How To Make Yourself Employable As A Graduate/Placement Student
You've spent 2, 3, 4, sometimes 5 years at university and it's finally time to enter the world of work. You apply to a company, you get rejected, you apply elsewhere, same result, this cycle repeats itself over and over again. Time you upped your game! What I'm going to give you here is my Top 10 tips to increase your employability as a graduate/placement student!
1. Get The Basics Right - If your CV or application is littered with errors theres only one place it's going... in the trash! The first thing you can do to eliminate falling at the first hurdle is spell check it. Once you think it all looks good, get a friend or family member to check it for errors.
2. Be Original - There's thousands of graduates/placement students out there all applying for the same roles as you, what makes you and your application unique? Yes, it’s important that a CV is clear and concise, but there’s nothing to stop you from having some fun with it by using some design flair. If you’ve got a significant online following such as a blog, a website, YouTube channel which is relevant to your application, be sure to link to it in the CV.
3. Apply Early - We've all waited until the very last moment to submit something, whether it be an application, a piece of coursework, a payment, whatever! The chances are though that whenever we've submitted something at the last minute wasn't of the highest quality and this shows up massively to recruiters. In addition to this most companies close their applications well before the deadline once enough applications have been received. You don't want to be that person that missed out because they were too slow. Early bird catches the worm as the saying goes.
4. Ask For Feedback - You apply, your application gets rejected, what can you do? Learn from it! Call or email the recruiter asking for feedback, the worst they can say is no!
5. Get Relevant Experience - The fact that you worked in retail or a bar whilst studying is great, you may think it's irrelevant but this part time work often equips you with a set of skills such as customer service which are applicable to the graduate/placement roles which you are applying for. If you don't have any experience at the moment go and get some. Even if you don't plan on applying for roles yet, prepare yourself today to succeed tomorrow!
6. Find A Hobbie - Playing football, going fishing, being a keen photographer, even going to the gym will help you develop the 'soft skills' such as communication, dedication and leadership that are fundamental to success in the world of work. Having a hobbie may also give you a common interest with the recruiter which is sure to work in the your favour.
7. Do Your Research - Although recruiters are not expecting you to know everything about an organisation at the application stage, they do expect you to know the fundamentals of the business such as the market in which they operate, their competitors in the market, a brief history on the organisation i.e. when they were founded, how they've grown, their recent performance financially etc. and key personnel such as the CEO and/or founder. Most companies make this sort of information easily accessible on their websites.
8. Know Your Strengths And Your Weaknesses - Most people find it easy to talk about their strengths and having confidence is great but don't let that confidence turn into arrogance! Everyone has weaknesses in some shape or form and being able to identify and articulate your weaknesses is not something that comes naturally to most people. However, it shows great self-actualisation and a willingness to continuously improve, skills which employers see an important.
9. Stick To The Facts - Do not under any circumstances at any stage of the application process or on your CV lie about your qualifications, your skills, or your experience! You will get found out, and you are just wasting your own time and the recruiters time.
10. Ask Questions - You shouldn't think of an interview as an interrogation, obviously, they'll be assessing whether they like you but at the same time you should think of an interview as an opportunity for you to assess whether you like the organisation and a great way to do this is to ask questions during or at the end of an interview. You could maybe ask the interviewer what in their opinion is the singular best part of working for the organisation and what they believe is also the worst part of working for the organisation.
1. Get The Basics Right - If your CV or application is littered with errors theres only one place it's going... in the trash! The first thing you can do to eliminate falling at the first hurdle is spell check it. Once you think it all looks good, get a friend or family member to check it for errors.
2. Be Original - There's thousands of graduates/placement students out there all applying for the same roles as you, what makes you and your application unique? Yes, it’s important that a CV is clear and concise, but there’s nothing to stop you from having some fun with it by using some design flair. If you’ve got a significant online following such as a blog, a website, YouTube channel which is relevant to your application, be sure to link to it in the CV.
3. Apply Early - We've all waited until the very last moment to submit something, whether it be an application, a piece of coursework, a payment, whatever! The chances are though that whenever we've submitted something at the last minute wasn't of the highest quality and this shows up massively to recruiters. In addition to this most companies close their applications well before the deadline once enough applications have been received. You don't want to be that person that missed out because they were too slow. Early bird catches the worm as the saying goes.
4. Ask For Feedback - You apply, your application gets rejected, what can you do? Learn from it! Call or email the recruiter asking for feedback, the worst they can say is no!
5. Get Relevant Experience - The fact that you worked in retail or a bar whilst studying is great, you may think it's irrelevant but this part time work often equips you with a set of skills such as customer service which are applicable to the graduate/placement roles which you are applying for. If you don't have any experience at the moment go and get some. Even if you don't plan on applying for roles yet, prepare yourself today to succeed tomorrow!
6. Find A Hobbie - Playing football, going fishing, being a keen photographer, even going to the gym will help you develop the 'soft skills' such as communication, dedication and leadership that are fundamental to success in the world of work. Having a hobbie may also give you a common interest with the recruiter which is sure to work in the your favour.
7. Do Your Research - Although recruiters are not expecting you to know everything about an organisation at the application stage, they do expect you to know the fundamentals of the business such as the market in which they operate, their competitors in the market, a brief history on the organisation i.e. when they were founded, how they've grown, their recent performance financially etc. and key personnel such as the CEO and/or founder. Most companies make this sort of information easily accessible on their websites.
8. Know Your Strengths And Your Weaknesses - Most people find it easy to talk about their strengths and having confidence is great but don't let that confidence turn into arrogance! Everyone has weaknesses in some shape or form and being able to identify and articulate your weaknesses is not something that comes naturally to most people. However, it shows great self-actualisation and a willingness to continuously improve, skills which employers see an important.
9. Stick To The Facts - Do not under any circumstances at any stage of the application process or on your CV lie about your qualifications, your skills, or your experience! You will get found out, and you are just wasting your own time and the recruiters time.
10. Ask Questions - You shouldn't think of an interview as an interrogation, obviously, they'll be assessing whether they like you but at the same time you should think of an interview as an opportunity for you to assess whether you like the organisation and a great way to do this is to ask questions during or at the end of an interview. You could maybe ask the interviewer what in their opinion is the singular best part of working for the organisation and what they believe is also the worst part of working for the organisation.
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