With Prospects
nd advice to students worrying about the next step. The site contains a wide range of directories and fer, prospects.ac.uk contains information to help you improve your CV and make sure you stand out spects Product Manager -Fateha Khalik to find out how to make the most of part-time work whilst “Graduate services at your university offer loads of advice and help and the majority of grad services are open all year round, some university’s will even offer you advice and guidance 5 years after you graduate, make the most of your careers services the help is there so go and use it! The internet is another good place to look, try prospects.ac.uk we’ve got loads of help and advice, jobs opportunities, and advice about how to fix up your CV’s and cover letters. Also, research; if there is a particular sector in which you want to work then research that sector, find out about the job market in that sector, find out what the jobs are like and find out what you can expect. See what companies are out there and write prospective letters to people who possibly aren’t recruiting but they might take you on regardless, send CV’s to companies that aren’t advertising, that might have roles that you don’t know of, put yourself out there. Most importantly; up your knowledge on a certain company this will help to put you in a better position than the other candidates.”
Great, now we are ready to start applying for graduate jobs, but what exactly are employers looking for? “Generally employers are looking for someone that is going to bring value to their company. Ask yourself what you can bring to their company. All graduates with the same degree are looking for same thing so you need to make yourself stand out, part time work can help you do this because those vital skills that you learned while working can put you one step above everyone else. Go to careers fairs and talk to employer’s face- to – face, sell yourself, try and impress them and they will remember you. But don’t just turn up, you need to go prepared, they love someone that is prepared, you need to show a keen interest in their organisation, but you really need to show how you’re different, share your passions and interests. There is a lot of competition at the moment with graduate jobs and people aren’t recruiting as much so you want to make sure that you stand out from the crowd!”
Ok, Any final tips? “Keep focussed, attend careers fairs, network and meet people, somewhere down the line you will meet someone that knows someone who can help you with that first step in your career and you will end up in a job soon enough.”
If you are struggling to find part time work then maybe you should take Fateha’s advice and change your approach to looking for a job. If you are struggling to see how your current job is going to benefit your future careers write a list of the skills your part-time working helping you to develop, remember all skills are transferrable and no skills or previous jobs should be left off your CV. If you are in your final year it is time to start looking for graduate jobs, it is time to get active with your future.
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