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Securing employment and starting on a path to financial stability is typically the most important post-graduation objective for recent college graduates. Some industries, such as public health, are easier to find entry-level jobs in than others.
While it’s often a matter of who you know and the kind of network you’ve built for yourself while in school, there are plenty of entry-level jobs out there made for new college graduates.
Sales Rep
A career as a sales representative might be right up your alley if you’re good at figuring out what a consumer wants and turning that into a sale. You may be responsible for selling items to individuals, other businesses, or government agencies, depending on the type of company you work for.
You’ll be using your people skills to find potential customers, close sales, and create long-term relationships while also helping the organization increase its revenue. Sales experience is universally appreciated and can be a nice stepping stone to other industries and career paths as you build your resume and develop your sales abilities.
Keep in mind that salespeople often work under a performance-based pay scheme. Sales compensation ranges from no commission (for example, retail salespeople) to 100% commission (your salary is completely determined by performance). The former provides more security, but the latter can be quite profitable if you’re good at what you do. Sales is also, increasingly, something that you can do from home and provides a lot of great remote working opportunities.
Financial Analyst
A job as a financial analyst can be a good fit for you if you’re a business major with a passion for and preferably a major in finance. This is one of the most common entry-level positions in the financial services industry, and these sorts of positions are common in a variety of places, including banks, brokerage firms, and even insurance companies.
You’ll have the opportunity to learn about financial markets, including the performance of stocks, bonds, and other related investments as a financial analyst.
A financial analyst position is usually how most life-long financial services professionals start, and then, they work their way up into VP positions and others. A major advantage of working as a financial analyst is that you’ll get first-hand experience with analyzing, purchasing, and selling financial assets, which provides information and hard skills you can apply to your own finances and money management.
HR Assistant
As a human resources assistant, you’ll help with employee hiring and onboarding, as well as resolving conflicts between managers and employees. You’ll be in charge of ensuring that employers and employees have a positive working relationship and that the organization runs smoothly in this position. You’ll also assist with the planning and execution of training programs.
HR is one of the fastest growing business sectors right now because of the tremendous upheaval caused by the global pandemic. The switch to working from home, new benefits, labor shortages, and a much more politically activist workplace means HR skills and specializations like diversity and equity are in high demand.
Marketing Coordinator
As a marketing coordinator, you’ll increase the marketability of a product or firm by emphasizing its worth to potential customers and the media. You’ll be developing marketing materials, assisting with marketing campaigns, and assisting with press events in this position. This is a fantastic opportunity to learn everything there is to know about marketing and the various methods used to promote a company or product.
Marketing skills are also highly transferable, especially digital marketing skills, which is something to consider as a new graduate because it could position you for an easier industry switch down the line.
Brand Marketer
Reviewing reports and understanding market trends will teach you how to be informed about current market conditions as a brand marketing assistant. You’ll also be responsible for creating presentations and reports that detail a brand’s success, as well as its design and marketing plan.
Brand marketers also work a lot with data, which will expose you to in-demand data analysis skills and give you experience with software and tools that will allow you to add value in a lot of different industries.
Buying Assistant
As a buying assistant, you’ll be responsible for helping to analyze suppliers, buy goods and raw materials, collect price bids, and ensure that products arrive on time. You’ll also need to strike a balance between product quality and corporate finances, as well as understand how purchasing decisions affect the company’s entire operations.
This is a great first job for business school graduates because it allows you to apply and hone a broad range of the competencies and business acumen you acquired in your program.
In Conclusion
Landing that first post-graduation job is undoubtedly a life milestone and can set you up for a much easier time in the labor market as you advance in your career.
It can be tough to get employers to take a chance on you as a person with not very much experience, but there are plenty of entry-level positions that are specifically designed for people with little experience but who do have some base hard and soft skills as well as a desire to learn.
