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Have you just earned a certificate in business administration? Are you about to graduate with your associate’s degree?

If you’re finishing up your education, then it’s time to start your job search. This task can be daunting if you’ve never done it before or enter a new field.

You don’t have to stress out when you have some helpful tricks up your sleeve. Here are the best tips for applying for and landing the job you want.

1. Know What You Want

Do your research and find out what jobs are available for a graduate with an Associate Degree in Business Administration. Many entry-level positions are significant for a business student looking to get started in the corporate world. Here are some possibilities:

• Administrative Assistant
• Executive Assistant
• Administrative Coordinator
• Customer Service
• Inside Sales
• Human Resources Generalist

Any position at a corporate business is ideal for someone with an entry-level business degree. If you’re looking for a job, these types of posts are great because you have options. Moving up through the ranks happens faster when you have the degree behind you.

You can take some online quizzes or personality assessments to learn more about yourself and what you’d be good at. These often give you potential job ideas and the salary standards that go with them. Be careful when you see a number; look up the average salary in your area because it can change based on geographical region.

2. Make Connections

Networking is a great way to make connections when you’re looking for a job. Join a club like Rotary or Kiwanis to get to know other business people in your area. Finding out who you know at which companies will help you jumpstart your career.

To do well in this setting, you have to be willing to put yourself out there. That means having confidence and being the first one to introduce yourself. While this is challenging for some people, it’s constructive when you’re trying to make business connections.

These connections may be the key to helping you find the right position, especially people in management. Here are some tips for presenting yourself well at a networking event or business meet and greet. You want to be honest about who you are, but you may have to fake a few smiles at the same time.

3. Associate Degree in Business Administration: Marketing Yourself

Part of presenting yourself as a great candidate for a job is having a stellar resume. It should be polished and clearly show the school you attended and the degree you earned. You no longer need to include dates, unless you’re still finishing (then say, “In Progress”).

Education and Length

Besides your education, make sure to include an objective at the top. Your objective is a brief statement about your soft skills (like organization, people skills, and crisis management).  Explain why you’d be a good fit for the position (one which utilizes your soft skills, like a position requiring top-notch attention to detail, excellent customer service, and great communication).

Your resume should be one page. It won’t be able to fit everything. Yet it will give your potential employer a good snapshot of who you are and what you bring to the table.

Hyperlinks and LinkedIn

If you feel other skills or essential aspects of your education, your employer should see, include hyperlinks. Links can consist of your personal website, portfolios, and other relevant work. You even can link them to your LinkedIn profile.

It’s a good idea to update your LinkedIn regularly to mirror your resume with your objective as you search for jobs. It’s a great platform to show your entire work history if you keep it up to date. People you network with may go to your LinkedIn page if they are interested in hiring you to get more information before asking for a resume or interview.

Don’t link to your LinkedIn page if you haven’t maintained it. It can do more harm than good.

Formatting

Make sure your resume isn’t too fancy. While you may want employers to see your Microsoft Office skills, the resume isn’t the place to show off. Instead, use plain, easy-to-read font and standard margins, colors, and layout.

Be sure you double and triple check your resume. Proofread it for typos and errors, and ask at least one other person to do the same. Use online tools like Grammarly to help you find typos so that you are sending a mistake-free document to potential employers.

Name the file specifically. Don’t call it “Resume” because your potential employer probably gets a lot of those. Include your full name and the job you’re applying for, like “Anastasia Rostokov – Administrative Assistant.”

4. Acing the Interview

Sometimes when you land the interview, it’s easy to feel confident and not spend time preparing. Yet employers look to add someone to the company who is steady and polished. They can tell if you’re not prepared.

Practice makes perfect is a cliche for a reason. It would help if you had someone give you a practice interview. Find questions online for them to ask you, and then spend some time having a mock interview session.

Record yourself so you can watch the video later. Critique yourself, including your body language.

Are you sitting up straight? Do you wave your hands around? Do you look down or at your interviewer?

Do your research about the company before you go. The interviewer will likely ask you what you know about them or questions that require background knowledge of the company. It’s good to be prepared with at least some basic information about who you’re applying to work for.

Landing Your Dream Job

Once you earn your degree in business administration, you’re equipped to look for your dreams’ job. If you know what you want, you’ll be able to apply for the most relevant positions.

Follow our other tips above regarding networking, writing your resume, and interviewing for the job. 

Contact us to get started earning your business degree today.