I tossed my graduation cap as high as I could.  This is it.  I am ready to take on the world.

Idealistic, driven, and impatient: qualities ascribed to fresh graduates.  I was all that but I have never really felt them peak because I was offered an entry level job by my alma mater.  Go figure; after the contract expired, there were no vacancies for regularization.  With enthusiasm, I set out and joined millions of fresh graduates looking for entry level jobs. This list of what I consider to be my best practices may help you as it did lead me to fill the only vacancy on a position hundreds of others sought for.

Be ready.  Against everyone’s advice, I drafted a detailed resume even if the only highlights were my two-month stint on my first job and my educational accomplishments.  I thought I can never hold something back if it means my employment.  I was never late for an interview, I answered the questions honestly, and I took the battery of tests faithfully.

Be determined and be patient.  I got the second job I want at first try.  I failed my third and moved on.  I knew there were others out there.  I believed that the pitfalls prior are ways to give time for better options.  I was right.

Be humble.  I recognized that I am a starter in the workforce so an entry level job is the right thing to yearn for.  That feeling of being equipped to assume something past an entry level responsibility I dismissed as a product of idealism.

Be resourceful.  Technological advances widened the potential for employment.  I registered to various job sites; I read the classified ads regularly, I sought referrals from friends, and handed out resumes to recruitment centers.  I never stopped until I got my first successful call.

Note to the fresh graduate: the path is wide and steep at the same time.  Be prepared and good luck on your endeavors looking for entry level jobs.