Leaving the safe haven of university and being forced out into the world of work can be a bit of a shock. You’ve spent however many years perfecting your procrastination skills and you have developed an unrivalled talent for finding funny cat videos on YouTube. You’re not exactly prepped for the real world are you? Never fear, young jobseeker, the Graduate Recruitment Bureau is here to help with some top tips for job-hunting.
1. Research
There are a lot of jobs out there that you won’t even have heard of until you start doing some serious research. Jobs boards and recruitment consultancies can help with this, though you can find out plenty by yourself. The internet is your oyster so use lots of different platforms to find those vacancies.
2. Persevere
Yes it can be a hassle having to fill in endless online applications and not hearing anything back. You need to keep a positive attitude and keep hunting, even when you want to give up. Remember it only takes one person to decide they like you enough to give you a job and they could be waiting for you just after the next application form.
3. Be confident
If you come across a job that you think is way out of your league career-wise, apply anyway. What harm is it going to do? No one is going to laugh at you for aiming high. You never know, you might be exactly what they’re looking for.
4. But realistic…
If you apply for a job that wants you to have degree-level French and you just scraped by at GCSE then you’re only wasting your (and the employer’s) time. Application forms take ages to fill in – don’t get distracted by things you know you won’t be right for.
5. Tailor your CV
Generic CVs are very much a thing of the past. You need to tailor your CV to each job you apply for. Have a basic CV outline but when applying for different jobs have a think about which specific things about you are perfect for the different roles and emphasise them.
6. Know yourself
When you get invited to interview you’re going to be asked about strengths, weaknesses and ambitions. It can be difficult to think of your strengths and weaknesses on the spot so have a think about what these might be. Knowing where you might want to be in five or ten years’ time will also help to give you a bit of direction which is useful for the job hunt anyway.
7. Get connected
LinkedIn is like the Facebook of working professionals (so no weird statuses or pictures of your food), you can connect with people who are high up in the sectors you are interested in and find out how they got there. It’s also a place you can document your work history and future employers can find out a bit about you. It’s a great platform to show yourself off and a good resource to find out about different careers.
8. Follow follow follow
Twitter is another excellent way of finding out about pretty much anything. There are endless Twitter accounts that will give you great and informative career advice. There are also companies who will advertise new graduate positions or internships via twitter so keep your eyes peeled and you might find something you’re interested in.
9. Self-motivate
When you’re job-hunting, you can start to feel that you’re lacking direction. It can be hard to keep yourself motivated and positive. The best thing to do is to get into a routine. Set your alarm for a similar time each day and get up even if you feel like you don’t really have to. Set aside however many hours of job-hunting you want to do then have a break. It’s best to work productively for a few hours than sitting in front of your computer all day half-heartedly scrolling through jobs and achieving nothing.
10. Think about your image
I don’t mean your excellent hair or flawless fashion sense. Your online image is very important to think about nowadays. Your Facebook page or Twitter account is how you choose to present yourself online so be careful about how you use them. If you don’t want potential employers to see your Facebook profile then keep it completely private. No profile pictures of you passed out in the bath covered in shaving foam and offensive skin art courtesy of your “friends” – that is not what employers want to see.
Words: Frankie Pocock is a marketing assistant and online researcher at the Graduate Recruitment Bureau in Brighton. Her work involves PR outreach and writing interesting and informative blogs for young job seekers.
Image: Shutterstock
