With a self-starting, entrepreneurial attitude, new college grads can put themselves on the road to career success.
In the coming weeks, many of the nation's college seniors will receive their degrees. For members of the class of 2014 who aren't going on to graduate school, the next step is finding full-time employment.
In a rapidly changing job market that features post-graduation internships and freelance work more and more frequently, some new grads may feel overwhelmed thinking about their career prospects. But Monica Smith, founder and CEO of direct response marketing firm Marketsmith Inc.and data gathering platform I.Predictus, believes that an entrepreneurial approach to job hunting can set workforce newcomers on the road to success.
Smith offered the following tips for new college graduates who want to apply a self-starting attitude to their careers: [How to Land Your Dream Job]
Know where you want to go. Start working on your personal road map right now. Ask yourself where you want to be in one year, five years and 10 years from today. Define what's important to you. Pitch your plan to anyone who will listen, and before you know it, you'll acquire the interviewing skills you need to put your plan into action.
Learn the art of the pivot. Change can be scary, but it's during transformations that some of the best opportunities present themselves. Don't be afraid of a curveball: Be ready and open to new opportunities that are exciting, fun and potentially difficult.
Read, read and read. The end of college should mark the beginning of a lifetime of learning. Be interesting, be informed, be current, and have a point of view that is modern and educated. Reading can help you make that happen.
Network with everyone. Make contacts among your parents' friends, your neighbors, your community organizations — wherever you can find working adults, network. Go out there and make the connections at any free forum you can find.
Tell a great story. Storytellers make it in this world. Learn to tell a great story of how you grew up, an event that shaped your life, or even a vacation that took you to a new place. People want to hear new perspectives. They want to get a sense of your ability to articulate, and they want to know that you are interesting.