When you first got accepted into the MBA program of your choice, we can just imagine how excited you were. After all, having an MBA is a great way to learn the skills that you need in order to make a real mark in the business world. However, now that you have graduated and you have an MBA tuition bill looming, we’re pretty sure that you’re ready to get a job just as soon as possible. And not just any job, but the right job.

So in the effort to help you reach that goal, we have provided you with five pre-employment tips for recent MBA grads below; ones that will be sure to help you get the job of your dreams—sooner than later.

Make sure you stay connected. As you probably already know, one of the best things that came out of going to business school is that you were able to connect with administrators and students from all over the country and even the world. Well, now that you’re graduated, it’s still important that you remain in touch with them. So make sure to connect with them through Facebook and Linked In. In the business world, a golden rule is that it’s not just what you know, but who you know.

Be open to all kinds of possibilities. Although you may have always had your sights set on working for a particular Fortune 500 company in your hometown, now that you have your MBA, be willing to pursue all kinds of options. Make sure that the company has your resume on file but also spend a significant amount of time looking for other possibilities—both here and abroad. You never know what could open up for you just by putting forth a little extra effort.

Get some good references. Something else that being a business school student can do for you is get you some pretty impressive references which is something that just about any prospective employer is going to ask you for if they are seriously considering you for a job. So as you’re crafting your resume, be sure to get a couple of references from your favorite teachers. Having those will always work to your advantage.

Set short and long-term goals. Say that you recently got a Northeastern University’s online MBA degree. Well, a big part of the reason why you were accepted into that MBA program in the first place was because the school saw that you had some real ambition and drive. Now that you’re out of school, it’s important to take that same energy that you put into your schoolwork into developing some solid goals. Just make sure that you have some short (six months-a year) goals and also some long-term (3,5 and 10-year) ones as well. That will help you to decide what to do as it relates to employment because you will look at your jobs as stepping stones along the way.

Investigate each opportunity. One mistake that a lot of people make is not looking into each opportunity that comes their way. Remember that opportunities do not usually come in the form of million-dollar checks but a lot of hard work; at least on the front end. So, with each possibility that comes your way, take it seriously. You never know, the one you least expect to pay off big could very well be the one that does.