Recently, I realized how many people graduate and have trouble finding a job. When I graduated, everyone said it would be hard to find a job and a good one, at that. I not only landed a job right out of college, but the moment that I graduated, I had interviews lined up at my door. A lot of reasoning for that was just working hard and making sure I was applying with more quality applications, and less concerned about the quantity of my applications.

Companies want to hire millennials - you just have to make sure that the company is right for you. If finding a job right when you graduate is important to you, these are three tips that can help you out during the process.

1. Research

Companies select candidates because of many reasons. Companies want to see you that will be engaged in your work and engaged in their growth. If you do your research and find a company that interests you, that genuine interest will come out in your interview. Dedicate time to learning the company, their market and some background about the industry that they serve. If it interests you, you will be passionate while writing a cover letter, or speaking in an interview.

Many people apply to countless jobs. Attach a cookie-cutter cover letter, average resume and press send. What sends you apart from the thousands of others who just clicked submit? After months, not hearing back can get discouraging. Your resume and cover letter might look great to your eyes, but think about the people that are reviewing them. They see countless resumes and after a while, it becomes saturated.

If you really want a job, make yourself standout, show that you are involved and interested in what you could be doing. Do some research, you can make that cover letter better. If you want it bad enough, keep at it. Doing your research might not work 100% of the time, but it will increase your chances. Applying research to your job search could be the difference between you, and the person that does not get the job.

2. Be confident

Confidence is something that will guide you to great things. If a company sees that you take initiative in a situation and respects you for that, then you are off to a good start. Interviewing can be stressful and some of our biggest insecurities can surface when you’re in a stressful situation. The best thing to do is just relax. You are more likely to be confident and interview better if you are relaxed.

3. Follow-up

Some people will disagree with me on this, and sometimes this is a company based thing. So, if you are passionate enough about a company to go above and beyond to get the job, do some research and see if a follow up email would be appropriate.

You want to show others that you know how to communicate and that you take a genuine interest in the company. Possessing these qualities stands out to employers. If you get their attention in a positive way, they will want to learn more about who you are. This is why I strongly suggest writing a follow up letter if you do not hear back about a job in a few weeks. The position may have already been filled, but you stood out to them regardless. You never know what could happen down the road, they might want to consider you for another position.

This is actually what happened to me, and how I landed my job right after school. Following up with a company or differentiating yourself in some way is important. This will make you stand out in a large pool of others who just stuck with the bare minimum.