You've left the cocoon of full-time education, your scholarship money/student funding has run dry, your parents are moaning at you to get a job, and you're faced with the prospect of embarking on a career that will consume the next 40-50 years of your life. One thing's for sure — life as a graduate isn't always easy or straightforward!

If you want to hit the ground running when you enter the race for employment and, in turn, lay solid foundations for yourself as you attempt to climb your chosen career ladder, be sure to heed the following advice. Here are two things you must do to succeed in the job-hunting jungle:

Stand out from the crowd

No matter what educational institution you attended, what subject you studied, what grades you achieved, or what career pathway you are looking to embark down, you aren't guaranteed to be handed the first job that you apply for. The reason for this is really quite simple — you will face A LOT of competition. Thousands upon thousands of other students will graduate at the same time as you, which means that you will face stiff opposition every time you apply for a different job role. If you're to steal a lead in the race for employment, you're going to need to find a way to make yourself stand out from the crowd.

There are a number of things that you can do to make yourself memorable in the eyes of potential employers, optimizing your email brand being one of the most simple yet most effective. Once you attach a student signature to your emails, you will inject personality and professionalism into each message that you send. This will draw more attention to the applications that you make, which in turn will increase the likelihood of you being considered as a candidate. To find out more about email signatures and their plethora of amazing benefits, be sure to check out rocketseed.com.

Give your goals some serious thought

If you're serious about fortifying your professional foundations as soon as you leave college, it's imperative that you take some time to give your goals some serious thought. You aren't going to get very far with your job-hunting endeavor if you stumble from one interview to the other, not knowing what you want, who you are, or where you wish to see yourself in 10 years' time. When setting your goals, consider whether they are S.M.A.R.T (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound). 

Setting career goals in your early 20s isn't an easy task to undertake; there's no denying that. If you're to achieve this all-important feat, you must:

Conduct an audit of your skills, expertise, and passions

Book an appointment with your college's careers advisor

If you're recently left college or university and now find yourself in the thick of the job-hunting jungle, it's imperative that you explore your options, exercise a lot of patience, and never give up. The perfect job is out there; you just need to get out there and find it!