5 Things You Learned in College That Will Pay Off

“When am I ever going to use this?” You’ve definitely asked yourself this age-old question one too many times at school—much to your professors’ (and parents’) chagrin. From the ins and outs of calculus derivatives to the historical timeline of the War of 1812, it seems like half of what you learned in school didn't exactly qualify as life lessons that'll affect your future.

While you may be right in thinking that not everything you learn will directly apply to your future job, you’ve certainly acquired some intangibles that’ll only boost your job search game.

We lay out five important life lessons from the classroom you won’t want to forget during your job search (and throughout your career). For additional info, there's Monster’s step-by-step grad guide that can help you to manage your time, stay focused, and more.

1. Life Lesson: Control the Temptation of Tech

The Internet is like a little devil on your shoulder, constantly trying to lure you away from whatever assignment you’re working on. Sadly, checking your social media platforms, watching viral videos, and reading up on entertainment news didn’t help you finish your sociology reading, and it definitely won’t advance your job search. Do your best to keep browsing to a minimum when you should be focusing on submitting applications.

The best way to stay focused? By taking breaks. Between organizing resumes and writing cover letters, take a break to research companies you’re interested in. Browse their social media accounts, watch videos on their hiring site, and read through employees’ LinkedIn profiles. It’s not only much more fun than fighting with bullet point formatting, it’ll also help you to apply what you’ve learned about the company to your application materials and interview answers.

2. Life Lesson: Time Management Pays Off

Although you may have been able to get away with handing in a few late college papers here and there, deadlines are 100% firm in the job search. And this time, the person giving you an “incomplete” is you. The more you slack on sending in applications and resumes, the less likely you are to land a job.

So how do you ensure you’re on top of your game and submit everything on time? Prioritize, prioritize, prioritize.

Create a schedule that allows you to meet daily, weekly, and monthly goals. Monday’s goals could be to browse job postings for an hour, submit two applications, and set up one informational interview, working up to a weekly goal of 10 applications. Developing the organization skills you learned in college and celebrating small but significant milestones along the way will give you a sense of purpose and boost your self-confidence.

3. Life Lesson: Failure Happens

As far as life lessons go, you've probably already experienced this one: You won't always succeed. You aren’t going to land every position you apply for, and unfortunately, the company may never give you feedback to help you understand its decision. So, it’s up to you to self-evaluate what happened and what you can do to improve for the next go-around.

Think back to a time when you received a poor grade on a test. Why? Did you not study enough? Maybe you studied the wrong material? Or did you simply not understand the information? The job search is no different. Analyzing every rejection can provide critical insights that will help you with future applications.

For example, if you haven’t heard back after submitting your resume, it might need a once-over. Enlist a friend to help you figure out whether your resume presents your skills, talents, and experiences in the best light. If you were rejected after an interview, think about whether you seemed unprepared for their questions or unexcited about the role or the company. Whatever went wrong, reframe each failure as a learning opportunity, and challenge yourself to try a different plan in the future.

4. Life Lesson: Mental Health Matters

Feeling jobless can sometimes dominate all aspects of your life. Every waking second of the day, you feel as though you should be doing one thing or another that will help you land that position. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Rather than leaving the whole day wide open to work on applications, limit yourself to a window of time where you are absolutely committed to getting specific tasks done. That way you can ensure other aspects of your life don’t fall to the wayside, such as getting enough sleep and eating healthy.

Exercising, seeing friends and family, and enjoying your hobbies are just as important during your job search as they were in college. Adequate rest—especially time away from your laptop—is necessary for keeping your energy, spirits, and productivity up. Plus, learning how to set aside time for yourself is a skill that will pay off once you do land that 9–5 job.

5. Life Lesson: Communication Skills Are Key

Remember the first day of college when you had to introduce yourself to dozens of strangers, some of whom became your close friends? That’s kind of what the job search process is like: pitching yourself to a handful of potential employers, searching for the one that is going to be a successful match.

To give off the best possible impression, you’re going to want to perfect both your written and oral communication skills. When it comes to crafting emails, resumes, and cover letters, you’ll need to be a bit more formal than you were when you met other freshmen in your dorm. Remember that your resume and cover letter represent you to potential employers, so be sure to get to your key points quickly and to read over your materials several times before submitting them. You will definitely score big points with hiring managers if your resume doesn't look like the result of an overnight cram session.

Your Final Life Lesson? Monster Can Help If You’re Stuck

Many of the life skills learned in college will take you far in your job search, but if you’re still feeling stuck, Monster can help. Ready to get going? Create a free profile on Monster. We can connect you with recruiters, send you custom job alerts, and provide more ways to help you find a job that would be a good fit for you.