Finding your first job after college
Practical steps for fresh graduates: where to look, what to show without experience, and how to keep going.
Look for the right openings
Many adverts ask for years of experience, but some are open to fresh graduates: internships, graduate trainee programmes, volunteer roles and entry-level jobs. On Kaziplat, the requirements on each job show how much experience it asks for, and the job market page shows how many jobs are open without experience.
Show what you can do
Without work experience, your CV can still show a lot: - Field attachments and practical training. - Your final-year project or research. - Leadership in clubs, student government or your community. - Volunteering and part-time work, of any kind. - Computer skills and short courses.
A CV without work experience
When you have little work experience, change the order of your CV so your strengths come first:
- A short summary naming your qualification and the kind of role you want.
- Education, with your course, institution, years, grade and final-year project.
- Practical experience: field attachments, internships, volunteering and part-time work, each with what you did.
- Skills, especially those the advert lists.
- Activities and leadership: clubs, sports, student government, community work.
- Referees, such as a lecturer and an attachment supervisor.
One page is usually enough.
Keep going
Most people apply for many jobs before getting an offer, so don't be discouraged. Apply regularly, fit each application to the job, and save searches so new jobs reach you. Ask a lecturer or a working friend to read your CV. Every interview is practice for the next one.
Consider related first jobs
Your first job doesn't have to be your dream job. A role close to your field builds experience you can use later. An accounting graduate might start as an accounts clerk or cashier; a procurement graduate as a stores assistant; an IT graduate in user support. Look at what the job teaches you and where it could lead, not only at the title.
Your first interviews
Interviewers know graduates have limited experience. They want to see that you understand the job, that you learn quickly and that you are reliable. Prepare examples from your studies, attachments and activities: a group project you organised, a problem you solved during your attachment, a time you balanced studies with work. Our guide on preparing for a job interview has more on this.
Use the waiting time well
While you search, keep building: take a short course, volunteer, help a small business, or work on a project related to your field. Each of these gives you something new to add to your CV and talk about in interviews, and keeps your skills fresh. Set a routine, for example applying on set days each week, so the search stays steady and doesn't take over your whole life.
More guides
- How to write a CV employers read
- How to write an application letter
- How to prepare for a job interview
- How to apply for a job by email
- How to spot fake job adverts
- Documents to have ready before you apply
- Applying for government jobs in Tanzania
- What to do after you apply
- Building the skills employers ask for
- How to read a job advert before you apply
- How to find an internship or field attachment
- How to search and apply for jobs using only your phone
- How to choose and prepare your referees
- How to prepare for written tests and aptitude tests
- What to check before you accept a job offer
- How to explain gaps in your CV
- How to find jobs through the people you know
- How to move into a new field
- How to do well in your first weeks at a new job