Thursday, January 26, 2012

When to Apply for Jobs if Graduating in May

I just saw a posting for my dream job, but they want someone to start immediately, and I won’t graduate until May. Should I apply?

1 comment:

USDCareerBlog said...

Some organizations practice “just-in-time” recruiting where they hire people as they need them. Only a few days or weeks may elapse between the job posting and the start date. In other cases, especially with larger companies, there may be a longer gap between the postings, interviews, offers, and start dates. Some large organizations recruit college graduates in the fall of their senior year for positions that start in the summer or fall after their May graduation. It just depends on the organization’s hiring practices and immediate needs.

If you run across your dream job and feel you are qualified, you should submit your application and indicate exactly when you are available to start on a full-time basis. If you are still enrolled in classes, you can indicate (for example) that you are available to work full-time on Tuesdays and Thursdays until your graduation date. If an organization is seeking an immediate full-time hire, they will likely interview and hire immediately available candidates. But if you are their “dream candidate,” or their only qualified candidate, they may be willing to modify their hiring plans. It never hurts to apply.

Incidentally, when indicating your available starting date – don’t write something like “I will graduate in the spring and will be available to start in the early summer.” Instead, provide exact dates.