This is a scary time to be new to the job market. So what should you do if you’re out hunting for your first job right now?
Patience is going to be key. There are going to be a lot of applicants out there for each open job and securing a job won’t be easy. But there are several things you can do to throughout the process that will demonstrate your character and make you a more appealing candidate.
How to kick-start your job search as a fresh graduate
With graduation season coming up, some of you might be
overwhelmed with the ‘job search’ process that will eventually secure you your
first role out of school. Here are some pointers from first-hand experience (I
was a graduate not so long ago) on how you should approach your search for a job.
1. Make your professional CV
Being a fresh graduate is exciting and scary at the same
time. I remember when I first graduated there was a conflict of different
emotions. On one hand I was worried that I was not able to live up to
expectations, and on the other I felt that if companies would provide me with
an opportunity - I would be willing and able to learn fast. The way that
prospective employers see us is quite similar to how we feel - a fresh graduate
with both a lot of potential but not a massive amount of experience. Therefore
when building your graduate CV, keep these few points in mind.
Highlight any internship experience, with your job title,
position and 4-5 pointers on your job scope. Keep it simple. Try to avoid an
overload of pictures/fancy formatting. Simple is classy and easier to
understand. The easier it is to understand your CV, the faster the recruiter is
able to assess what value you can bring to your new company.
A common question when creating your CV is whether you
should include your picture – this comes down to the culture of the
country/region you are applying in, industry and job type. Do some research and
ask a recruiter if adding an image of yourself will add value to your profile.
2. Create a LinkedIn profile
A LinkedIn profile will definitely promote your
visibility to prospective employers and will allow you to connect with
different decision makers throughout the company you wish to land a role in.
Upload a professional profile picture (no selfies by the pool please) and once
again state any relevant internship or volunteer experience on your profile.
Look through a few job adverts for positions you are interested in and identify
a few key words to incorporate into your profile. This will make it easier for
your profile to appear when companies or recruiters conduct their LinkedIn
search for candidates to fill roles they are recruiting for.
Once you have created your LinkedIn profile and have been
active for say 1-2 months on the social media network, check out your Social Selling Index score on LinkedIn. The
score composes of four indexes and gives a good benchmark of your profile
against your peers within the industry based on how well you manage your
‘presence’ on the site.
Here are three things you must do to maintain a consistently
high SSI score:
- Establish
your professional brand – The ‘completeness’ of your LinkedIn
profile. Have you included a profile picture and stated the name of the
university you attended?
- Engage
with insights – How often do you interact with social posts from
people within your industry?
- Build
relationships – Are you connecting with the right people from
your industry and who will be able to make a decision on whether you get
hired or not?
3. Build connections
Make sure you attend as many career fairs as possible and
speak with exhibitors in attendance, regardless of whether you would want to
work for them or not. They will be able to provide you with helpful career
advice and tips that you can take in and apply where appropriate. Just after I
graduated, I made sure that I attended every single career fair physically
possible just so that I could widen my network and the advice I received has
been instrumental to my career so far.
Aside from attending career fairs, make sure you create an online account with any one of the leading
recruitment agencies. You will be able to register
for ‘job alerts’ and keep up to date with the latest news and trends in the
sectors that interest you. You should also consider finding an industry
mentor who will be able to advise on the type of positions available
within your preferred industry and is another outlet in which to attain
valuable job searching tips and advice.
4. Do not apply for every single job you see
This is a common mistake for fresh graduates. High visibility = more
opportunities, right? Unfortunately this is not the best way to go about
obtaining your first graduate job. When companies or recruiters see the same
profile over and over again for different positions that has no correlation to the
skill set they are looking for, it hints that the candidate did not bother
vetting through the roles properly and that they were just trying
their luck. Not the best impression to give your potential employer.
Instead, refine your CV to every role that you are
applying for to keep it relevant.
5. Be flexible on opportunities
The advantage of just graduating is that you have the time
to try out different things. Be open to a contract position to learn and develop new
skill sets that can benefit you in the future. Don’t be afraid to apply for
internships after you have graduated as this could potentially connect you with
people in the company you are applying to. Just be open and keep a constant
lookout for opportunities in all forms.
6. Know what you want
Don’t jump at the first opportunity that is offered to you.
According to LinkedIn, one of the top reasons why millennials
leave their job is due to a lack of career progression opportunities and
unsatisfactory compensation and company benefits follows closely after. Fully
understand what is offered in the opportunity which you might regret later. Be
open to both permanent and temporary positions as long as it offers a learning
opportunity. At this stage it is still very much about figuring out what you
would like to do in your life as a career. When I received my first offers of
employment, I made sure to request for more information from the companies
offering me a role. Monetary rewards are important but growth potential and career prospects are
equally vital in the long run.
7. Understanding the job search process
It is very rare that fresh graduates will be able to secure
a role on their first application. According to surveys, there has been a decrease in percentage of fresh
graduates landing a permanent full-time job within six months of graduation.
Have patience, browse job boards frequently and keep trying. I remembered that
I sent around ten CVs, got invited for three first round interviews and
went through a three-month long interview process before deciding on a career
with Hays. As I mentioned, you can also seek help from a professional recruitment consultant for advice
on interview tips or any other ways you can improve your chances of obtaining a
new job.
Patience is key, don’t get disheartened or give up.