From Fresher to Graduate - The CV Centre
Graduate Job-Seekers Guide
Graduate Careers Advice by The
CV Centre, the UK's leading CV consultancy.
A degree course will often zoom by at lightning speed, what with the
never-ending succession of societies, student union events, yet another
Budweiser promotion and ….oh yes, all those seminars, lectures, essays
and final examinations. As the final year comes to a close it is time
to step out into the world and launch your career.
Timescales
It can be a good idea to consider the direction you would like your career
to take from the very beginning of your degree course. Of course your
plans and aspirations might change as you move through your course, but
if you are aware of your ultimate goal from the outset, you should have
far more opportunity to ensure you have acquired the skills potential
employers demand. This will also enable you to take more time when considering
your career path, rather than being swept up into the mad rush for jobs
as graduates emerge onto the jobs market after their finals. It can also
be a good idea to find out the application procedures of the companies/organisations
well in advance of your finals to make sure you do not miss their application
deadlines.
Work Experience and Internships
Some companies require industry-specific experience in the workplace,
in addition to your academic qualifications, and, with a little forward
planning, the potential of those long summer holidays could be maximised
if you were to take up relevant work experience or internships. Contact
employers early on in your course to find out which type of work experience
they would consider most valuable in a potential employee. It can also
be worth enquiring whether there are work experience/internship opportunities
in the particular companies and organisations you would most like to work
within. This could also be an invaluable way to obtain an 'insiders' view
of your chosen profession - to see if it really is the career path for
you.
Where To Search
Publications - Even if you are just beginning to consider which career you would like
to move into, it can be worth subscribing to (or borrowing from your careers
library) trade journals and publications relevant to the professions you
are interested in. This should give you a sense not only of the positions
available in the field but also a clearer idea of the news and current
developments within the sector. Another, rather more obvious - but nonetheless
important - point is to make sure you do not forget that national newspapers
carry specialised careers supplements and recruitment sections. Find out
which day each paper publishes recruitment pages for your area of interest.
Careers fairs, particularly those aimed specifically at graduates, can
also be an invaluable source of information, and a useful opportunity
to speak face to face with representatives of the companies you are interested
in. Find out from your careers office if a fair will be coming to your
university. If not you may well find there will be a similar graduate
fair in a city close to you. Examples in the London area include the Guardian
Summer Graduate Fair and EGREX.
The Internet is of course an invaluable tool in terms of careers research,
not least in terms of being able to take a good look around the websites
of companies and organisations you are interested in. In this way you
should be able to find out more about how the company operates and check
their application procedures and requirements. There are also a host of
job board sites, some of which are industry-specific and others which
cover a wide range of positions. It is often possible to register with
these sites in order to have employment opportunities emailed to you as
they are posted on the sites, to ensure you don't miss new postings.
Recruitment agencies can also provide valuable assistance when job hunting
and, once again, you will find that some agencies specialise in specific
sectors whilst others are far more general. Temporary work can also be
found through recruitment agencies and can be a flexible way to earn money
whilst you are searching for something more permanent. 'Temping' can also
be another method of 'testing the water' in a specific employment sector
especially with so-called 'temp to perm' jobs. These can be particularly
useful as they give both the employee and the employer the opportunity
to see whether the position is right for you in the long term.
Application Procedures
Once you have identified which sectors you wish to find employment within,
make sure you have up-to-date information about their recruitment procedures
and deadlines. Application procedures vary from job to job but you are
likely to need to tackle on-line application forms, traditional paper
application forms and of course be able to provide a well written and
well presented CV, in addition to producing a range of persuasive covering
letters. It is vital that these documents are properly prepared. Find
out how The CV Centre's services can ensure that your CV, application
forms and covering
letters are truly outstanding, putting you well on your way to
the career you deserve. Click
Here to find out how The CV Centre can help you.
