Congratulations dear graduates! 20+ years of your life – not to mention all the swell, blood, and tears of non-stop midnight oil burning – have finally gotten you to this moment of receiving your college degree. Woohoo!

Ready to pop the champagne and indulge in endless crappy reality shows to kill your brain cells, smushing it to a sponge puddle of fatty acids? Not so fast! Your journey is far from over. Sorry, please never shoot the messenger.

Just when you thought getting into college was a major entrance feat, now it’s the time to really grow up from the frat parties and smell the roses and get into the serious workforce. Things are about to get real and competitive, as there will be a lot of fresh blood to compete with for the same jobs just to pay off student loans from incurring debts from further spiraling down to bad credit scores.

Wait, so are you college graduates screwed? Absolutely not. As clichéd as this may sound, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.

Just like with previously deciding on a major, most graduates need time to figure out where they want to work within the career path they have pursued with their obtained degree, because continuously switching job from job later on can be a hazard, so not everyone will find the perfect job right away. On average it takes approximately three to six months for a recent graduate to land his or her first job after college

Yet, if you want to hit the high ground running, here are some tried-and-true tips:

• Start the Job Search Immediately Post-Graduation

Following your graduation, begin the job search immediately because this may give you a slight advantage by being placed at the very top of job recruiters’ list. If you are exactly what they’re looking for, you will be offered the job in earnest constrasted to someone else who applies after you with all the same qualifications because recruiters can get an exceedingly large pool of job candidates and would prefer not to bother looking at those later applications if they’ve already found the right match, especially if the position needs to be filled asap. This is simply a case of first come, first served.

Turn to job sites: Indeed.com, Glassdoor.com, ZipRecruiter.com, Monster.com, CareerBuilder.com, or even Craigslist.org. Determine what job openings are available near you or where you would like to move to; this will at least narrow things down by locations to make the process less overwhelming.

• Get the First Step through the Door with the Right People

While most folks complete the application process electronically, you can take a more direct personal route by physically visiting the location. Walk onto the job site on foot and ask for human resources department outright or whatever department that’s in charge of recruitment. You will be surprised of how easy it is to navigate openings if you simply inquire about them. This not only gets you in contact with the right hiring managers but it also gives you an idea of job availability and whether you should apply for them or not.

• Utilize the School’s Job Placement or Post-Graduation Office

Nearly every college today has a job placement or post-graduation office. These offices are going to help you with job listings, as well as placements. Some schools have partnerships with companies that hire directly from the school. If you are going to an art school, for example, you could end up being placed in internships, and part-time jobs while in school, and these could lead you to automatic career positions after graduation.

Job hunting can be a stressful time, but if you stay focused and steady, you will come out winning.

Make sure you have your resume ready at all times online and offline, and even consider getting your own custom business card made. Doing these things will help spread the words around that you’re available in the job market through getting your information to the right people. And remember, applying early and often is going to give you a higher chance at getting the position you desire.