When author Ariane de Bonvoisin graduated from college she says there were tons of jobs available for the taking. She ultimately chose a job in management consulting, turning down a position in investment banking because she didn't like all the numbers involved.

De Bonvoisin says that after many hundred-hour weeks, an MBA at Stanford and another few impressive jobs later in New York and around the world, she finally quit a career most people would have dreamed of. Feeling unhappy and unfulfilled, the author of the new book The First 30 Days asked herself several questions. Was she living her dream or simply trying to make my parents proud? How was it that was she'd become so out of touch with what she originally wanted to be doing? Though she says she had climbed a high ladder, how good was that when it was the wrong ladder and it was leaning up against the wrong wall?

With the great changes in the global job market today, Ariane de Bonvoisin says it's important to remember a few key things. Below, she shares some tips on ways to live with the "graduation into a no-job market", differently.



1. Get comfortable with change.

The most important life skill you can learn right now that can help you land your dream job is to be cool with change and uncertainty. The quality of your life is directly proportionate to the amount of uncertainty you can be comfortable with. Don’t cling to answers, being in control, knowing what’s next or how it's going to turn out. Get flexible. Let things unfold. Be okay if you thought you were going to get a job and then didn’t. Something good will come from any change.

2. Clean up your act and your health!

Clean yourself up, literally! Get a makeover, get rid of any old clothes, cut your hair, cover up those tattoos, shower every day, change those earrings and treat yourself to a new pair of shoes perhaps.
Next, whether you’re kicking off your job search, in the midst of it, or perhaps you just landed your first big break and got your foot in the door...take care of your health! Working takes energy and endurance. A job search too. The more you take care of yourself, sleep, eat well, stay hydrated, exercise, the more energy you will have to dedicate to this post graduation phase. Believe me, when you show up to meet someone for a job, you are being judged and evaluated on everything...including how you look, your energy, if you are overweight, or drinking gallons of Coke. Employers prefer to hire and also keep people who are healthy. When everything on the outside seems out of control, this area is under your control. Feeling discouraged, go to the gym, go for a run. You will always feel better about yourself. Get those emotions of fear, doubt, impatience, shame, whatever, moving out of your body. 

3. You don’t need to figure out your entire career!

Begin by starting with something you want to do. Most 40-50-year-olds I know still haven’t figured out what they want to do with their lives. Is there a part time job you want to do for the next month or two? What would you be happy doing for the next year? That’s all. Then see what happens. Get out from the pressure of figuring out your life’s work. You cannot possibly know yet. So stop trying.

4. Go for what you love.

No one ever asks us what we love. The question instead is always, what do you do? Or in the case of students graduating now, do you have a job? Today, you are the “Do Something You Love Generation”.
Do the inner work to get honest with yourself, listen to your gut, and ask -- what do you really want to spend your time doing? When they’re fewer jobs, it teaches you to get incredibly focused. Become immune to what your others want you to do or what anyone else thinks is right for you. Apply for jobs that speak to your heart and your passion instead of applying for everything and anything that is out there. The sooner you do something you really want to do, the more likely you are to be hired as the year progresses. You are unique, with hobbies, skills and desires that are unlike others in the job market. The more you connect with your own talents and skills, the better this will come across.

5. The original will inherit the jobs.

Do things no one else is doing. Don’t just apply for the same jobs, go to the same job fairs or search the same sites online. (Do it, but don’t have that be your only source of ideas). Think about the companies, products, services you love. Even if they are no obvious jobs being offered, get resourceful. Find out the right person to mail, whether it’s the CEO directly, a VP, or the head of HR. You can even reach out to a celebrity you want to work for. Tell them you love the company, what they stand for, their goals. Tell them why. Do your homework. Work hard. Make it personal. Get your personality on paper. Make it funny. Make it something they’ve never read before. Make it easy for them to meet you.

6. Don’t be seduced by the ‘dark side’ of the force.

Trends, general opinions, and the news are not on your side. Read other types of news, sites and magazines. Look for good news, for inspiration, for stories of hope, ideas. Refrain from agreeing with everyone on how bad it is out there. You get to choose what you listen to and what you let into your brain. Even better, take a ‘news fast’. Optimists choose to look at what’s possible, the progress they’re making, how something good will happen.  Act as if no one had told you how bad it was out there. Sometimes it's better not to know what you don’t know.

7. Treat everyone as if they have a piece of the puzzle to your next job.

Sometimes we think the folks who are in HR or big jobs are the only ones to network with. This isn’t always the case. Many people have found jobs from people in the most unusual ways. Tell everyone you know and meet what you are looking for. Get really specific- don’t just say, 'I’m looking for a job.' No one can handle that level of request. If you say, 'I’m looking for a job in TV or fashion or whatever, do you know anyone in that industry,' then you will be amazed at how much help you do receive.  It does require you being very clear on what you want. Talk to anyone. Don’t judge who someone is or who they know based on what they’re currently doing. You never know who their friends are, who their customers are, or what they used to do. Build your business network as passionately as you have your friend network on Facebook. Welcome to LinkedIn and other sites. 

8. Keep learning, growing, reading.

Just because you are out of school, doesn’t mean you get to stop learning. Pick up a few different types of books or audio programs. Learn about self empowerment, communication skills, pursuing a dream, being an entrepreneur, health, spirituality, whatever you feel called towards. Take an evening class or a weekend workshop on letting go of negativity, or the power of visualization, confidence building tactics or public speaking. You will be amazed at what you didn’t learn in school. Life skills. “Right brain skills”. Skills that will make you cope better. Skills that will make you more valuable in a job. You are not wasting your time. Any course you take or project you get involved in will say something important about you as a person to your next employer.

9. There’s no place like home.

Home is the best place to job hunt from. Home is where the food is, clean clothes, a familiar environment. And love. There’s nothing wrong with going home after graduating. You can get up and work from your favorite café down the street. You can even maybe do a part time job in the neighborhood amongst people who know you, or get some extra money around the house. Today, future employers probably expect you to be living at home, so there’s really no shame about it.  When you’re at home, and you have strong desire to get out, to get your own apartment and life going, I promise you, it makes you even more resourceful and committed to finding a job. And if toughing it out in the world in your own place is best for you, do that. Decide what’s best while taking the emotion out of your decision.

10. Don’t Eat the Marshmallow.

In a study at Stanford University conducted over 25 years ago, a class full of 5-year-olds were given a marshmallow and told not to eat it for five minutes and only then, would be given a second marshmallow. The teacher then left and observed the class. 90% of the kids ate the marshmallow. (The rest licked it or ate the inside!) The kids were then followed for the next 25 years. Those who were able to delay the instant gratification and wait, were off the charts more successful in every area of their life. What’s the lesson? Good things come to those who wait. Many students graduate and feel such pressure to be the next Steve Jobs, the next Anderson Cooper or superstar designer. It's fine if it takes you a little while to find the job you want. We all overestimate how quickly things are going to happen in a month or so and often give up or settle. And we all underestimate how different our lives can be in 6-9 months. Give yourself a longer runway.