College students, this one’s for you. If you’re concerned about getting a job in time for graduation, you’re probably not alone. But right now the focus should be twofold. Yes, simply securing employment is top of mind, but you should also be thinking about how to get paid what you’re worth.
Just looking at the average salary of 2016 grads, those with bachelor’s degrees earned $52,569, up 3.8 percent from the previous year, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers. Computer and information sciences majors in particular reported the highest starting salary.
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Oftentimes college students are concerned that they have a limited network, and therefore won’t be able to find a job. Au contraire! Especially during the holidays, it’s your time to make the most out of social situations by creating opportunities for networking. And if you really don’t have the right connections for your field, there are plenty of other ways to start putting in the necessary work now to boost your salary after you’ve sported that cap and gown. Here are just a few.
Negotiate your pay during winter break. If you’re like many students looking to ramp up income during the weeks you have off between the holidays and the spring semester, leverage your current unemployment status as an opportunity to flex your negotiation muscle. You have nothing to lose when reaching out to former supervisors or new ones for part-time gigs or even a temp agency. Simply ask, “Can you go any higher?” The more accustomed you get to feeling entitled to ask about your pay, the easier negotiating should be when you get that first job offer in the real world.
[See: 10 Things New Grads Can Do Right Now to Get a Job.]
Talk about salaries with people slightly or even significantly more experienced than you (in other words, graduates). As you’re having conversations about your career with your roommate’s older sibling, big sister or brother in your fraternity or basically anyone with at least one year of experience out of college, you’re getting more comfortable talking about money. Not necessarily your money, but rather, salaries in general. This experience becomes beneficial when you do have to speak up for yourself to negotiate a job offer and talking about it doesn’t feel so foreign. In fact, it may feel downright natural.
Ask about going rates within the industry and geographic region you’re interested in pursuing. Another reason for talking about money during those holiday conversations is to become knowledgeable about what you’re worth. This is a critical exercise throughout your career, so you should absolutely start from day one. Speak to people who are on the ground working in industries and geographic regions you’re interested in. This could be as simple as attending an alumni holiday party and telling revelers that you’re a student and would love to schedule time on their calendar afterwards to pick their brain. Then, when you have a follow-up conversation, you can state, “I’m interested in pursuing a career in marketing in Philadelphia, and I don’t want to start off my career getting underpaid. Do you know what the going rate is for an entry-level position for someone like me who is graduating cum laude and majoring in marketing with three internships on my resume?” This will give you a starting point.
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Pursue a class, activity or endeavor outside your comfort zone in the spring semester. That’s right, out of your comfort zone. Choose an elective that would normally be unfamiliar to you. Learn how HTML coding works. Pursue something within STEM or if you’re a STEM student, pick a class in the arts. Or you could volunteer to manage the books for a fundraising effort within your social living group or coordinate with campus officials about events for Earth Day. You’ll not only become well-rounded, it will also boost your knowledge, and most likely your confidence, in areas normally outside your realm. You never know when those skills you’re developing can be leveraged as talking points during a networking conversation or interview, and ultimately help you land a job over someone else who isn’t as well-rounded.
Make new friends. This is your last hurrah, the final semester before you head into the land of alumni. Make it your priority to attend events you normally wouldn’t, like carving out time to hear a speaker, watch a performing arts show and more. While you’re there, make the effort to truly get to know at least two new people and follow up on a social level. The connections you’re forging now can potentially last a lifetime, and you never know down the road who these people will know and vice versa. Connections are paramount to upward mobility in your career and, consequently, your salary. One of the best ways to boost your salary is to leave one employer for another, so think in the long term about how you’ll make those changes. While you may not know exactly how these connections will help you now, chances are when you keep in touch and make an effort to build that relationship, someday down the road you will end up helping each other — including by boosting your salary.
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5 Ways to Increase Your Salary Upon College Graduation originally appeared on usnews.com
