Every graduate faces the looming experience of leaving the university bubble behind and breaking out into the real world of work, and this begins with the job hunt. Job hunting can be a daunting prospect that turns into a long-winded battle to succeed amongst a flood of competitive, career-hungry graduates. But do not despair, you can make your job search a whole lot easier and get ahead of the competition by following these 4 simple steps:
1. Perfect your CV
Before you even begin your job hunt, you should have an up-to-date CV that really shows off your qualifications, experience and skill-set in a clearly formatted document. This is your opportunity to sell yourself in order to secure that all important first interview, so have a good read through online CV Tips to ensure your CV is application ready.
2. Know What You’re Looking For
If you’re one of those grads that knows exactly what you want to do and what you need to do to get there then well done you! Many graduates, however, are unsure of where to start looking for jobs because they don’t really know what they want to do. That’s ok! Think about your strengths and what you enjoy, then research sectors and job functions that match these. Use this research to narrow down your options so that you have a few key areas to focus on when you start your job hunt.
3. Think Outside the Box (a.k.a. job boards)
Using generic job sites and signing up for emails about opportunities is the traditional method. Although this isn’t ineffective, you can take your job search further than this! Social media is now a great place to catch job adverts before anywhere else. I’d recommend using LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. You should follow particular companies/recruiters that you are interested in and conduct regular keyword searches to hopefully pull up some great opportunities. There’s also tons of great job search, CV and interview advice being churned out on recruiter pages that will help you along the way.
4. Make a Plan
It’s easy to get demotivated when you’re trawling through job descriptions and writing numerous cover letters. Making a plan is a good way to combat any impending motivational lulls. Set yourself small targets and allocate timeslots to your job hunt.
Remember, every graduate would love to find their dream job with little effort, but getting a job that is right for you will take time, persistence and hard work.
Good luck job hunters!
Danielle Miller
Recruitment Consultant at Bridgewater Graduates
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