Congratulations! You’ve graduated. While you deserve to celebrate your accomplishment, it’s also time to face the fact that you still haven’t landed a job.

Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Many new graduates struggle to find their footing after college. The trick is to adapt to your new situation and change how you approach your job search. Instead of relying on your university’s career counselor, you need to step up and be more proactive.

Here are four actionable steps new graduates can take to get their job search moving in the right direction:    

You spend hours, days even, looking for the perfect opportunities, researching workplace cultures, tweaking your resume, and following up. Despite all of that work, the odds of landing your dream job seem slim. In fact, Jobvite estimates in their 2019 Recruiting Benchmark Report that only 12% of applicants get called for an interview. 

It’s hard to feel like you are in control of your career when you’re getting nowhere during the job search. Sometimes, you need to feel inspired and motivated.

This is where influencers come in. 

Social influencers are more than just trendy Twitter accounts that post cliched, pie-in-the-sky motivational quotes. They deliver real value to their followers through insightful content and actionable advice. 

Here are a few industry thought leaders who can pull you out of the job search rut, no matter what type of job seeker you are:

Diversity hiring is more than just a trend. It’s a strategy employers will continue to prioritize, and it’s something you can leverage during your job search.

In fact, a 2018 survey from LinkedIn found 78 percent of recruiters believe diversity hiring is very/extremely important. Additionally, 53 percent have mostly or completely adopted it into their hiring strategy.

You need to understand how to present yourself as the diverse candidate companies need on their teams. This will take your job search to the next level.

Here’s how to prove you’re the best choice:

This post was updated in September of 2022

Career advice can come in all forms. When you feel disappointed or stuck in your career or job search, having the right encouragement can really help. This is why, in honor of Black History Month, we’ve collected some quotes from inspirational Black Americans.

While none of these words were spoken as career advice, they still apply. Whether you need the motivation today, or someday in the future, here are five inspirational quotes for your career:

Chances are, you’ve heard by now how important social media is during the job search. By posting articles about your industry, commenting on relevant groups, and following companies you’re interested in, you can have a leg up on the competition.

But this is all assuming that an employer or recruiter actually happens upon your profile.

Luckily there are ways to make your posts on social media more visible. These tactics are based on social media marketing, and they will take your personal branding to the next level.

By simply thinking like a marketer, you can make your social media presence more appealing and, thereby, more likely to land you a job.

Here are three tips from the marketing world that you need to apply to your personal branding strategy:

The old ways of hiring are gone. These days, in order to reach the best talent, your employer brand must be evident online.

But it’s no longer enough to just have a company website or Facebook page that’s rarely updated. Job candidates want to get a view of what the company actually stands for and how they put their values into action. They’re looking for unique insight, and they’re doing so long before you go looking for them.

In fact, of the 1,600 talent acquisition leaders canvassed for the 2016 Jobvite Recruiter Nation Survey, 66 percent said candidates admitted they had already done extensive online research about the company before they heard about job openings there.

However, there’s no “one size fits all” solution to social media job posting. Each platform requires a unique approach. Despite the fact that individuals have various accounts, you need to reach them where they’re most likely to be searching for jobs.

Here’s how to effectively use social media to enhance your talent search:

You have the skills to excel. You’ve researched the company you’re interviewing with and know you’d fit well into the culture there. During the job interview, you give brief, but insightful answers to each question. Yet, you don’t get the job.

The problem is, you’re not showing the real you to potential employers.

When you really need a job or want to work at a specific company, it’s understandable that you don’t want to do or say anything that could hurt your chances. However, holding back your personality is the very thing that makes a stand-out candidate seem just average in the eyes of the interviewer.

Here’s how to nail the job interview by showing potential employers the real you:

Determining whether or not to shift careers is challenging. Even if you aren’t content in your current role, there are many benefits of remaining with the company rather than embarking on a new job search. Before making any move, you should first determine whether it’s better for your career to find a way to move up in the company, or begin searching for a new job.

It’s important, however, not to wait until you’re “burned out” to begin planning your next career steps.

Use these tips to gauge your satisfaction level in your current career track, determine if there are changes you can make to make the shift in your current job, and how to know it’s time to move on: