Instead of focusing on the “bad” things you could say to or ask a college grad (which I’d be really good at, by the way) I decided to focus on some good things you can say to a new college grad. All three of these really helped me get through!
- “If you need any help with your resume or cover letters let me know, I’d love to help.”If you don’t actually want to help then don’t say this, but if you do, this could be life and sanity saving. I was so lucky to have coworkers say this to me even though I didn’t know some of them very well. I had both good and bad experiences, but I was in no place to turn down anyhelp. I was actually desperate for help but felt too shy and didn’t want to bother anyone – so I didn’t ask. I am so grateful to these people.
- “You’re about to graduate (or ‘you just graduated’), that’s so exciting!”This is so good for two reasons: first, it reminds the grad how exciting this time actually is. Stress during this time can be consuming and it feels good to be reminded how exciting and huge this step in life is. Second, this offers a friendly and non-stress triggering way to find out and/or talk about what the grad is planning to do post-graduation rather than making it a direct question. People love to talk about themselves – and chances are that if the grad has something (i.e.. internship, job, traveling, ect.) planned after graduation they will then tell you about it. If they don’t, chances are they don’t have anything planned and/or don’t want to talk about it.
- “What field are you in? I may have connections to possible opportunities.”– Really? THANK YOU. – I have been so lucky to have great people in my life who have asked me what type of job I’m looking for and checked their network for possible connections or opportunities to share with me. The world is a HUGE place and having assistance getting a foot in the door can make the biggest difference.