Job hunting strategy

by RossK on 13 April 2012 15:40

Hi everyone, I will be graduating in July this year but wondered what your stategies are in regards to finding a graduate job? I am struggling at the moment to really focus on what I want to do and how to go about it! Thanks!

by Martha on 14 April 2012 15:25

I feel exactly the same! I've really been applying for anything I'm eligible for in the hope that someone will get back to me. I'm finding it hard to focus as I still have no idea what I want to do, just thought I'd reply to this in the hope that someones answer will help me too! Sorry for piggybacking lol

by debra on 16 April 2012 08:35

Hi,
I am in the same situation, however I do know that finding a job now is very difficult, I have some expereince on my cv too and still finding it hard.
Some people do get back to me and I've had several interviews but had no luck.
What I suggest to get to the interview stage is make sure your cv is attracting employers, so I would advise you to seek professional help such as the careers office at uni. There are many people out there who are willing to help you with your cv, you also need a good cover letter so make sure you get help with this too. If your living in London it must be much easier to find a job.
Also if you find you don't have expereince try and get some kind of voluntary work, approach businesses and ask them, you can do it once or twice a week.
Just look at your cv and ask yourself 'would you hire you?'
I hope this helps and good luck in your search.

by Vanessa on 16 April 2012 10:48

There's not really a strategy, a lot of graduates (like myself) leave uni thinking their perfect high paid role will just fall into your lap and thats it. The best thing to do is to apply for any and every job that interests you and also you have to remember your at the start of career so dont put too much pressure into finding the exact/perfect job your looking for, you dont have to be there for ever,(and you will gain/learn new things) as graduates its inportant to gain good work experince then we can afford to be more picky and choosy with our job options!
Hope this helps good luck and keep applying applying applying!

by James on 16 April 2012 11:18

Hi Ross, Martha,

It would be useful to know what course you took at uni and why.....??

For me, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do, so I took an 'academic' course (History), which would give me 'key transferrable skills' (being able to read/write, present info, be analytical, etc) that employers would want.

Fistly, my advice is to quickly establish what sector/industry you want to go in to. Once you have done this, try and get some relevant experience. This will be the only way to give you a good chance of securing that job!

With regards to strategies to finding a graduate job, to be honest your kinda doing it. Look on this website which have a graduate job search option. If you know the industry/sector you want to work for you can search/apply to specific companies, but otherwise its about finding these companies/schemes online.

Hope that helps, but will be happy to answer any queries if you have them.... :)

by KateS on 16 April 2012 17:09

Hello everyone! I agree, but I think a good way is to target SME's too which I know this site has a dedicated area for. If you find a way of tailoring your experiences to their jobs that you are interested in, then you stand a good chance. Clearly any relevant internship/placement or work experience is helpful to demonstrate this all, but if not then I would suggest to try and get some. To be honest, getting experience in something now even if it's not what you wnt to do is good as you are still gaining office experience. That's my view anyway - I did that and it seemed to have worked!

by Martha on 16 April 2012 17:10

Thanks everyone for your replies! I have decided that I might give au-pairing a go for a few months as it's free room and board and some pocket money, whilst being able to learn a language and experience a different culture. Hopefully this will bulk up my CV a bit so when I return I will look more attractive to prospective employers! For anyone else who thinks they might like to try it, I signed up with au-pair world last night and have had 20 responses this morning asking for my services! You'll be lucky to get £50 a week but from what I've heard the experience is really worth it :)

by MikeBeale on 16 April 2012 17:13

I agree KateS - worth doing! You certainly get a lot of experience, I did an internship with an SME and learnt so much!

by Martin on 04 July 2012 15:37

I just came across this forum post and wanted to say how much I agree with some of the points in here!

I have just started work with an SME (Small Medium sized Enterprises), the level of responsibility, authority and influence you can have over projects is amazing.

I would seriously recommend SMEs to anyone who isn't sure what they are!

by Shumaila on 04 July 2012 17:46

Hi all,
I did my graduation in supply chain management last year and applied for number of graduation programmes but no joy yet. I feel that the key competency questions are the major factor of choosing a candidate and that is what the graduates lack in. I would appreciate in any of you have got into graduate programme can lend some tips please

by Graeme on 06 July 2012 06:23

Hi Shumaila,

Unfortunately it is difficult to give you a defined set of tips for answering competency questions because they always come in different shapes and sizes! The best advice I can offer would be the following:

1 - Read the question carefully and understand what they are trying to get you to show in your answer.
2 - Even if you think you have come across a similar question before and already have an answer prepared be sure to double check that the answer you have really does address the question you're being asked!
3 - This is your chance to show off a wide-variety of skills and experience so try and not answer every question with reference to the same experience (ie don't answer all the questions with examples from just work or education) try to mix it up and show how you have gained experience and skills in everything you do! Remember it's not just a good education or work history companies look for, its life skills too!
4 - Try to show enthusiasm if you can in your answers that will demonstrate why you would want to work for that organisation (I appreciate this won't be possible to do every time)
5 - Many competency questions (at least at the initial application process and not interview stage(s)) will have word limits...what I found to be the best way was to type or write an answer in a separate document ignorant to the word limit and then chop it down so only the best parts remain!
6 - An this is the important one - give yourself time & prepare! Don't leave applications to the 11th hour as you won't give yourself ye best chance of succeeding! Take a note of the question and think about your answer if you need to and come back to it...most graduate schemes application processes don't work on a 1st come 1st served basis and have closing dates for a reason! So don't worry about trying to be the first to apply, just try to be the best to apply! :)

I hope this helps you! Good luck to you!

Graeme

by Sari on 09 July 2012 09:45

Hey,

I have recently completed my master in occupational psychology and one of the models was surrounding selection and assessment. We study how to score competency questions. Often interviewers use the STAR method. Which means they are look for these things in your answer:

Situation
Task
Action
Results

They often want to hear what 'You' did not what 'we' did, which is often a common mistake made.

by Hermos on 10 July 2012 18:19

Hi guys, I actually have my graduation in two days and I'm feeling really worried about my job situation.

I'm graduating with high marks in a Maths degree, but I don't have much relevant experience. I'm looking for a job in finance, ideally in accountancy (bank role would be a dream) or Actuary (any actuarial role would be a dream come true). Obviously I'm not being picky and I'd love to do any finance role, anywhere.

I've been told that my CV looks good (recruitment agencies have told me this, but I don't know what to believe). I got it looked over by someone involved in recruiting, so I'm reluctant to change it. My cover letter, however, might need tweaks here or there but I can do that no problem.

I guess what I'm asking is, how long should I realistically just be patient? How many job applications should I be doing a day? 1-2 applications a day combined with 6 months of job searching SHOULD (I hope) land me a job, but I don't know what to expect. I feel like I'm searching through the dark right now.

by Graeme on 11 July 2012 06:42

Hi,

Firstly, if you are happy with your CV and thinks it showcases your best abilities then stick with it! In regards to the covering letter, I have always found having just some basic info included is best as your CV should cover the rest. What is always good though is to tailor your coveting letter for each application to show why you have applied to that particular role and what you think you can bring to it!

Having said that, however, the types of roles you are ideally looking for will normally be gained as part of a graduate scheme. These schemes tend not to ask for a CV/covering letter but rather have competency questions in an online application process. With these I tend to suggest not up rush them as many of these schemes have closing dates and may not consider applications before this date passes! So with regards to the number of applications you should be doing, I would recommend to focus on quality instead of quantity - I appreciate that this may seem odd if you are desperately seeking employment - but it is normally better to focus on being the best to apply and not necessarily the first! Remember that employers are receiving thousands of applications for the limited roles on offer do it is better to spend time on your applications so you can try and stand out!

In terms of the timescale, in all honesty 6 months may be a bit wishful! Many employers are looking to take on grads beginning in Septembef the following year (2013) and their application processes can take months themselves!

If you stick with it and remain as determined as you seem to be then you should hopefully get the job you want...but remember even if you don't, the job you do get is not for life and will give you the experience you say you lack to give you better chances of getting your dream job in the future!

Hope this helps, and good luck!

by Peter ZIngowski on 19 July 2012 09:29

The best piece of advice I have seen so far concerning the job hunt is this:


"Most job sites enable users to apply for a position with the simple click of the mouse. But don't blindly blast your résumé to every company you come across. Hiring managers seek tailored résumés that directly tie a job seeker's unique skills and abilities to the requirements of the position. Take the extra time and effort to customize your application materials to each specific opportunity."