When I started looking for a job I personally was overwhelmed by what to do and what not to do. I was confused about my resume format, should I be giving a cover letter, which project should I keep, should my resume be 1 page, Will even the companies look at my resume, whom to contact, how to make connections, what kind of cold emails should I send and many more.

Just like many I was looking for a structure through which if I go then the job switch will be either easy or guaranteed but personally speaking there is no structure it is just trial and error and how you learn. If you have studied lean startup you would have learned build-test-learn. This tells us there is only one way that is you have to iterate and learn when hunting for a job.

Yes, it is difficult and majorly everyone struggles with it. But just college graduates who are placed on campus find it more difficult to switch or go on the journey of a job hunt. Here are my views on why might we early-stage professionals find it difficult and also what a student should do who is still in his last year or has just started his new job.

Why we might find it difficult:
Yes campus placements are good they should be there but with it, students should try to explore the job market beyond campus. What I feel are problems with campus placement:
1. The major drawback is we do not focus on networking we just focus on what is the next company that is coming.
2. It does not give the full picture of what the job market actually is.
3. Competition is only among the peers which again does not show the whole picture.
4. Companies are limited trial and error risk can not be taken so everyone just tries to fit in some structure
5. Resume structure is fixed along with content mostly no one tries to change it and check for A/B testing and which content and structure work for you.
6. Portfolios, online branding, and linked-in profile are not developed and no one is there to guide or we do not even try to explore them because no one asks.

What should be done by students:
1. Irrespective of campus start building portfolios, and a linked-in profile, and start branding yourself. By this, I do not mean you should be an influencer but at least you have to showcase your skills online.
2. Network: send cold emails, send cold messages on linked-in. Irrespective of whether there are companies coming on campus or not.
3. Apply externally as much as you can to test your resume format to what suits you best, test your portfolio presentation, test your profile summary, test whether should you be sending a cover letter or not, and test on what medium you should apply through.
4. If possible connect with people and ask for mock interviews or advice it is very important you will gain a lot. Yes out of 20 only 1 or 2 will reply but it is okay.

This will help gain confidence that even if campus placement is not there opportunities do not die. It will make you much more confident in yourself that you can get job offers externally also and these offers will be much more lucrative than on campus most of the time.

What should colleges do:
1.Yes give campus placement no doubt but educate students about external opportunities also. Upskill students on important factors like branding, how to send cold emails or messages, how to network and how to apply for the open job market.
2. Put rules but promote students to get an external placement it will not only help you but also students in long run.
3. Transparent about the offers and also the situation do not keep false hopes for students about placements.

This will increase not only our job market but also students will not feel helpless when switching or hunting for Jobs.

Also this can be steps for colleges to modernize the long followed and painful educational process and set in right direction for coming years.