Where to look for graduate jobs
Coming to the end of your time at university can be a daunting experience; the thoughts of moving, leaving your friends and finding a job.
Some students are completely unaware of what career path they want to take once finishing university and a visit to a careers advisor may be needed. When thinking about future careers you should look at what practical skills you have gained from your course such as numeracy or communication abilities. Also, look at the physical side of what you have learnt and enjoyed as this may give you some inspiration. Above all be practical in your choices and make realistic aims for your careers future.
Once this huge hurdle has been cleared the next thing is to get your CV in order. On Milkround.com we have a page dedicated to. There you’ll find all the advice on what needs to be in a successful CV. A CV should be specific to each role you apply for, though, don’t write a generic CV and send it for every job. Look at the requirements of the job specification and ensure that you match each point within your CV. Show that you can do the job.
There are several different methods to getting a job itself. You can look at newspapers, websites and agencies or find jobs on company’s websites. Also you can get work experience, internships or placements and try to impress and earn a permanent contract with a company. Even if you are still studying these can give you excellent experience to improve you CV and may open up a career for you later on.
When you apply for jobs directly you are cutting out the middle man on your applications and there are no fees or costs involved. It can be difficult though to be aware of all the different roles that are open to you and trying to cover all bases can be hard. If you are certain of the companies and roles that you want to work for then you can keep a close eye on the positions through looking at companies websites and reading industry magazines. You need to be persistent, so phoning a company after you have applied to confirm they have got your application and making a positive impression can help.
Using agencies and job web sites allows you to say exactly what you require through specifying different industries, locations and sectors. They will save you much time and effort from having to look for jobs as you will be contacted about different roles that may suit your needs. Registering with several of these agencies and websites will give you many opportunities to apply for varying jobs and helps keep your options open. There are also bespoke agencies and websites that cater for jobs in specific industries and registering with these can help you find more specific roles that you are looking for.
It can be difficult finding work and don’t be disheartened by the knockbacks. You can always ask a company for feedback on why you haven’t been given a role. It can take time to get the job that you want, so keep trying.
