Top Tips for Finding a Job after University

Are you a recent graduate struggling to find a job after university? Fear not! We’ve got just the thing to help you, we’ve put together these top tips to help you find your ideal role after university.

Decide your career path
This is not the time to be vague, it's time to make affirmative decisions and stick to them! Employers don’t want to see ambiguous applications and CVs so you need to decide and focus. Your applications need to look like you know what you want and that you’re willing to work hard to get what you want. When deciding which path to take, it’s wise to match your career with the skills, knowledge and experience you already have, so you’ll be developing your skills instead of trying to learn a whole new field.

Every job is a stepping stone
Don’t think that your first job straight out of university is going to determine your career and your future. It may be in a different field to what you want to do but it’s all valuable experience. The skills and experience you’ll learn from that role will be a stepping stone to the next move in your career.

Experience counts for everything
Start building your CV while you're at university! Gaining experience throughout your years of study will look amazing on your CV and will make you very attractive to potential employers. Find internships to do in the summer months, volunteer when you have the time and try and do some part time work in your field of interest! Speaking from an employer’s point of view, we’d rather see that you’ve built work experience, than see a masters on your application. A masters won’t make you more or less employable.

Networking
Networking can play a vital role in helping you find your dream job. Attend job fairs and employment fairs and speak to as many people as you can to get an idea of what employers can offer you. This will give you a better understanding of what you want to do. Speaking with employers and making a good first impression could help you get your foot in the door, after all these days it’s all about who you know, not what you know!

Don’t panic
You have at least 50 years to build your career! Daunting it's put like that isn’t it!? You have 50 years to build your career to reach your dream job and achieve your goals, so don’t worry if you’ve just left university and you’re not in the job you originally planned to be in. It’s inevitable you’re not going to get the first job you apply for but don’t let this dishearten you. Staying positive is key to your success! You will get there eventually but don’t expect everything to happen instantly.