The potential of your graduate degree

Here at GRB we quite commonly speak to graduates who don’t realise the actual potential of their qualifications. What we mean by this is that if for example there is a graduate role being advertised in finance, you don’t necessarily need to have studied a finance related degree to be eligible for it. It’s all about reading the job specification and looking into what they are actually looking for. For example we place many people from Humanities backgrounds such as English or History into marketing graduate jobs and PR graduate jobs as they require people with strong research and writing skills. Your degree doesn’t have to dictate what you go into by any means so widen your vision and think about exploring the potential out there.

Did you really read that?

Are you really reading job descriptions in full? If you’re skimming over them in an attempt to get more applications done, it’s likely you’ll make mistakes. Ideally you should be reading over a job description 2-3 times before even considering the best way to apply. Break it down into what the company does, what the requirements are and what type of person they’re looking for. If an employer can tell you’ve half-heartedly skipped over the job advert by submitting an application that’s missing valuable detail previously requested, then welcome to the reject pile! For example, we recently had loads of Finance grads apply to an IT graduate job just because it mentioned hedge funds and graduates applying to a part-time role that clearly stated it was for students still at uni. Having your application rejected from lack of attention can look really bad on your profile so don’t let this be you!

Show Some Urgency

During your job hunt try and show some urgency. If you’re applying for jobs make sure you follow up on applications. Don’t delay applying just because it’s not near the application deadline date. To an employer, being keen and first off the mark are key indicators that you’re made of the right stuff so let it show. Equally, knowing exactly who you have applied to is also very important. It doesn’t look good if an employer replies to your application and you can’t remember when you applied or what the job is. Be prepared and keep notes with you at all times, especially if you are expecting a call.