Career Advice for Graduate Students - A guide by Qureos

Graduation is a crucial time and not everyone is qualified enough to give the right career advice to the graduating class. If you are a graduate student who needs help, Qureos has prepared a guide of career advice for graduates

Below, we have compiled 7 significant elements of career counselling advice for graduates and young professionals, as they step foot in the professional world.

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What is the best Career Advice for Graduating Students?

1. Take time to slow down, pause, breathe, reflect

The first piece of advice for college students, especially the graduating class of 2023 is to slow down. The end of an academic year is an excellent time to pause and reflect on the year that has passed. Think about the learning and the challenges it brought with it. Whether you were able to learn a new skill or ask for help to polish an old one. It is this reflection that will allow you to map your strengths and weaknesses, your interests and passion. It will also help you identify skills you lack at this point. Doing this exercise will make it easier for you and your mentor to give you the right help!

2. Know the significance of a Mentor early in your life

Once you are self-aware, you can start thinking about sharing your rough plan with a mentor who is an expert in your field. It doesn’t have to be a well planned or documented sort but at least be prepared to present your ideas to get professional advice. Don’t go unprepared. Because reaching out to a mentor won’t magically solve the problem. It’s a two way street. But we also understand the nervousness in being vulnerable and anxious about your future. To tackle that, you can opt for a more confidential, more personalised and more focused 1-on-1 session with a mentor of your choice.

Qureos offers you a chance to explore 1-on-1 mentorship to get the career guidance you need in order to achieve your goals.

3. Find platforms to aid your learning

Your mentorship sessions allow you to keep a track of the skills required for your field. It is always a good idea to openly analyze yourself and work towards the skills that you lack. Most of these skills and tools are available and easily accessible on different platforms such as Coursera , Udemy & LinkedIn as most learning has become online. 

Find a comprehensive list of online learning platforms here.

4. Internships, Projects and all that jazz

Before you really apply for jobs, it is imperative that you must have some experience in the form of internships. Most universities encourage their students in their junior or senior year to take part in internships. However, there are times, these internships allow limited students or they are offered at a certain time etc. So, if you are looking for one portal where your skills are enhanced and you are connected with the right opportunities, you can definitely explore Internships at Qureos.

In addition to internships, Qureos also makes sure to cater to the people who want to test their skills by introducing them to Projects by Qureos. Projects by Qureos are a mix of challenges based on real-world scenarios crafted by industry experts. These projects are designed in collaboration with leading brands which allow you to not only learn the skills but apply them in real life scenarios.

Also Check: how to Calculate your Hourly Salary

5. Build your network

We can’t emphasize enough on the importance of networking.  Attending guest lectures, speaker events, and other networking sessions organized by your institution is extremely beneficial especially in your early years. We encourage our students to build a strong Linkedin profile. Here is how you can make the most out of your LinkedIn in 9 easy steps 

Building a network is hard but joining Qureos is easy. It automatically helps you grow a network of like-minded peers.

6. Be a part of like-minded community for extra support

The best thing you can do for yourself early in your professional career is make sure you look for opportunities. This will help you connect with professionals in your field. To be surrounded by mentors, experts and like-minded peers who come together and solve problems can benefit you. Not only in your growth but it can help build a collaborative environment where everyone learns from each other!

7. Stay up to date with trends

Students can make sure they are up-to-date with the latest trends by going to conferences and other networking events. It is also important to subscribe to industry specific magazines, newsletters and blogs. Make sure you are regularly using LinkedIn and following the relevant social media pages. They can be your mentor’s public profiles who work in leading organizations such as Google, Microsoft, Meta, Amazon, etc. The mentors are usually vocal about their struggles and inspire graduate students by sharing about their journey.

From the day you earn your first paycheck in your first job out of college, make sure to put a portion of that money away into a savings account. Specifically, you’ll want to put away some of that money for the long term, so that you can comfortably save for retirement.

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Let’s make the most of the career advice

Once you graduate, there will be pressure to adapt to the transition from being a student to being a professional. If you try to incorporate these seven pieces of career advice in your final year at college, then graduation will not scare you. You will not need to come under any pressure because you have been slowly working towards building the skills and connections required. By the time you graduate, you will have identified a mentor who will keep your progress in check. You must have also gained some experience via internships and projects. 

We hope this compilation will help you ease into your professional journey. Let us know which advice did you find the most valuable and which of these have you tried before? 

If you are just starting out your career, you can also build your portfolio by completing portfolio projects and stand out to recruiters with relevant experience as you showcase the right skills and tools. Here are a few projects for you to check out;

Marketing Project: Build a Brand Awareness Campaign

Customer Experience Project: Elevating Customer Experiences

Management Project: Excellence Through Agile Project Management