Can you apply a formula to getting a job?

After numerous interviews and a few assessment centres I have now landed a graduate job, starting two months after graduating in July. Numerous authors have put to debate how graduates can achieve that dream job. I am now one of the lucky ones, and now that I have reached the other side, I can share my thoughts and experiences on how to land the job that you want or for that matter get your first foot on the job ladder. 

As you maybe aware, I am currently approaching my final couple of months as a Surrey University undergraduate, but my campaign to secure a graduate job started a long time previous, in fact September 2009 to be precise. I had tried numerous times to secure a placement as part of my degree, an optional year out in the industry to gain crucial experience in the field of my studies. Having tried in-vane to secure a role, I began the daunting task of securing internship after internship and slowly building up experience in the fields of Social Media, Marketing and Hospitality. I felt that I had a lot to offer, but I kept being put down at the last hurdle, either because someone was better than me or they had further experience that I didn't. 

But the process of securing Internship after internship meant that I was building up much needed experience. In addition working for a notable charity such as Macmillan Cancer Support meant that I was offering services in area's which would create a good cause. Furthermore charity work on a CV is seen as a must by most employers in today's lucurative job market. Likewise I had opportunities during my placement year to do things that I wouldn't have been able to do on my placement such as set up and run my own catering business, develop blogs and publish websites for clients. I really found that the year was a tremendous success and felt that I had got enough experience under my belt to secure a graduate job.

A further 9 months after finishing my placement year I have now been offered a role with a leading wholesaler in the hospitality industry, amongst other offers I felt this job represented a real achievement for my successes in the past and further may lead to new openings in the future. The following shows the key tips on how to succeed in the job market, having gone through a lot to secure a job I believe I am well positioned to show you the secrets of getting that dream job.

• Use your initiative - Among other things on my irregular placement year, I showed good use of my initiative when I set up and ran my own drinks catering service. I carefully managed the brand, including promotional work and also was capable of securing person ell for bigger events which I could not manage on my own. Today more than ever graduate's need to show good use of initiative taking something and making it better or starting your own business is only going to add to your array of skills.

• Networking - Believe it or not, I didn't think much of networking when I was applying for placement applications, I am regretting that now though. Who ever you are, what ever you know there will be someone out there that will share the same knowledge and idea's, you connect to them and future opportunities may arise. Networking is seen as a fundamental new approach in the work place, but it should be utilised more so now, post recession. I am heavy user of social networking sites such as LinkedIn and Twitter these not only allow me to gain new connections but also expand my horizons on subjects that I may not have had opportunities to develop in the past. 

• Act Professional - gone are the days of University being about the late night antics and the two days recovery period and maybe turning up to a couple of lectures. Your university degree means something and with a £9,000 a year burden resting on your shoulders the time to act professional is now. Creating business cards, developing your own corporate website will only strengthen your on-line presence and make you become more noticed. 

• Utilise the recruitment websites - What is familiar about the jobs that myself and my colleagues have all got is that they were mostly through recruitment sites. Peoples perception of these sites are strange, with many criticising there usefulness, I was one of these before when it was common for me to receive job notifications for jobs which weren't entirely related to my degree. The perception now is completely different, recruitment consultants will take your CV and give it a make over, provide you with the excellence and professionalism to make you get that job. It must be said that these people often know what they are talking about and therefore should not be disregarded. 

• Be resilient - You may have got rejected from one or two jobs, you may feel that your are the exact match for that role and no one else could have beaten you. Graduates especially, need to learn that even if you have the skills sometimes you fail. The best graduates are the ones that can pick themselves up and brush themselves down, the more you learn the more you will gain and this has never been more true in my search for a job.

Although this is isn't a formula it is certainly advice from someone who has got to the other-side of the river. It shows that determination, professionalism and a great deal of courage is needed, but there is light at the end of the tunnel and graduates need to learn that there will be times when it is tough, but you will get there eventually. You do your degree for a reason, those who show there initiative and show they have learnt from their mistakes will most likely be rewarded in the future.

Are you a future graduate? Looking for your next career move after you graduation? Leave a comment and I will try to get back to you as soon as possible.

Persistent Pays | Persistent Pays off in the End

Typical Scenario: You have just submitted an application, you have spent ages attempting and filling out the questions and it’s been two weeks and you haven’t heard anything? They said they would get back to you in ten working days but this is clearly not the case.

What do you do? Sit back and wait for them to contact you? NO that will only leave you pondering where your application has gone. Should you Call, Email a follow up to your application? YES, you have got your foot in the door its time to widen that door now and follow up your application.

The key here is that persistence pays off in the end. By following up your application with an email or phone call, reiterating your interest in working for Insert Company then this could be beneficial to support your application.

A typical follow up response could be as highlighted here:

Dear Mr. James,

I submitted a letter of application and a resume earlier this month for the programmer position advertised in the Times Union. To date, I have not heard from your office. I would like to confirm receipt of my application and reiterate my interest in the job.

I am very interested in working at XYZ Company and I believe my skills and experience would be an ideal match for this position.

If necessary, I would be glad to resend my application materials or to provide any further information you might need regarding my candidacy. I can be reached at (555)555-5555 or jdoe@abcd.com. I look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you for your consideration.

Following up your application with an enquiry also means you are catching the employer unaware, this could mean they have been slow to react to your application and actually they should pick their feet up and review your application. Employers love candidates to catch them unaware, it also shows your are persistent and you want to reiterate your interest and that you are still very much interested in working for the company you applied in the first place.

Moreover the phrase 'If you don’t ask you don’t get' is never more so true in this scenario, the ability to follow up your application with an email enquiring about the status is much as important as submitting it. You want your employer to know about you, you want to work for this organisation not that they want you to work for their organisation.

Graduate Schemes or Jobs or a mixture of both?

My friend recently attended an assessment interview for a finance leadership graduate scheme. When he got there he was startled to find out that the company had over 30,000 applications for all graduate positions within the company he was applying too.

This statistic proves that it is increasingly difficult for perspective graduates to get their foot on the career ladder.

I am in the process of submitting applications for graduate programmes, although this is still my main focus; I am applying speculatively to other companies too, just because they don’t have vacancies on their website, doesn’t mean they don’t have vacancies at all. In some cases they will have vacancies and want people to fill.

Furthermore there are loads of companies out there who don’t have graduate schemes, but have vacancies for jobs instead. Yes graduate schemes are impressive and if you are fortunate to land yourself on one then congratulations, but what’s really the difference between a normal jobs in the industry, than a graduate job? They both still pay equivalent or near enough the same amount. They both allow you to progress within the company.

It seems every article these days in the media is centered on how many graduate jobs there out there for prespective graduates. What is a reality however is that you are probably better off just applying for a normal job in the industry such as a sales executive, marketing executive. These roles aren’t specifically graduate jobs, but the process in which you apply for these may be shorter and may lead you to less competition with other prespective graduates all in the same position as you.

Moreover I am concentrating on finishing my degree. Your degree is one of the most important elements, without a good degree these days you will find it difficult to get on the career ladder. Whilst graduate programmes are important and after you graduate you want to be able to work in several big organisations, the foremost and most important element should be your degree.