Your Online Presence

Without realising it, hunting for graduate jobs instantly attracts attention to your profile in the public domain. This can cause problems with creating the right impression to employers. Like it or not, if you are potentially good for a role, many employers will be interested to know more about you that very second by typing your name into Google. In its innocence they will be looking for a LinkedIn profile, maybe evidence of CV claims like articles you’ve written, websites you’ve made or involvement in societies. But what else will they find? Hopefully not a wild drunken Facebook photo, rude or controversial status updates or any kind of material that could be offensive linked to your name! Be careful, as although this doesn’t mean you don’t have to be you, you should consider public privacy settings on Facebook, using web aliases and thinking twice about what people may think in a first impression.

Staying Confident and Positive When Gradaute Job Hunting

Looking for graduate jobs is like a full-time job in itself. It’s very time consuming mentally and physically but the worst thing you can do in a job hunting situation is lose face and motivation. Make sure you understand and tell yourself that finding a job doesn’t happen overnight, nor weeks, but most likely takes months of application after application, using the feedback and building your confidence as you better yourself in each interview. If a telephone or face to face interview doesn’t go well then draw the positives from it. Learn where you went wrong and remember that if you’ve been approached once, it’s going to happen again! In a competitive market employers are picky, but the minute you begin to put less than 100% in you will decrease your chances even more. Sort through those past applications, look at the ones that got some interest and build on those qualities to refine your skills as a job seeker.

Hobbies and Interests on Your CV

Remember, if you choose to include a section on hobbies and interests on your CV for gradute jobs, it can be a massive employer turn-off to use generic content such as ‘I like music’ or ‘I like reading and going to the cinema’. Points like those bring nothing to your CV and instead can actually paint quite an unimaginative picture of yourself. What this section is really about is a chance to show off any interests that extend from work into your own life which truly shows that your passion and progression as a professional doesn’t stop at 5:30pm every day! For example, say you want to work in Marketing so in your spare time you run a society’s social media or build/design websites. Perhaps you are trying to get into Finance so in the evenings you dabble with a fantasy Forex account or you want to work as a journalist so you write for a blog. The possibilities are endless in the way you can express your genuine interest in a subject so always try and benchmark your hobbies and interests on valuable points that the employer will take note of.

The Cover Letters That Get Read

Your covering letter is your chance to deliver in a brief but essentially detailed manner, why you are perfect for the role. Customisation is key, never use generic text and aim to hit a minimum of 200 and a maximum of 400 words. Always open with a Dear ‘Recruiters Name’; only if you have no way of knowing their name it is then ok to use Dear Sir/Madam. The first part is your opening which must refer to the job title, portray your enthusiasm, and provide solid examples as to why you are sending your application. Next, it’s time for the main body of your letter, which should include points that refer to the evidence on your CV that proves your suitability - bullet points can really help the recruiter pick up on the important elements. Following this, demonstrate something you know about the company or specific job requirements that inspired you to apply, as compliments never go amiss here too! This shows you’ve put time into researching them and that you possess a genuine interest in not just the role but the company too. The final part is the close – this should be done by summarising what you have covered, making it clear that you are available to provide any further information and that you’re looking forward to hearing back. End with a Best regards, your full name, contact details (mobile, email and LinkedIn profile link) and confirmation of the documents attached with the application e.g. your CV title.

Updating Your University E-mail Address

The end of University life means a significant change for many. Facing University’s aftermath of career, housing and financial planning may prove somewhat stressful so stay organised. One box to tick is to remember that your University’s facilities may no longer be accessible so make sure you set up/start using a personal e-mail account to substitute any subscriptions to websites - including GRB! All websites need to be notified of an updated address so you can continue to recover passwords, receive notifications and remain contactable for important things such as graduate jobs, financial services, housing or even social media! Remember you may never hear about your dream job if recruiters are unable to contact you so don’t let it cost you.