How do you get your first graduate job?

Teesside University English graduate Olivia shares her tips…

"There are so many graduates on the scene these days. It’s amazing that so many people have the chance to study at uni but it also means that the competition for graduate jobs is high… :biggrin:

and it’s more important than ever to ready yourself for a job market battle once you finish uni.

As a recent graduate I’ve put together a little list of hints and tips to help you get equipped for finding your ideal graduate job. These tips apply wherever you are in your student journey…

:tongue:

boost your job prospects while you’re at university – make sure that you use all of the resources available to you whilst you’re still studying. Join a society, get a part-time job, volunteer (if you’re at Teesside you can join Volun-tees), take part in an internship scheme or even help with organising charity events. Make sure you keep yourself busy with activities that employers value – this is something that your university’s careers service can help you with. Visit your Students’ Union – it’s a brilliant way to get involved with extra-curricular activities and get help, support and advice.

:wink:

sort out your social media – we’re all guilty of stalking on Facebook and if you think that recruiters and employees don’t do the same, you’d be wrong. Closely monitor the type of content you’re posting, the pictures you’re tagged in and the pages you “like”. Also, consider tweaking your privacy settings. You don’t want to dampen your chances of impressing an employer by creating a bad digital footprint.

:redface:

customise your cover letters – although this is very time-consuming, I’d always recommend that you write a new cover letter for every job and company that you apply to. Include job and company-specific content that shows you’ve done your research on the place you’re applying to. And make sure you shout about the actions and results you’ve achieved through work experience – tell the employer how your work experiences relate to the position you’re after. Use short paragraphs, write concisely, give specific details, and make sure your letter looks professional. No recruiter wants to see a misplaced apostrophe or a spelling mistake so be careful and ensure your cover letter is error-free.

:biggrin:

build up your contacts – you’ll hear everyone say that networking is a great way to discover potential jobs, and it’s absolutely true! The idea of it can seem very daunting, but once you start asking questions, letting go of control of the conversation and Googling the heck out of anyone you want to connect with, you’ll start to see your contact list grow. It’s not always about what you know, it’s about who you know.

:tongue:

get into the habit of writing things down – this may sound a little silly, but writing things down is so useful when applying for jobs. Keep track of start and end dates with jobs or any volunteering you do, what skills you learn, what interests you develop and anything else that you think may be relevant. Doing so will mean that you can vocalise your points well when it comes to the interview stage. If you’re not a pen-to-paper person, you could always use LinkedIn!

:rolleyes:

don’t sell yourself short – it’ll be no surprise to you when I say that finding a good graduate job can be difficult, but when you’re offered a job, make sure that it’s something that you can actually see yourself doing in a company that you’d genuinely like to work for. You’ve worked hard to get to where you are, so don’t just accept an offer because a job’s a job. There are plenty more jobs out there and the last thing you want is to get your career off to a rocky start.

Of course, it isn’t the end of the world if you don’t end up in a graduate job straight away. If you do, you’re one of the lucky few! It takes patience and time, but by putting a few of these tips into practice, you can greatly strengthen your choices of bagging your dream job."

:redface:

Please share any other tips you might have!

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 1

cheesecakelove

These are all valid points and helpful to consider when you start university! If you focus on these points it will give you a headstart when looking for work after graduation!

Using the university careers service is useful. They can help you find part-time and graduate work, help out with interview techniques and CV writing and they often host careers fairs. This service is free and helps you so much!

How do you get your first graduate job?

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