If all of your University friends are boasting about the fantastic graduate roles they have lined up for this year you may be panicking if you haven’t done the same. It often used to be the case that these roles are filled before we even hit spring, but luckily for the 2015 Grads this is not necessarily the case. UK graduate prospects are at a 10 Year High this year, so There’s still time to find your dream graduate role! Not started the search yet? Here are some simple steps to search for graduate roles and to become more searchable to the employers!
CV
This is your bread and butter for the job hunt so you need to get this sorted first. Once you have the framework in place you can tweak and tailor it depending on the job role you apply for. You need to make it clear and concise to read (ideally no more than 2 pages), and emphasise your previous work experience (especially any placement years / internships), pointing out the skills gained here. Make sure to include your academic qualifications / expected grades if you have not received your results yet. Most importantly make sure your contact details and key skills (tailored to the role) are clear to see at the top of your CV. Check out Best Tips to write your Graduate CV for more information!
Start your search on the job boards
The difficulty of applying through the job boards is that you are competing against such a large market, that being said you’d be mad not to start your graduate job search on here. The trick is to stand out from the crowd, or as I like to say ‘Be a Flamingo in a flock of Pigeons’. So if you find a role that looks perfect for you then tailor your CV accordingly (make sure you check your spelling thoroughly), submit your application as specified in the advert but then try and call the recruiter / hiring manager to discuss the role over the phone. This way you can get your personality across and get a deeper understanding of what the role will involve. Looking for a job in IT? Make sure to look at Searchability’s live job board for the latest graduate vacancies!
Follow and engage on social media
Want to be that Flamingo amongst the pigeons? Social Media is a fantastic way to do this. Firstly you need to get your profiles job hunt ready so choose a relatively professional profile picture (none of you downing Jägerbombs in the student union!) and delete anything you wouldn’t want your potential boss to see. You can also include information in your profile about relevant interests (e.g. fashion magazines if you are pursuing a career in fashion journalism etc.). Now that’s sorted you can start to engage with and follow the companies and recruiters specific to your industry. A few tweets will put you on their radar in a different way to the hundreds of CV’s they are trawling through. Looking for an IT graduate job? Make sure you follow @ITGradsJobs for the latest graduate vacancies!
Get a LinkedIn profile
Most students will stick to the usual social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. While there are fantastic recruitment opportunities here you are seriously missing a trick by not having a LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn is a professional network and a recruiters dream when searching for specific skillsets / locations. Want to get a profile but not sure how? Check out these LinkedIn tips to help you find your next job!
So there’s a few simple steps to kick-start you graduate job hunt. While you haven’t missed the boat just yet you don’t want to drag your heels either, so be proactive and efficient and get started now!
Good luck!
Sophie Heaton (Digital Campaign Manager)