Finishing your apprenticeship, TAFE qualification or university degree is a big step. Then comes the next question:

How do I actually get my first job?

Most young people are taught to search job websites, find advertised positions, send in a CV and hope they get an interview.

There is nothing wrong with applying for advertised jobs. But it does mean you are often competing with dozens, sometimes hundreds, of other applicants for the same position.

There is another way to approach it.

You can borrow some simple ideas from lead generation.

Businesses use lead generation to identify the companies they most want to work with, find the right people inside those companies, build connections and create opportunities for conversations.

You can use exactly the same principle when starting your career.

Instead of trying to apply to every company with a job advertisement, choose 10 companies you think you would really like to work for.

Then use LinkedIn to find the right people, learn about those companies, introduce yourself and find out what opportunities they might have.

The idea is simple:

Choose 10 companies you'd like to work for, get to know the right people inside them and make sure they know who you are.

To make the process easier, there is also a downloadable Your 10 Ideal Employers Checklist that you can use to work through each step and keep track of what you've done.

1. Know what type of job you're looking for

You don't need to have your entire career worked out.

You simply need a starting point.

If you have recently completed a qualification, look for an entry level job aligned with what you have trained or studied to do.

That could be a trade qualification, apprenticeship, TAFE qualification, diploma or university degree.

For example:

An accounting graduate might look for a graduate accountant or junior accounting role.

Someone with an electrical qualification might look for an entry level electrical or maintenance position.

An IT graduate might look for IT support, service desk or junior development work.

An engineering graduate might look for a graduate engineering position.

At this stage, you only need to answer one question:

What type of entry level job am I looking for?

You can discover where your career goes from there.

2. Find your 10 ideal employers

Next, think about the industries you would like to work in.

You may already know that you are interested in construction, professional services, technology, manufacturing, healthcare, financial services or another particular industry.

Now use LinkedIn and Google to find companies in those industries.

Don't make this part too complicated.

You are not expected to know whether a company is definitely the perfect employer before you've even worked there.

Simply start finding businesses that look interesting.

They might be companies you already know, major employers in your industry, local businesses, organisations somebody has recommended or companies you've discovered while researching.

From those, choose:

10 companies you think you would like to work for.

These are your 10 Ideal Employers.

You can change the list later. The point is to give your job search some focus.

Your downloadable checklist gives you a simple place to record these companies before moving to the next step.

3. Find the right people

Now go to LinkedIn and look at the people who work at each company.

Start by finding one or two senior people.

In a smaller company that could be the owner, Managing Director or General Manager.

In a larger organisation it may be the CEO or another senior executive.

Then find the people who run the area of the business where you would expect to work.

If you're looking for accounting work, that might include:

If you're starting an electrical career, it might be:

If you're looking for an IT role, it could include:

Aim to identify around three to five people at each company.

You are not going to message everybody asking for a job.

You're simply starting to understand who's who inside the companies you'd like to work for.

4. Learn a little about each company

Before contacting anyone, spend some time researching the company.

You don't need to become an expert.

Look at its website and LinkedIn page.

Find out what the company does, where it operates, what kinds of customers or projects it works with and what it has been talking about recently.

Look at the LinkedIn profiles of some of the people you identified.

You are trying to answer a very basic question:

What does this company do and where might someone with my qualifications fit?

This little bit of research will also make it much easier to have a genuine conversation when you start connecting with people.

5. Make sure you are ready to be found

Before you start introducing yourself, make sure your own information is up to date.

The two most important things are your LinkedIn profile and your CV.

Your LinkedIn profile should make it easy for someone to understand:

Don't worry if you don't have years of experience.

Nobody expects someone starting their career to have a ten year work history.

Include the things you do have.

That might include an apprenticeship, work placement, part time job, university project, TAFE project, volunteering, licences, tickets or other relevant training.

Then have a simple, current CV ready.

You want to be ready for the moment someone says:

"Send me your CV."

The checklist includes both of these steps so you can make sure they are ready before you begin contacting people.

6. Start making connections

Now you can start connecting with people from your 10 companies on LinkedIn.

Don't immediately ask:

"Have you got any jobs?"

Instead, explain what you're doing.

For example:

I'm researching companies I'd like to work for in the accounting industry and came across your company. I'm just starting my career and was interested in learning a little more about what it's like to work there.

You could ask someone:

How did you get started with the company?

What do you enjoy about working there?

What types of entry level roles does the company normally have?

What qualifications or skills do you look for in someone starting out?

Is there anyone else in the company you think it would be useful for me to speak with?

You're not trying to sell yourself in every conversation.

You're learning.

You're also starting to become known inside the businesses that interest you.

7. Ask about opportunities

Once you know more about a company and have made some connections, you can start asking about opportunities.

Keep it straightforward.

An accounting graduate might say:

I've recently completed my accounting degree and I'm looking for an entry level accounting role. I've been researching companies in the industry and your company is one I'd be very interested in working for. I wanted to ask whether you take on graduates or junior accountants, or whether there are similar opportunities I should keep an eye on.

Someone with a trade qualification might say:

I've recently completed my electrical qualification and I'm looking for an entry level role. I've been researching companies in the industry and wanted to ask whether you take on newly qualified electricians or have similar opportunities coming up.

Notice what has changed.

You're no longer sending your CV to a company you know nothing about.

You've chosen the company.

You've researched it.

You know some of the people.

You may already have spoken to somebody there.

And now you're asking whether there could be an opportunity.

8. Keep track of your progress

Create a simple list of your 10 companies and keep track of what happens with each one.

Record:

Review it once a week.

Your goal isn't to see how many applications you can send.

Your goal is to gradually move each company from:

I know who they are

to:

They know who I am.

Some companies won't respond.

Some won't have opportunities at the moment.

Some might tell you to come back in three months.

One might introduce you to somebody else.

Another might have a job coming up that hasn't even been advertised yet.

That's why you have 10.

Use the checklist and get started

Job websites should still be part of your job search!

But they don't have to be your entire job search.

Be more proactive.

Choose the industries you want to work in.

Choose 10 companies that interest you.

Use LinkedIn to find the people inside them.

Learn about the businesses.

Make connections.

Ask questions.

Then ask about opportunities.

To help you put the idea into practice, download the Your 10 Ideal Employers Checklist and work through it one step at a time.

You don't need to know exactly where your career will eventually take you.

You just need to start creating opportunities for your first step.