JOB HUNTING
Newsflash! Money doesn’t grow on trees!
Unless you were born with a silver spoon up your nose, chances are, you’re going to have work for your wedge. Get used to it. But first you need a job. Something that, preferably, doesn’t involve you saying “do you want fries with that?” First, think about your skills and interests. It sounds naff, we know, but there’s no point slinging burgers if you’re a vegetarian or working at The Gap when you’re a goth. And nevermind that, what about once you’ve graduated? What are you going to do with that expensive degree and all the handy education you picked up? Once you’ve identified your interests or a career path—no matter how gravelly or long that path may be—start by looking at which companies are leaders in their field. Ring up and identify whom within the company you need to speak with or mail your CV to. Then, think carefully about why you want to join them, how you’d fit in, what skills you can offer them, and then research the organization.
But first, here’s a quick plan of attack: n Be brief in your cover letters. Nuff said. n
Think carefully about the job ad—read between the lines and consider what other skills may be required. Then address these in your research and preparation.
n Most large companies have a human
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resources department that has a handle on all positions available. Call them first or find out who specifically within the company you need to talk to. But be on guard: people may sneakily interview over the phone so don’t get caught out.
“There are lots of possibilities out there, you just need to decide which to go after.” n Use the right words for the job…make sure you’re familiar with the necessary lingo and technology terms. n Be professional. Try to curb your use of slang, ummm’s and uh’s and yeahs. In other words, fake it. n
Keep a list of all the companies you have contacted, with the dates you’ve mailed out CVs or the names of the people (and their titles) who you spoke with and then…
n Follow up! Don’t trust anyone to get back to you. Hassle them after 1-2 weeks. But hassle them politely or risk
appearing desperate. Treat it like a date and play it cool but persistent.
n
If you apply via the Web, ensure that all your contact details are correct, that you have a working email addy that you can check regularly and that you have attached all CVs properly and in a simple file type, such as Word or embed it in the actual email. Just make sure it looks okay. Some formatting comes out all screwy at the other end, so to be sure, try emailing it to a friend to double check. Oh, and avoid special characters like quotation marks. They tend to go all wonky.
And if that’s not enough to consider, you’ll also have to think about what type of work you want to do. Casual or part-time, temping, volunteer, teaching English in a foreign country, overseas placements or work experience here in the UK are all options. Think about how much time you can spare, what you want to gain from the job, whether it’s for short or long term, if you want to do it here or overseas and if it fits in with your chosen career. Then go check out all the options. There are lots of possibilities out there, you just need to decide which to go after.
, Then go get ‘em tiger.