undergraduate Economics - Advice for first year student

It might help if you say which university you are going to, so people can reccomend thinks locally. If there's a specific feild you want to work in, you should probably mention that too.

Have you ever had a part-time job? If not, it might be worth trying to get one. One of the things I have heard from some graduate recruiters is they feel that employing someone who's never been in paid employment can be a bit of risk- they can be more unreliable, not so good at timekeeping, and sometimes feel that menial jobs are beneath them. Having some basic paid employment in any field can boost your CV, and it gives you something to talk about in interviews.

For example, bar work- You've worked as part of a team, you've dealt with members of the public, you've handled cash (shows you're trustworthy), at some stage you'll have probably had to do some basic problem solving, you can gain an understanding of logistics and supply.

Whilst trying to get things at top firms in a specific feild can be really eyecatching on your CV, most of the graduates I know who got employed straight out of uni had a wide range of experience in entry level jobs as well. I know a couple who are unemployed almost a year after graduating- the common factor is they are all looking for their first job with only unpaid experience.

I am starting Hertfordshire university, and i have worked for an estate agent and a charity organistion

Ok, great, so you already have some work experience. What you should do then is try and work out what sort of job you want to go into and get some volunteering/unpaid work experience related to that. This might be an internship over the summer, or it might be something you can do with a charity/not for profit once a week. If you don't have a specific career goal, then maybe consider doing some volunteer work with the citizen's advice bureau. They deal with all kinds of issues, so hopefully you'll pick up some relevant skills/knowledge that will help you in the future.

Alternatively, you could try getting involved with societies. If you get involved in the running of a society, this can give you a lot of skills that will look useful on you CV, and show you've done something other that just study whilst at university.

Basically, do something that interests you, and you enjoy, to give you skills outside of your degree.