Congratulations! After many years of hard work (and possibly some partying!) you’ve finally graduated. Whether you’re coming from school, college or university, stepping into the world of work for the first time can be daunting. These 7 top tips are designed to help you get on the right path to finding a job that you love.
Don’t be afraid of not knowing what you want to do
If you still have no idea what career to aim for, don’t worry! This is completely normal. A great starting point is to think about the courses you took at school/university, alongside your experiences at previous jobs and extra-curricular activities, and think: what aspects did you love? What did you dislike? Creating a list of the tasks that you particularly enjoyed can be useful during your job search as you compare your list of likes with job descriptions to find a job that’s suited to you. This is where your Recruitment Consultant can be a huge asset; discussing your interests and strengths, comparing these to the available options in the job market and making suggestions for you to consider.
Internships and temporary jobs are great for those fresh out of education. These can be used as a way to experience diverse work environments and could even lead onto opportunities for something more permanent. If you enjoy your experience, that’s great! You are one step closer to finding the job for you. If it doesn’t work out, don’t be dismayed, there are plenty of jobs out there you could try. Remember, you have plenty of time to gain experience in different areas. Temporary positions are also ideal if you’re looking to go travelling, or if you just want a breather before diving into a full-time job, as they allow for more flexibility.
Update your CV
When was the last time you updated your CV? If the answer is “I don’t remember”, it’s probably due a refresh! This may sound obvious, but make sure your CV is up to date – you don’t want a job offer going to a previous email address! Make sure you add any new qualifications you’ve gained since graduating, and don’t forget to list extra-curricular activities or soft skills. These can make interesting talking points during interviews that will give you the opportunity to discuss your strengths.
Write a great cover letter
Together with your CV, a cover letter provides potential employers with a first impression of you. While your CV lists your qualifications and other details, it’s always worth investing some time into writing a personalised, job-specific cover letter to go along with your CV when applying for a job. Your cover letter should demonstrate on a personal level why you’re interested in working for the particular organisation and role. Keep it concise, this should be short and to the point.
Clean up your social media
More and more employers are now using social media to screen potential employees. You must make sure there is nothing inappropriate on your profiles. Read our tips on how to spring clean your social media.
Do your research before interviewing
Make sure you know about the job you’re applying for. Reading job descriptions for similar roles online can help you to prepare yourself for job-specific questions. It’s likely that your interviewer will also ask you questions about the organisation too, so swot up by taking a look at their website. You’d be surprised how far a simple Google search can go!
Your Recruitment Consultant can also help with interview preparation so that you have a much better idea of what to expect, the format the meeting will follow and the experience and skills you are best to highlight (and how to do this).
Dress to impress
When it comes to an interview situation, this should go without saying! If you don’t know a company’s dress code, dress to impress. There is no harm in being overdressed for an interview with a business that accepts casual-wear. This will just show that you have made the effort.
Don’t go it alone
As a recruitment consultancy, we’re here to help. We offer advice and free services to support post-graduates just like you!
How we can help you:
We give you unique insights into potential employers. We spend a lot of time building up relationships with our clients, meaning we have a comprehensive understanding of their priorities and what they’re really looking for. If we can see something in you that our client is looking for, we will tell you. We will also give you an insight into the work culture of a particular company so you can make the right decision for you.
We help you keep work as flexible as you need it to be. We know that post-graduate life can be full of possibilities for travel and moving abroad, and plans are rarely concrete. If you’d like to keep your options open, we can help you find something less permanent through temping or contract work. Similarly, we can set you up with temping opportunities if you’d like to test the waters in different industries before committing to anything. This can help you make a truly informed choice about your next career steps.
We give you access to hundreds of employers. From one meeting with us, you instantly have a gateway to over one hundred different trainee/graduate positions. Bypass the exhaustion of sending off CV after CV to different employers and let us do the legwork!
If you’d like our help to kick start your post-graduate career, please get in touch at jobs@rowlands.co.uk, call us on 01534 626777, search for Rowlands Recruitment on Facebook and LinkedIn, and follow us on Twitter at @RowlandsJersey and Instagram at @rowlandsrecruitment1