How To Find A Job

If you are approaching the end of your undergraduate degree, masters degree, or have already graduated you will soon be entering the job market. With a qualification under your belt you are set in good stead to find a graduate role that is right for you.

Read on to find out how to find a graduate job that you will love.

Know What You Are Searching For

Many undergraduate degrees are completed with a view to entering a specific career. However, most graduates will have studied in an area that they had an interest in. If you are one of those who hadn’t decided upon a career path at 18 when you applied to your undergraduate course the first step is to figure out the kind of role that would suit you.

Before commencing your job search make sure that you have done some research into roles, industries and yourself. The best fit job wise is something that closely matches your natural skills and interests.

• Take a few moments to write down:
  • Your strengths – what are you good at, are you creative, organised, a people person, active? 
  • Your interests – think of everything that you like doing or have an interest in.

From these skills and interests you should gain a clearer picture of what you can apply to a job role and what you would like to get out of your graduate role.

Finally, research some job roles that encompass your strengths. For example, a creative person may lean towards a role in marketing or design. 

Plan Your Days

Don’t fall into the trap of letting a job search take care of itself. Treat it like a job. Plan your days as you would if you were working, allocate some time to conduct your job search and stick to it. If you can set yourself targets of what you would like to achieve on a weekly basis even better as you will be able to monitor your progress.

Register With A Trustworthy Recruiter

When searching for the perfect graduate job you will want someone to be working with you to find a match for both you and the organisation. They will need to take some time to get to know you in order to know where would be a good fit. At Our Graduates we work with some of the top UK employers and successfully match candidates to their ideal roles in a company that they can develop in.

Don’t Apply For Anything and Everything

It can be tempting to apply for everything that remotely fits your profile. However, this can lead to you being stuck in a job that’s not quite right. Choose which jobs you apply for. Trust in yourself and be patient. The right job is out there.

Job Boards

You will most probably be signed up to a number of job boards. All of which will email you a list of jobs that are compatible with the profile that you have created. Although this is an incredibly useful tool, bear in mind that it is an algorithm. You should keep checking job boards regularly in order to be sure that you haven’t missed a role.

Perfect Your CV

Invest a lot of time on your CV. Create a master CV that incorporates all of your information. Always use a different CV for each role that you apply for. One size does not fit all. The same role in different companies will have a different idea of their ideal candidate. Read the job description carefully and tailor your CV to match what they are seeking. 

Create a Video Vitae

Be mindful that most organisations use CV scanning software. Optimise your CV by using keywords that feature in the job description. Be careful with the overuse of generic buzz words.

If you haven’t done so already, get filming a video vitae. In a digital world where video is king a video vitae is an excellent way to show off your skills. In a video you can be yourself, it is hard to convey your personality on paper. 

A video vitae also shows that you are tech savvy and it is a welcome break from sifting through a pile of paper. It is your opportunity to shine.

Network

Finally, don’t underestimate the power of networking. LinkedIn is a great place to connect with people from the industry you are interested in and even a company itself. Organisations are increasingly using LinkedIn to post vacancies.

By getting yourself out there you will be noticed. When connecting with relevant people you are both gaining understanding of the career that you will be entering and making yourself known to people with influence. As the saying goes it’s not what you know it’s who you know. Use this to your advantage.