Build Your Network

Graduating from university can seem like stepping into the unknown after years of support from lecturers, tutors, and various university services. One of the best things you can do to help your transition into the professional world is to build your network.

This might include attending industry events and careers fairs in your local area or connecting with professionals on LinkedIn, lecturers, or anyone else you meet on campus.

By building a strong professional network, you make new connections, keep your skills sharp and stay abreast of industry trends and new opportunities.

Leverage Social Media

Social media can be a powerful tool in your job-hunting efforts. As the world’s largest professional platform, LinkedIn yields a wealth of opportunities, whether you use it to engage with leading figures in your chosen industry, build up an online professional presence or search for jobs directly.

On Twitter, you could research companies and job roles by following the company’s page, and the people working there or search for jobs directly through hashtags like #nowhiring, #jobsearch, or #graduatejobs.

However, with 45% of hiring managers using social media to learn more about potential candidates, it’s equally important to go through your social media accounts and remove anything that doesn’t align with the professional image you want to convey. This could include making your accounts private, deleting posts, comments, or tweets that could be considered offensive or inappropriate, and unfollowing questionable accounts.

Get Work Experience

One of the best ways to prepare for the job market after graduation is to get practical work experience. Not only is this a great way to develop your skills and explore different career options, but it could even lead to a permanent job if the company you volunteer or intern at is impressed with you.

While approaching potential employers may seem daunting, many may be impressed by someone who shows initiative and a genuine interest in their company. Alternatively, it’s worth using LinkedIn or other job platforms to research potential work experience opportunities.

Make Use of University Resources

Surprisingly, your university is one of the best places to get help and support with your job search. In particular, your university careers service will be able to provide support on almost every aspect of searching for jobs, from exploring career options to reviewing resumes.

It’s also worth looking out for careers’ fairs hosted by your university to find out more about different industries or companies, building contacts, and sharing about work experience opportunities.

Research Companies Before Applying

It can be tempting to send out as many applications in the hope that one will land you an interview, but this approach rarely works. In a competitive job market, standing out is critical, and the way to do this is by thoroughly researching the companies you’re interested in.

If the company is directly advertising, you can look at their website or Google the company to find about any industry news or events affecting its position in the market.

Tailor Your Resume

Once you’ve researched the companies you want to apply to, the next step is to tailor your resume for the specific position.This is crucial as this not only demonstrates your interest, but also enables you to present your skills and experience in a way that communicates your suitability in a way that recruiters can quickly understand. Tailoring your resume also provides interviewers pointers on what questions to ask should you progress to the next stage.

When writing your resume, it’s a good idea to have the job description at hand and highlight any keywords or phrases that the recruiter has marked as important in the duties, skills, and experience sections of the ad. You can then include these in the relevant sections of your resume, taking care to include examples of situations where you’ve demonstrated the required competencies.

Upload Your Resume to Job Sites

To increase your chances of a recruiter or a hiring manager finding you, it’s a good idea to upload your resume to job sites and LinkedIn if you have a profile there.

You may need to create a profile on the relevant platform and spend time perfecting your resume; however, the time spent will pay dividends when you start receiving calls from interested recruiters and employers.

Using resume templates can help cut down some of this time; as the design, structure, and layout are already taken care of, all you need to do is input your information in the relevant sections.

Consult Graduate Recruitment Agencies

With thousands of recruitment agencies specialized in graduate jobs, there are many benefits to using a recruitment agency. For one, they’re well-connected, meaning that your resume could potentially be forwarded to a range of employers in different sectors.

Furthermore, graduate recruitment agencies can provide tips and constructive feedback on improving your resume, cover letter, and interview style. For advice on breaking into a particular career, specialist recruitment agencies are your port of call due to their in-depth knowledge of specific industries.