How graduates can enhance their chance of employment success - Viewpoint - careers advice blog Viewpoint careers advice blog

How graduates can enhance their chance of employment success - Viewpoint - careers advice blog Finishing college brings with it a sense of euphoria and expectation, and rightly so. The sense of achievement from earning your degree should not be underestimated. You have worked hard to reach this point and pride can be taken from that fact as you prepare to enter the world of work. Of course, once the celebrations die down, the reality of having to get a job will have set in. Starting off in the world of work can be an unsettling time; questions that until recently seemed immaterial now need to be answered. What job should you go for? Should you apply for every job going? Should you pursue a grad scheme/internship or go straight into full-time employment? Should you accept the first role offered? (a question I answered in my previous blog) Should you relocate to better your chances of securing employment? There are some steps you can take even before you take your final exams to help minimize the uncertainty, and greatly enhance your chances of success. Before graduation Your final grade only tells part of the story While at university there are a number of activities you can participate in to enhance your chances of future employment. In fact, when it comes to the interview stage of your job search process, your final grade only tells part of the story. Being in the lacrosse team might not make you a shoe-in for a career in software development; however it might equip you with a number of necessary soft skills to help you ace the hiring process. Other activities such as writing for your university newspaper, being a member of the debating team, and other such societies could certainly enhance your future chances of success, as long as they relate to the industry you’re interested in. Ideally you want to obtain experience in the profession you plan to go into. If there aren’t any societies or extra-curricular means of you furthering yourself within your chosen field then ask yourself whether you know anyone who works in a role related to your course which is of interest. If so, don’t be shy about approaching them for work experience â€" almost all medium to large organisations have a work-experience program in place. Instead of spending your holiday periods relaxing and waiting for university to come round again, dip your toe into the business world by finding an internship or work experience to help further your career. The ideal, ‘two birds one stone’ situation is to find yourself a work experience position that’s both in the field that you want to work in and in a situation or location outside of your comfort zone. This way you’re gaining both hard, practical knowledge (from working in that industry) and plenty of soft skills too (by breaching unfamiliar territory). Overseas practical work experience is always a big plus for employers. Employers also do value ‘life experience’, so travelling definitely isn’t off the list, but try and make it meaningful and relevant to your career ambitions. After graduation Now is the perfect time to launch your LinkedIn profile Whether or not you pursue post-graduate qualifications immediately upon graduation very much depends on your individual situation and the industry you want to breach. Some industries value or require them a lot more than others. If it helps you get into your chosen profession and is a requirement for that job then yes, of course go for it. However this may not be practical for you, financially or otherwise. Seek out tailored careers advice for further information on this; your university should have a dedicated careers team on hand to offer advice. Your CV should be a constant, evolving project but you should definitely grant it some extra attention having just graduated â€" this is when your activities and achievements are freshest in your mind. Try and pack your CV with clearly defined achievements and skills that relate to your chosen profession. My colleague Susie Timlin wrote an excellent series on writing CVs, the first instalment of which can be read here. Now is also the perfect time to launch your LinkedIn profile, if you haven’t done so already. Many regard this as the moment when you truly enter the working world. LinkedIn is very different to other social networks that you might be used to, so familiarise yourself with its distinctions by having a read of ‘How to use LinkedIn and Facebook in your job search’. Interview skills are also going to be of vital importance upon recently graduating. And they are a skill, which with practice you can easily improve. If you’re concerned about your low confidence or lack of public speaking ability hurting your interview chances then don’t be â€" confidence is not something we’re born with or without, it’s a choice that we can make at any time. Your chances will also be helped by turning up to the interview with a few questions for your interviewer, some of which might include: What does a typical day look like How does the team fit into the overall structure of the company? What constitutes success for the team and the role? For a full list of questions to ask your interviewer, head over to this blog authored by our Managing Director of Hays Spain. Seize the day Leaving university and entering the working world is without doubt a substantial transition, and one that isn’t always seamless. Give yourself the best chances of employment success by anticipating this transition in advance â€" by joining relevant societies and deciding on a rough career direction â€" as well as becoming instantly proactive upon graduation â€" by furthering your education, preparing your CV or up skilling yourself. If you wish to get in touch with Hays to find out what opportunities we might have available in your desired field then you can do so here. Best of luck! I hope you have found the above advice useful. Here are some other Viewpoint blogs to help you progress your career: Dont rush into your first graduate role When is the best time to have a job interview? How to use LinkedIn and Facebook in your job search How to defeat the dreaded Assessment Centre 6 steps to get the most out of your internship Could you be a recruiter? 7 Ways to Communicate Confidence from Hays