It is a well known fact that many graduates are clueless about finding a job upon graduating. I am going to tell you about my journey as graduate and how to go about finding the right career path for you.
Firstly, I believe the classic mistake that many graduates and myself have made is not researching and applying for jobs earlier. Ideally, you should be applying for jobs in your second year of Undergraduate studies as well as looking to gain some valuable work experience.
I, like many others attended the Careers Fairs and went away completely clueless as to what I wanted to to. I was presented with an abundance of career paths from Teaching to Civil Service none of which appealed to me. However, I feel that the best path to take is the not so obvious one - do your own thing. Upon graduating, I decided that I was going to gain some work experience to add my scant looking CV to stand out from the crowd. I needed some experience and did not know how to go about getting it.
The most obvious thing to do is to sign up with a recruitment agency. However, I soon discovered that I knew very little about the Recruitment game. Agencies need to be able to sell you to a prospective employer and that means you need experience to begin with - catch 22. They also invite you in to register with the promise of finding you work. This is not always the case either, most of the time they just want you on their books.
So what can you do? Well, you can try your searching your university careers website for jobs available. Often, it is full of opportunities waiting to be snapped up. If you are looking to start you career in London, you might want to try the Careers Group website or the University of the Arts website. These sites are full of full-time, part-time and contract opportunities. Many of the jobs are for students and graduates looking to gain some experience. You could also try the Gumtree which often has many internship opportunities which could provide you with that extra boost to your CV that you are looking for. Many internships are advertised by start-up companies looking for up-and-coming talent. Often, they are unpaid but they do sometimes refund your travel expenses and provide you with lunch. Not only that but internships can also sometimes lead to a permanent position within the company.
It would be a good idea to take any job just to get your foot through the door of a company, so reception cover or general admin are good places to start. Try registering with some of the big city recruitment agencies as they more likely to have entry level positions requiring little experience or temp to perm roles.
I took a really degrading low-paying job and stuck it out for six months in order to put something on my CV as I had no idea how to go about finding a good job. However, I do not think that taking just anything is always the best answer as it really did not do my self-esteem much good but it was not forever and I was able to market myself to agencies thereafterI believe that graduates in the same position need to get into the frame of mind that "there is no job beneath me" and that "it is not the job you do but how you do it". Be prepare to muck in, be helpful and enthusiastic. This is the kind of attitude that employers are looking for and will win you that much needed work experience. You could find that your efforts are noted and you are fast tracked to another position within the company. A salary increase is sure to follow.
If you are unsure about what you want to do and have no direction, then travel or further study could be an option. Travelling could allow you to gain some perspective and relieve any pressures you may have such as student loan repayments and property ladder worries; further study could improve your chances if you are experiencing set-backs when applying for jobs in specific areas. These options are not always time wasting. In fact, refreshing your skills and knowledge with a short course could actually give you some direction and help you CV stand out from the crowd. Why not try City Lite which offers a rage of part-time courses for adults or StudyLink.
Since graduating, I have had numerous jobs in different industries but have not had a permanent job. However, contracting and temping has allowed me to gain some really good skills and has given me better confidence in the workplace. I think the best thing to do is to make sure that each assignment you take on allows you to gain a new skill and develop the ones you already have. My first temp assignment was as a Web Researcher and from here I moved into Online Marketing and Content Management. Just from matching my skill-set to jobs, my career choices broadened and I was able to pinpoint my strengths and weaknesses and what I liked and disliked about certain jobs. From here I was able to narrow down the kinds of jobs I wanted when searching for jobs to apply to. I was also able to search for more industry-specific jobs which I previously had no idea were out there.
My advice to graduates out there is to be patient and take the time to develop new skills as it all pays off in the end. As soon as you walk into the workplace it is obvious whether you are experienced or not. Finding the right job takes time and you should not expect to walk into a good, well-paying job immediately after graduating. It is getting the right amount of experience that counts.
