When to Start Applying for Jobs Before Graduation

Congratulations, it’s your last year of college! You probably want to spend all your time hanging out with friends and making sure you graduate with a great GPA. Hang on, don’t forget that you’ve got another task to add to your to-do list: deciding when to start applying for jobs before graduation.

The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) report that 50.2% of college graduates land a job within the first six months of graduating. But wouldn’t it be great if you could have a job all ready and waiting for you as soon as you’re done with college?

In this article, we outline a timeline for what you should focus on between now and graduation day. Follow our advice for graduation year job seeking to give yourself the best possible chance of landing a job by the big day.

The 4 Phases for Solving When to Start Applying for Jobs Before Graduation

We’ve identified four phases to help you land your ideal first job. A successful college graduate job hunt starts with a ton of reflection and research, followed by effective networking.

But “When should I start applying for jobs?” we hear you ask! The application phase, involving actually sending your resume and cover letter to prospective employers, and nailing those interviews, comes in the later part of your graduation year. Then, as long as you followed our advice, it’ll be time to celebrate.

October to November: The Research Phase

First things first, identify the type of career and company culture where you’ll thrive. To do this, it helps to start by writing down:

• what you’re good at
• the type of company culture you want to be part of
• your personal and professional values

Talk to people you trust who know you well, like your favorite professors, mentors, and your parents. These people have been in the workforce for a while already and can help you figure out what’s right for you.

In your last semester, choose classes that will strengthen your industry-specific skills. Think about whether the companies you’re interested in are looking for candidates who know coding, photography, statistics, or physics etc. Talk to your professors and academic advisor to decide on which classes will help you build skills that will make your resume stand out.

Once you know what you want, create a target company list. Check your list of values and culture fit must-haves to make sure that, to the best of your knowledge, the companies are a good fit for what you’re looking for in a workplace.

Aim for about 10 companies and come up with a game plan for finding (and landing) a job at each one. Spend time also researching each company on review sites to get a sense of what it’s really like to work there from current and former employees.

December to January: The Networking Phase

Start networking. Tap into your school’s alumni network to create genuine relationships before making your ask. You don’t want to wait and have to say something like: “Hey, I just met you and this is crazy, but will you be my recommendation, maybe?” Stay in touch with everyone periodically throughout the year because there may be a job opening that they can recommend you for closer to graduation.

Attend informational interviews. Meet with people who work in your intended industry. This gives you opportunities to find out about the what someone’s day-to-day really looks like in the job you’re interested in. Informational interviews are also a chance for you to practice talking about your experience, skills, and aspirations, which will come in handy when you interview for jobs.

And, while the objective is to learn about the industry, not land a job, you can still network. At the end of each informational interview, ask if there is anyone else that the person recommends you should meet.

February to March: The Preparation Phase

February and March are all about getting stuck into preparation for your upcoming job applications. Now is the time to use all your research to create your resume and start working on a cover letter template that you can adapt for each application you put in.

Make sure you follow our resume best practices, and take advantage of everything your college offers as well such as guidance from the career center. You can also upload your resume to Monster for critique or use our professional resume writing services and let an expert write your resume for you. To give prospective employers an accurate picture of your qualifications, remember to show your expected graduation date on your resume rather than listing that you have already received your degree.

Even if now is not quite when to start applying for jobs before graduation, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be looking. Then, when you are in “active hunt mode,” you can spend less time searching for jobs and more time actually applying to them, because you’ll have a pipeline of jobs in your email queue.

Reading job ads for positions you’re interested in will show you the keywords that hiring managers are looking for on your resume. Take advantage of knowing what to look for and updating your resume for each job.

As well as preparing the written backbones of your job applications, use this time to get interview ready. Get someone from your college’s career services or a friend to ask you some of these most common interview questions as practice for the real thing.

Take some time to focus on your appearance too. Your ideal interview outfit will vary based on how formal or informal the industry and company is, but buy at least one interview outfit that you’ll feel comfortable in.

April to May: The Application Phase

Now that you’ve narrowed down your job title, honed in on some companies you’d like to work for and seen some jobs online, it’s time to start applying.

When to Start Applying for Jobs before Graduation

During April and May of your final year at college is when you should start to apply for jobs. Prioritize your job applications both by which ones you are most interested in and by the application deadline. Make sure you give yourself enough time to put each application together and submit it.

Most applications these days are submitted online, so be sure that your resume is in a format that online screening software can read. This part of your job search is a numbers game, so don’t be shy. Apply to as many jobs as you can to increase the odds of getting a response and an interview.

Nail Your Interviews

Having practiced the most common interview questions, make sure you have answers to all the company-specific questions as well. These may include things like “Why do you want to work here?” and “Do you have any questions for us?”

Start following the companies you’ll be interviewing with on social media and set up Google alerts, so you’ll be up-to-date on company news prior to your interview. Always follow-up with a thank you email, especially if it’s a job you’re really interested in.

Negotiate Your Salary

There is a common misconception that you can’t negotiate an entry-level salary because you don’t have enough experience. But guess what: You can, and often should, negotiate.

Think of it like compound interest. Unless you switch industries or move from a large company to a startup, the amount you make at your first job will set the bar for how much money you make in the future.

June to July: The Celebration Phase

Congratulations you’ve received an offer and negotiated an awesome package. But don’t assume anything is a done deal until you have a signed contract. Most companies will send you a job offer letter and lots of paperwork. If they don’t, make sure you ask for one instead of accepting a verbal offer.

Then, it’s finally time to celebrate! You’ve officially graduated with a degree and a job. Savor your (short) amount of time between graduation and work, and get ready to start the next phase of your life with confidence.

Find Your First Graduate Job Right Here on Monster

Now that you know when to start applying for jobs before graduation, sign up to Monster today and get started. Set up custom alerts for your preferred job titles and locations and we’ll send new listings straight to your inbox. Take advantage of the membership perks at Monster and find a job faster than anyone else in your class.