Expert Tips for Getting a Job After You Graduate

University is a stepping stone to your future, and for some, it is something of a safety net: a few years before you have to decide what you want to do for the rest of your life (or at least, the next ten years or so!) But third year rolls around all too quickly and – unless you stay on to do a master’s – you will soon have to start the hunt for your dream job.

How to Get a Job After Graduate

Know What You Want

University degrees are excellent tools in your search for a career, and they are not as limiting as some people might think. A degree in science does not mean that you cannot work in the arts, and a degree in English literature does not preclude your moving into another – perhaps a more science-based field. Many law qualifications can be taken with an undergraduate degree. This means that even if you are doing a degree through clearing, it does not have to mean the end of your dreams – your university experience will give you so many benefits that the subject of your degree is almost immaterial. So, try to ascertain, as early as possible, what you would like to do with yourself, and begin to craft your CV in that direction as soon as possible.

Use Your Uni

Most UK universities have student guidance and careers and employability departments where students can go for in-depth chats about the future, take aptitude tests, and see if there are any partnerships between the university and companies that they might like to work for. Work-based learning modules are excellent for providing students with real-life work experience without the stress of interviews and being alone in the experience: students will have the support and advice of their tutors, the above-mentioned guidance departments, and the fact that their peers are in the same situation, which is excellent for soothing nerves and anxieties.

Start Looking Early

Depending on where you are in your university career, you should start meeting with career guidance counselors as early as the first year if you have no idea about what you would like to do with yourself. The long summer holiday between the second and third years is an ideal time for work experience, short-term jobs, or internships. This allows you to go into the third year, knowing where you are heading and able to speak to headhunters recruiters about setting up a series of interviews for when you have graduated. With luck, you will graduate with both a diploma and an employment contract in your possession!

Be Fussy

Having said the above, how do you make sure that you end up in the right place? The simple answer is to be exceedingly fussy. Intensively research your chosen career and read employee reviews. Work to a shortlist of maybe five companies that would be ideal for you to work for, and limit yourself to that list. This will allow you to tailor yourself to their specifications, so they can be equally fussy with their candidates and give you the best chance of ending up high on their positive radar.

Work Shadow

Once you have arrived at a short list of possible companies, get in touch with them and ask if you can shadow someone at work, preferably in a position that you would like to hold one day. Work shadowing essentially is what it sounds like you tag along with someone for several hours as they do the job, giving you an idea of how they manage their day, the high points, and the lows. Doing this through a university or employability program is best as it ensures that the person you are shadowing is happy to have you there and will take the time to explain things in more depth than they might otherwise be inclined to.

Network

Finally, network. The phrase might smack of the eighties, with conventions and up-selling, but networking simply means getting out there and introducing yourself to people who are in a position to guide your career, mentor you, or simply point you in the direction of an upskill that you might need to get ahead. The more people you know in the industry, the better your chances are of being brought to mind when a position opens up.