How to make the right next step in your career after college

Throughout my time in university I always had this blurry vision of the perfect role in the back of my head. When it comes to the time when I actually wrote my final exams and all my lectures were finished up I started feeling the pressure of knowing what I actually wanted to do when I graduate. Unfortunately, I had no clue, apart from knowing I wanted to do something in the online space.

There are three general options out there:

A) Find a Job.

B) Take a year out.

C) Postgraduate Studies.

In terms of digital, option C) wants to be well considered as the choice of courses is still small. Plus, what is the overall benefit of the course if you have no previous industry experience at all? Last but not least these courses can be quite pricey.

Taking a year out, especially to travel abroad, is an invaluable experience. Whether you do it right after school, after college or after a few years working, it helps to figure out what you want and you will learn so much during your time living in a different culture. A year abroad also looks very good on your CV in particular if you can manage to improve your language skills while travelling.

To find a job straight after graduating can be challenging. As I am doing this right now, I know that it can be quite de-motivating looking a job specs that nearly always require 2-5 years experience. Where are the entry level jobs?? Give us a chance! But don’t let that put you off, send your CV anyways and see what kind of feedback you get. 

Finally I suggest anybody to do an internship to bridge the time between college and finding a full-time job. We are lucky that due to the nature of digital, there are plenty of placement/internship positions out there. Most internships are unpaid, but see it as an investment into your career. What you get out of it at the end is worth so much more. Try working at the weekends or evenings to keep you afloat.

Here are 3 tips for you to source the best internships in digital:

1)      LinkedIn – do not only search for job posts but also connect to professionals you may have met through college projects or presentations in class. Don’t be afraid to be proactive.

2)      Twitter: Hashtags #internfairy and #jobfairy are very useful to source up to date online marketing positions. Good to get in contact with the company straight away as well in case you have a question. Also try using it as any other job search machine: search for say 'marketing jobs Dublin'.

3)      Digitalmarketingjobs.ie is great for internships!