Times are tough for job-seeking grads out there. There’s lots of them around, with thousands more being unleashed onto the market every summer. Which means it’s natural that you might feel a slump in direction whilst you scramble to get your post-uni life together. Are you to blame?
The short answer is yes and no. To quote Karl Marx, a man now back in vogue thanks to the global recession after an awkward period in the 20th century, “Men make their own history, but they do not make it just as they please; they do not make it under circumstances chosen by themselves”. While statistically, it’s true that there are currently more graduates than graduate jobs, this isn’t a reason to be defeatist; whilst statistics and circumstances dictate the proportions of employed and unemployed, it’s you as an individual that dictates where you fall on this spectrum. Let’s take a look at a couple of things you can do to help your chances of rising to the top:
Know your CVs
Having a well-honed CV for the job you want is the first step – it’s the first impression you’ll get to make with most employers. You don’t need to restrict yourself to just one CV, as different structures and content will suit different jobs. There’s the standard chronologically-based CV, but for more demanding or target-based roles, you can rearrange it into one that emphasizes your skills and achievements, subdivided into the type of skill in question and backed up with short, concise examples. Ideally, you should have two or three generic CVs ready to go that you can tailor towards the job ad in question.
Bespoke Your Applications
A common mistake job hunters make is to apply for everything and anything they can, and see what they can reel in. There’s nothing wrong with casting a wide net, but a lot of the time one specific, considered and researched covering letter can be as effective as a dozen generic applications.
You should look for the keywords in the job advert you’re responding to, and integrate them into your CV and letter – lots of busier companies scan for these words electronically to whittle down their batch of applicants before they get to reading anything, so this is an important step.
Cover your tracks
If your CV and covering letter makes it through the shortlisting stage, employers and recruiters will most likely look you up online before asking you in for an interview. Think of your online presence as your personal brand that you have to manage – you can’t control everything that’s out there, but you can definitely put the right impression across. Employers will think of you as unprofessional if your Facebook profile is all debauched partying, or your twitter account all catty jibes at minor celebrities. If these apply to you, then either a less obvious name or a touch of online spring-cleaning is in order.
Are you experienced?
It’s a classic catch 22 that employers want people who are experienced, and the best way to get experience is to get a job. Except that you can’t, because they already gave that job to some other guy with more experience.
In this case, it’s time to start thinking about the work you could be doing to increase your employability. Even if you’re no longer a student, it’s not too late to think about internships you could take in your industry of choice to build up some working knowledge, improve your writing skills with sites like GKBCInc or undertake voluntary work of other sorts to demonstrate a work ethic. You don’t need to think of it as working for no money – it’s an investment of time and effort you’re making into yourself and in building a CV that’ll fit the roles you want.
These are just a few tips to get you started. If you’re trying and failing to get interviews, go through these tips and ask yourselves again, are you doing enough? Do you have any other tips? We’d love to hear them, so why not drop us a comment?
Edward Hitchman is a writer and blogger for GKBC, with an impeccable record of turning up to desk jobs at the contractually mandated time, typing things and then leaving exactly one minute early.
Be First to Comment