What one word could I use to describe finding a job after college? Tough. Speaking as someone who was a graduate not too long ago, I can tell you it isn’t easy, but there are things you can do to maximise your chances.
- Make sure your applying to the right job for you
If you know the job you want after college then that’s half the battle! I wasn’t one of those lucky people. I finished a Degree in Computing and realised then that it’s not what I wanted to do. As you could imagine, my parents were delighted to hear that after paying for me to go to college.
The last thing you want to do is get your “big break” into the big bad world and realise you signed up to something you don’t enjoy, just because it’s in the right industry. Take some time to do some research online or, better again, talk to people in the industry, and find the job that’s right for you or the path that will lead you to the job you really want down the line. That takes me to my next tip.
- Use Social Media to your advantage
Spoiler alert, it turns out social media can be used for more than just sharing pictures of your food or the “mandatory airport check-in” that lets everyone know you’re going to Spain for a week. Social Media can be a huge help in getting your career kick-started. LinkedIn was a great help to me when I graduated and hadn’t the slightest idea what to do next. As well as having a crazy amount of job advertisements to read over and find out what jobs sound interesting, it’ll give you the chance to reach out and talk to people in the industry and learn the things that you can’t read on an advertisement.
Also, having a good LinkedIn profile can do a lot of the work for you. Write a well thought out “About Me” section to tell recruiters visiting your profile about yourself and what you’re looking for. You can keep an up-to-date copy of your CV on your profile and put in as much detail on your experiences as possible.
- Your CV
All job applications will ask you to submit a CV when you apply so you probably have the one version that you send to every application you find interesting, but my advice is don’t do this! Tailor your CV to the job you’re applying to. It might be a bit of a pain tailoring your CV to every job you’re applying for but, in the long run, is it not worth the effort? I’m not saying you should make a new CV every time you’re applying to a job, I’m saying you’re CV should tell a recruiter why you’re perfect for this specific role and company!
Avoid going over the top with your CV too. I’ve seen CV’s covered in graphs, pictures and charts, followed by one line about experience and some contact details. Keep your CV simple, don’t use different fonts or lots of colours and use as much detail as you can to describe what you’ve done and what you can do. Talk about the jobs you’ve had, the projects you’ve worked on or anything else that could make an employer think you’re the right person for their job.
- Ask for help!
My last, and probably most useful, point of advice is ask for help! Reach out to recruiters and ask for their advice or any tips they might be able to give you. We know what companies are looking for and we can advise you on how your CV should look.
Searching for your next role in the IT sector? Contact myself or check out our roles HERE
