Use your first job out of college to create future opportunities

You just got out of college and haven’t gotten the job you really wanted. You haven’t done it yet. You are knee-deep in debt and your grace loan extension period is about to end. Should you start applying for jobs anywhere? Should you accept the first offer that comes your way?

This is what I would do. Just like when you applied to college, you had your best bets and your backup options, you should do the same with jobs, selecting places to work as your best bets and others that follow below these.

These are my best places to work (in no particular order of importance) if I couldn’t land my desired job right away:

1) Fry’s Electronics, Best Buy, or an Apple Store.
2) A coffee shop in an affluent area or near a financial district
3) A bar at a country club or high-end restaurant
4) At the BMW, Mercedes or Tesla dealership/show room.
5) A high-end (custom-made) designer clothing, shoe, or handbag store

What do all these places have in common? They involve sales, customer service, and most importantly, the ability to communicate with players for money and social placement.

Places like Fry’s Electronics and Best Buy are frequented by engineers, nerds, tech company managers, and regular people looking for a great deal on a TV, laptop, etc. You may also have co-workers who have independent technology businesses. In general, not only will you get paid to work at Fry’s, but you’ll also build your first network of contacts both internally and from quality store visitors. Still, if you go about your day, stick to the rules, follow the sales scripts, don’t get as much information as you can about your client to see if they’d make a good contact, your first job is a wasted opportunity.

Your first job is to come out of your shell. College was fun and you had a lot of fun partying with your friends, but let’s face it, it’s nothing like the real world. In the real world what matters most are relationships. You can’t forge relationships that improve your social capital without conversational skills. Showing interest, being friendly, asking probing questions (not prying ones), gaining trust, are skills that they didn’t teach you in college but really make the (money) world go around.

If you’re already working your first job and want to see how you can improve your status, I have a great reading recommendation for you:

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/why-your-first-job-is-the-most-important-205057956.html

I’m also going to start something new, but only for my blog subscribers. I am going to write a newsletter twice a month where I will share the secret of my success: being bold and knowing how to stand out in America. We live in a highly competitive society and getting what you want has become increasingly difficult as social media takes up everyone’s time. Let me help you become a conversational genius!