking for work in Miami, then you are at a great advantage because you can get a good head start on job-hunting while you’re still in school. Also, employers in the Miami area typically prefer hiring an applicant who is already living close by so that they don’t have to pay for relocation expenses. That isn’t to say that living out of town gives you a disadvantage as there are plenty of out-of-state applicants who have been hired and have moved to Miami because of a new job.
Whether you are living in Miami, out of town, or even out of state, if you’re looking for a way to land the job of your dreams in Miami, it’s recommended that as a new college graduate, you follow these helpful tips:
- Conduct a Social Media Check
While entertainment news may find interest in daring posts—whether it’s laughable or risqué, it’s best to keep a poised public image of yourself—even if you put your settings to ‘private’, you still run the risk of potential employers viewing your profile. You just never know.
It’s more probable that the first social media platform employers will look to is LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a social media tool that is designed to be a bit more professional. It’s basically a high-end resume that you can update using links and videos. It’s a virtual tool to help you network with professionals in your industry. Here you can even apply for jobs or place a job opening for your company.
So, if you’re looking for work in the Miami area, you can use LinkedIn to filter out the industry and area where you’re looking for work and LinkedIn will provide you a list of Miami businesses in your field of interest. You should also consider updating your profile before submitting applications to potential employers.
You might think that it can’t get any better than that, but there are other options to finding a job in Miami.
- Apply for Internships
You don’t necessarily have to be a student in order to get an internship. There are some businesses that accept new graduates as interns. Use this to your advantage. As a new graduate, you’ll have more flexible hours than a student’s restricted schedule. You’ll be able to work more hours, and as a result, be more available to provide your newly trained expertise whenever it’s needed! This not only gives you more experience, but also a chance of becoming a permanent employee. Many professionals have started their career as an intern only to get hired in by the company afterwards. While this is not always guaranteed, it certainly counts as one of the ways you can land a job in Miami.
- Volunteer for Community Service
Volunteering certainly doesn’t pay the bills, but it can still be rewarding. Working for free as a civil servant shows character because you’re making a choice to do something for nothing. Whether you choose to feed the homeless, join the neighborhood watch, or spend time volunteering in an after school program, this also serves as a way to network because people who oversee these type of organizations may know of someone in the industry who might be hiring. So in all things, do your best work because you never know who’s watching!
- Join a Chamber of Commerce
Because Miami is such a big city, there are several chapters in their Chamber of Commerce. A Chamber of Commerce is another type of professional networking pool, but unlike LinkedIn, it’s more personal. Its overall goals are to increase the interest of businesses. This is done with various networking meetings that work for the interest of improving the economic, civic, and cultural welfare within their area. As a student, you can join at a discount membership fee, but after graduation, you’ll be expected to pay the full amount unless you are already working for a business or corporation that has a membership.
- Join an Association Related to Your Field of Study
Say for instance you graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Nursing, then it’ll definitely be beneficial to join the Florida Nurses Association (FNA), an organization that is “committed to assisting leaders and members in implementing the goals and priorities of the association as well as serving as a resource to nurses and nursing students.” While other groups like the American Nurses Association has similar goals, the FNA is more focused on the state of Florida, which is exactly what you’d want if you’re looking for a job in Miami.
So no matter what kind of college degree you have, it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll find some sort of organization related to your area of expertise—whether it’s professional, or student-related, joining will increase your networking contacts to find the job you want.
- Go to Networking Mixers
In addition to joining industry-related organizations, putting yourself out there to mingle with professionals in different industries is also helpful. Sign up for a Meetup account to find out what kind of events are going on near you. They don’t necessarily have to be professional either. Sporting events like boating, kayaking, biking, and yes, even food clubs are all meeting up in Miami. All you have to do is join to find the meeting you’d like to participate in.
Florida National University (FNU): Helping You Network
“Adulting” doesn’t have to be so difficult if you know what you’re doing and execute it well. It can even be fun! Just because college is over doesn’t mean the fun stops. You can put your degree to work by linking up with the right kind of social groups. Before you know it, you may find someone referring you to apply for the job of your dreams! If you’re interested in learning more about how FNU can help you prepare to find a job in Miami, contact us today.
