Top tips for graduates seeking employment
Flickr (Saralparker): Times are hard for graduates looking for work
It is that time of year once again! Lectures are coming to an end, exams are approaching fast and… university is nearly over?
Yes it is all becoming real. Soon, many of us will be venturing out into the real world, looking for a job to pay bills and other responsibilities we thought would never come.
But how do we get a job when so many people are in the same position? Well that it where The Liverpool Student is here to help.
Similar to starting university, graduation can also be a huge transition for students. So to help prospective graduates, we have compiled some tips to help assist those of us who are about to venture out into ‘the big wide world’.
It is well documented that unemployment rates in the UK are at an all-time high due to the recession. This makes it even more important that each person makes themselves stand out from everyone else.
In the current climate, it is nigh on impossible for people to get a job just because they have a degree. Unlike past years, there is a plethora of young people boasting a degree and so this on its own is not enough to guarantee a job.
Indeed it is essential to combine your degree with relevant work experience, voluntary work and other qualifications which sets you apart from the rest. Then this must be presented in an engaging way on your CV as this is how you present yourself to employers. If your CV is not engaging, you can forget it.
It will take many drafts and sometime but once your CV is ready to go; it is time to apply for jobs. After doing the difficult part (completing your degree, doing work experience, voluntary work etc), applying for jobs is easy. There is an overabundance of job websites which assists you in looking for whatever job you are looking for.
Of course each University will be providing this advice for you. Liverpool John Moores University offers a World of Work initiative (WOW) which helps prepare people for work. This programme will help to get students CV’s up to scratch as well as helping students land work experience.
What is important is that you remain patient and remember if you get knocked back from employers, ask for feedback to learn where you went wrong. Be thick-skinned and remember, you are all special.