Start Your Entry-Level Job Search

The first part of getting a job is beginning your job search. It can seem overwhelming, given that it feels like the whole Internet is at your disposal. Learning how to precisely tailor your search and knowing where to search is the first step you take.
You know yourself best, and it’s up to you to fully understand your strengths, weaknesses, abilities, and skills. Think about how you can apply your skills to a particular field. For example, you may be a great writer and a social butterfly, making marketing a great option. If your strengths are in problem-solving and analytical thinking, you might be in a great position for a data analyst or engineering firm.
Don’t worry if you don’t know where you fit best—you may not have identified your strengths yet. Spend some time digging deep into yourself to identify what makes you stand out from the crowd.

Where to Look

The Internet is an unlimited resource when you are starting your job search. Given the mass of information out there, how do you choose the right one for you?
One beginning strategy for searching for jobs is a basic Google search. You will see many positions across multiple major job banks. It may seem overwhelming at first, but you can quickly narrow down search results based on job requirements and location. If you already know what type of job you’re looking for, there are specific job boards that produce high-quality results.
All colleges have a career center. It doesn’t matter if you’re not a recent graduate—these career centers are designed to help alumni find local jobs, make contacts, and possibly even help with resumes.

Keyword Search

If you use a larger search engine to find jobs, you may not find all of the entry-level positions. There are job title keywords that can help you find entry-level jobs.

Junior

Often used for technical or design jobs.

Associate

You’ll see this word commonly used in job titles for recent graduates. Often, you’ll come across this title in business and marketing jobs.

Entry-Level

It’s doubtful that you’ll actually see a job with this title. More often, this is a term used by the job seeker. It is possible that you might find some jobs with this term in the job description—lucky you! Choose one that closely fits your abilities.

Recent Graduates

Though it would be uncommon to see this in a formal job title, you might come across this term in a job description, which is a good indication you’ve found an entry-level position.

Graduating

This produces a wide range of search results and is commonly used in job descriptions for entry-level positions.