In The Eyes Of The Graduate Recruiter

What would you look for if you were the recruiter? You would want someone who can help you not someone who says 'I would like the experience'. You would want to see confidence in their ability and evidence that they are in for it long term. You would know that they may not have much experience so you would be looking for the graduate that has the most potential to hit the ground running.'

Tanya de Grunwald, the author of "Dude, Where's My Career?" says:
"Recruiters aren't the devil - they're just being squeezed by their boss, who is being squeezed by their boss. They may have less money than they did a couple of years ago, but there's still lots of work to be done. How can you make their lives better?"

Passion for the position!

Being technically suitable for a position isn't always enough. Most recruiters will be looking for candidates that can display a real passion for the position - this could be in the form of related work experience, hobbies, extra curricular activities that are similar to the role or membership to societies and professional bodies that are connected to the position.  Soft skills are also high up the list such as working well with people and the ability to communicate your ideas in a constructive manor.

Dig A Little Deeper In Interviews

Remember that interviews are a two-way process so don't be afraid to ask questions. Well thought out questions can reveal a side of the organisation that they don't advertise. For instance they may have a high turnover of staff so ask how long, on average, does a graduate trainee stay with the company? You could also ask questions on where you might expect to be within the company after a year or two years. This will show ambition and genuine interest in investing your time into the company. Turning an interview around like this can really break the ice and relax the flow of conversation but remember not to command the interview, stay modest and don't be shy to drop in a compliment if something about the company impresses you.

Graduate Window? What window?

There is a common graduate misconception that all jobs/schemes have an early recruitment window that involves application and interview way before graduation - this is definitely not always the case! While some big graduate schemes do adopt this process, graduates on the market now don't need to wait for the following year as there are just as many (if not more) companies recruiting all year round with immediate starts. Less obvious small to medium sized businesses make up a large portion of the graduate job market and they may not be as obvious to discover. That's where we come in so don't rule these opportunities out!

Don't close doors on yourself

Are you open for business? Are you making it as easy as possible for potential employers to contact you? In this busy job market employers and recruitment consultants are overwhelmed with applications and it is often said that there is nothing worse than not being able to get hold of someone when they're a perfect match. This normally comes down to people not being willing to give out their phone number or using junk email addresses when registering on job websites.  Some people can get into the habit of not checking emails at all due to the volume they are receiving, but what if one of those emails is the perfect job they have been looking for? If you think you get too many then check your subscription status; it's up to you to decide what to receive. Assuming everything is junk will only close doors on opportunities, don't miss out!