Graduate to Professional: How To Find Your First Job After University

Graduate to Professional: How To Find Your First Job After University

You’ve left university and you’re looking for that first step in your career. You may already have a job lined up, perhaps found yourself confused by all the options available, or simply be sending out CVs and keeping everything crossed. Here at Elevation Recruitment Group, we just wanted to offer a little advice to help with your search:

 

Get Your CV in Order

This is likely the first time you’ve written a CV so there’s lots to consider! We have more detailed advice on how to write a standout CV for various industries (Engineering, Transactional Finance, Marketing, Sales and IT) but there are a couple of things everyone can do, that graduates often forget. One, don’t stress about the design too much. It’s more important that your CV can be read by CV-scanning software, so keep it as a simple word document. Secondly, include your contact information! This is so easily forgotten but so important for employers and recruiters to reach you.

 

Sell What Makes You Special

You may have a fantastic result from your degree at a university with an excellent reputation but imagine everyone on your course is applying for the same job. What is going to make you stand out? It might be the placement year you did, your time on a student society exec committee, an exceptional piece of coursework you did, or just your sparkling personality! Whatever it is, make sure you highlight these things so that you’re not just another graduate.

 

Build Your Network

Don’t forget to put yourself out there and let people know that you’re on the hunt for a new opportunity. You can do this online via LinkedIn, by joining groups dedicated to graduate opportunities or simply putting a note out to your contacts to say you’re on the job hunt. Former university course members are really important to keep in touch with, too. One of them may already have established themselves within a business and know of other opportunities, or perhaps worked with a great recruitment agency that they can recommend.

 

Don’t Skip the Careers Fair

Careers fairs can seem intimidating, but the key lies in the prep work. Before you go, try and pin down what it is you’re looking for. Is it work opportunities, or internships and grad schemes, networking for the future, or just to discover what kind of jobs are out there. Knowing what you’re looking for will stop you getting sucked into pointless sales pitches from the stall holders. You should also prepare a quick introduction for yourself so that conversations can get off to a smooth start without any awkwardness.

 

Keep an Open Mind

You might have a really fixed idea of what you want to do and the kind of business you want to work for, however if you speak to any successful person within business, you often hear that the route that led to their success wasn't the route they imagined! You may get an offer that you weren’t expecting or be called from a recruitment agency about an industry you hadn’t considered. Try and keep an open mind so you don’t miss out on an opportunity that could be a great first step in your career. 

 

Stay Positive

It’s hard not to take it personally when you receive a rejection, however it’s really important that you stay positive! You’re up against strong competition for every job you apply for, so it may take a little while to land that dream job that is just waiting for you!

 

We have a number of graduate vacancies, search our current jobs and find something that works for you today. 

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