Any other advice?
At the end of the day, your fate is in your own hands. It may not seem like it when you feel you've hit rock bottom, wanting to give up completely when all the interviews you've been on have led to nothing. It's easy to give up. Believe me, I know exactly what you're feeling now.
However, those who are successful know that the true key to success is persistence and taking advantage of every opportunity life throws at them. The next time you get an email saying you didn't get the internship or job, I want you to use all of those feelings inside to push yourself even harder to apply for more jobs and to perform better on interviews.
You deserve to have a job you love. You know how hard you've worked your whole life to get where you are today. Are you going to let anyone or anything get in your way of landing your first job? Take what's yours. You have to earn that position you're fighting for. It's really the survival of the fittest in the job market. You have to constantly be improving your skills and always be monitoring the job market. It all begins with your mindset.
Nothing will stop you if your mind is in the right place. One day, we will all leave this earth. It’s inevitable. Since we are only here for a short period of time, we should all make the best of it. Those who fight are the ones who win. You must fight. You must win. So, win!
Below are some quotes I have personally gathered from Fortune 500 CEOs in different industries. You may be asking yourself, "How did you get all these successful people to write a quote for your book?" I hustled, just as you should be at finding your first job. I hope you'll find these quotes as inspiring as I do.
"My career was never straight up. There were many challenges early on, but I found having values, determination, loyalty, teamwork, curiosity, and work ethic matter more than you know, so never waiver on those principles and never be afraid to go for it." - Bruce Broussard, Chief Executive Officer, Humana (Fortune 500)
"My best advice is that you should continue to throw yourself into situations where you think you could develop a passion for what the company does. Do not fear failure along the way and find something you're passionate about. But it might take you a few tries before you find it." - Paul J. Diaz, Chief Executive Officer, Kindred Healthcare, Inc. (Fortune 500)
"My advice to young graduates would be to remember that they are coming into the workforce at a time when there are more and more jobs that are better performed by computers than by humans. But what humans can provide, and machines lack, is passion. So, in my opinion, young graduates should focus their search on jobs and in sectors where they have a real passion for the work. Sooner or later, they will gain access to a potential employer who will recognize that passion and reward them with a job. If that takes time, young graduates should have the courage to try their hand at doing a start-up in their area of interest and passion. Even if many start-ups ultimately fail, the experience and exposure you get will ultimately be rewarded during your job search." - David Crane, Chief Executive Officer, President & Director, NRG Energy Inc. (Fortune 500)
"Very simply, I encourage any job seeker I meet to know where the opportunities for jobs are and to cultivate transferable skills and experiences that can cross industries. Even though the first job they get might not be a perfect fit with their academic background or their ultimate dream, building experience and exposure in a thoughtful way will be very helpful in the future. Ultimately as they make their career choices, being passionate and interested in their work is the best criterion for successful contributions, and you will always be best at the things you enjoy doing, true in work as well as in life." - Jonas Prising, Chief Executive Officer, ManpowerGroup (Fortune 500)
"Be as thoughtful as you can in deciding what you want to do. The more you know the answer to that question, the more focused you can be in your search and the more passionate you will be in the interview. If you are not certain or if the market opportunities are too limited, get going with the best job you can find. It is better to start, even if the opportunity is not perfect, than to let the gap in your record build too much. Whether you have landed the dream job or just a filler job, the most important thing is to approach the job with enthusiasm and commitment. This means many things, but it includes working with energy and curiosity every day, volunteering to learn more, do more, and understand more about the why's as well as the how's. Your performance in the job will be the most important factor in determining what opportunities follow. Have as much fun in the entire process as you can. Your demeanor will be reflected back to you throughout the search and work phases of your career." - Arne Sorenson, President & Chief Executive Officer, Marriott International (Fortune 500)
"Nothing beats hard work and persistence, persistence, persistence!" - Russ Fradin, President & Chief Executive Officer, SunGard (Fortune 500)
“I've learned that relationships matter, so focus on establishing relationships that are two--way, in which you first seek to help another. By paying it forward, you will get the reward time after time. Secondly, reputation and integrity are supreme, so always do the right thing even though it may be harder. Next, never give up and never give in. Tenacity and persistence are the keys to success. Finally, be a leader in all that you do. This will create a reputation of which long-standing relationships are made." - James J. Murren, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, MGM Resorts International
"Take whatever job you can get, and use it as a platform to move toward where you want to go." - Roger Wood, President & Chief Executive Officer, Dana Corporation (Fortune 500)
"Differentiate yourself." - Kriss Cloninger, President & Chief Financial Officer, Aflac (Fortune 500)