Whether you’re a student or recent graduate, a designer or developer, it can be hard to break into the web industry. Rachel Shillcock shares her top tips on making your mark
This article first appeared in issue 222 of .net magazine - the world's best-selling magazine for web designers and developers.
When I was about eight years old I wanted to be a vet. Then I wanted to be a superstar or a princess. While I flitted from one fantasy job to another, my mum always reminded me to have proper plans in place. At the time, I didn’t pay much attention, but her advice started to make more sense when I tried to get my first job after graduating with a HND.
Anyone starting out in the industry should be able to relate, and will know one thing – it’s harder to get a job than you first thought! There’s only so much an education can give you. Often, it doesn’t provide you with the right skills to enter the workplace. Entering the ‘real world’ can be difficult – not knowing where to start and being in an oversaturated industry like ours, it’s almost impossible to stand out from the crowd. It’s important to remember, though, that you won’t just ‘make it’. As clichéd as it may sound, to succeed takes more hard work and dedication than you could ever imagine.
Do the groundwork
Your portfolio is the most important asset you’ll have. Think of it as your magic weapon. But, of course, a selection of brilliant pieces doesn’t just appear. You have to graft to get it. Find as much work experience as you can. Do placements at as many agencies as possible, work for charities and – although it can be difficult – offer to do some unpaid projects for exposure.
The more experience you can get, the more your portfolio will expand. But it’s not just about the work. After all, what good is a project if nobody knows about it? In this day and age, it’s hugely important to create an online presence too. Having a website is almost a matter of course for designers nowadays, so it’s important to have somewhere online that you can present your work. If you don’t, you could be missing out on catching that amazing assignment or job offer.
An online presence doesn’t just stretch to a website, though. Use social networking to your advantage as well. Talk to and interact with people, post about your work and then chat a little more. At the same time, it’s important to find the specific social channel that works for you.
I started using Twitter in February 2009 and I now have more than 1,600 followers. Some of the time I wonder why people would want to see me discuss web design, photography, WordPress and coding among more selective subjects such as cute animals and how I always manage to pick the wrong clothing for a terribly wet day. Over the years, though, I’ve realised that it’s not always what you tweet about, it’s how you use the tool. I take the time to respond to everybody who sends me a message and I get to know my followers. It’s these important touches that will get you noticed – and remembered.
Get networking
But social networking doesn’t just mean getting as many followers, messages or ‘Likes’ as possible. When entering the industry, you need to be raising awareness of yourself and your work, and creating as many contacts as possible. Talk to people that you would only have dreamed of talking to before. I did the same and I’m now lucky enough to be able to call some of them friends.
As important as social networking is, it’s crucial not to hide behind the computer. As a graduate or student you should be full of enthusiasm, and let it show. Network at as many local events or conferences as possible. If you’re anything like me, I can guarantee you that it will absolutely terrify you at first. But the more you open yourself up to new experiences, the more likely you are to be able to make a name for yourself and get noticed.
The most important thing I can tell you, though, is this: love what you do. Pour everything you are into it and, eventually, you’ll be great.
http://www.netmagazine.com/opinions/how-get-your-first-job?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+net%2Ftopstories+%28.net+%29&utm_content=Google+Reader
Friday, 10 February 2012
How do I: Write the perfect CV?
It may translate as "course of life" but that doesn't mean your curriculum vitae should give an exhaustive summary of every aspect of your life including pages of interests, hobbies, irrelevant qualifications and every odd job you've undertaken since you were 11.
A survey by Careerbuilder.co.uk recently found that nearly one-third of British employers said they spend one minute or less reviewing a CV, so make it short and sharp, ideally no more than two pages long.
If the job is skills-based, consider a functional CV that lists your talents and qualifications first and includes job history nearer the end, detailing dates, positions and career achievements.
After your name and contact details, include a skills profile of two or three sentences in which you explain why you are right for the role. If you get this right, employers will read on to your biographical information below.
"It's crucial to make sure each and every CV you send off is relevant for the job you are applying for," says Corinne Mills, managing director of Personal Career Management and author of You're Hired! How to Write a Brilliant CV. "Do you homework and tailor each application accordingly."
"Nine out of 10 CVs I see have spelling errors or sentences that don't make sense," Mills says. "So make sure you get someone you trust to proofread yours for you. The easiest way to fail the paper sift is to misspell something in your opening paragraph."
And be sure to use plain text rather than any fancy fonts, layouts or formats in your document. Mills explains: "Most large employers and recruitment agencies use databases to automatically read CVs and if you get too creative with its format your attempt will fall at the first hurdle."
Likewise don't start your CV with the heading "curriculum vitae" as some software packages will read this as your name. "Start with your name and don't list your age or marital status. It's old-fashioned and will make your application look dated," Mills says.
http://www.independent.co.uk/student/career-planning/getting-job/how-do-i-write-the-perfect-cv-6263269.html
How do I: Make the perfect presentation?
You don't have to be Apple CEO Tim Cook to blow people away with a presentation:
"Make sure you know what you are talking about," says Corrine Mills, managing director of Personal Career Management. "Otherwise you will be at the mercy of those who either know more than you or can sense your uncertainty."
"Decide on the key message you want to convey," adds Mills, who is also the author of Career Coach. "What do you want your audience to be thinking about or doing differently as a result of your presentation? Tailor your slides accordingly."
Don't jump straight to your computer, though. Make a simple paper design with your objective and notes on what you want each slide to say.
For most presentations, PowerPoint or another basic presentation program will be suitable, but if you want to wow your audience, consider a content-rich program such as Prezi (prezi.com).
Prezi is entirely Flash-based and lets you break away from the slide-by-slide approach to create non-linear presentations where you can zoom in and out of visual maps containing words, links, images and videos
But don't get carried away with the technology. Knowing what to leave out is crucial. What is not on a slide is just as important as what is.
"Remember to double check your technology to avoid an embarrassing glitch," says Mills. "And bring a back-up copy on a disk or USB stick."
Be professional on the day. How you carry yourself is crucial, explains Mills. "I once sat through a presentation where the presenter brought a Tesco carrier bag full of shopping and sat clutching it on her lap the whole time."
http://www.independent.co.uk/student/career-planning/getting-job/how-do-i-make-the-perfect-presentation-6294577.html
"Make sure you know what you are talking about," says Corrine Mills, managing director of Personal Career Management. "Otherwise you will be at the mercy of those who either know more than you or can sense your uncertainty."
"Decide on the key message you want to convey," adds Mills, who is also the author of Career Coach. "What do you want your audience to be thinking about or doing differently as a result of your presentation? Tailor your slides accordingly."
Don't jump straight to your computer, though. Make a simple paper design with your objective and notes on what you want each slide to say.
For most presentations, PowerPoint or another basic presentation program will be suitable, but if you want to wow your audience, consider a content-rich program such as Prezi (prezi.com).
Prezi is entirely Flash-based and lets you break away from the slide-by-slide approach to create non-linear presentations where you can zoom in and out of visual maps containing words, links, images and videos
But don't get carried away with the technology. Knowing what to leave out is crucial. What is not on a slide is just as important as what is.
"Remember to double check your technology to avoid an embarrassing glitch," says Mills. "And bring a back-up copy on a disk or USB stick."
Be professional on the day. How you carry yourself is crucial, explains Mills. "I once sat through a presentation where the presenter brought a Tesco carrier bag full of shopping and sat clutching it on her lap the whole time."
http://www.independent.co.uk/student/career-planning/getting-job/how-do-i-make-the-perfect-presentation-6294577.html
Jobseekers jump ahead with work experience
A degree may show you know your theory, but experience in the workplace goes a long way to getting an employer to offer you a job
Not all advertising agency directors care whether their employees have been to university or not, just as long as they have talent. "Some of the best creatives in town were previously brickies or supermarket managers," claims Rob Fletcher, a creative partner at Isobel Advertising, an agency that offers an ongoing intern and placement programme. As it happens, most candidates knocking on his door are, in fact, graduates. "Usually with the word 'media' somewhere in their degree," he says. "But I've never asked to see any qualifications. We look for an eagerness and love for our industry; this can't be taught. If you're good, you will not leave."
Yet opportunities such as these are just what graduates need, say recruiters and universities, to toil at the coalface, have direct contact with clients and benefit from informal but effective training and mentoring from senior staff. Smaller companies, with placements and hands-on training, are an excellent place for graduates to start out.
This is all the more relevant when you consider the intense competition among Britain's leading employers. Applications for graduate jobs with the UK's top 100 "most prestigious graduate employers" have risen by 19 per cent for the 2011/12 recruitment round so far, according to The Graduate Market in 2012, a report published on 11 January by market analysts High Fliers Research. And graduates who have no work experience, even if they have top degrees, are unlikely to land a job with bigger employers, says High Fliers.
"They say you don't really learn to drive until you've passed your test," says Fletcher. "[Graduates] need to get out of the comfy confines of education and get a sense of what is really happening."
Last year, he hired a creative duo fresh out of their advertising design degree from the University of Salford. Spending time with the agency on a short placement, the pair helped win a client pitch in 2011. "At uni, you are always working to please the tutor and examiners, whereas in industry you are working to please clients and the creative director – and they're looking for different things," say Sam Mosley and Sarah Mullen, 24 and 23 respectively. "You might feel overwhelmed in a bigger agency; we've had really good mentors and got to be hands on with everything going – it's been a brilliant experience."
While the subject of unpaid internships remains contentious – they favour people from wealthier homes – they are worth it if you can afford it, says Soraya Pugh, head of graduate recruitment at Freshminds Talent. "I wouldn't recommend going somewhere just to fetch coffee and photocopy. A fantastic placement, even if it's unpaid, can do so much for you in the future." She is often asked for graduates who are "office and client-ready", possessing relevant IT skills and the emotional maturity to cope with colleagues, clients, not to mention the demands of a working week.
"Working 40 hours-plus in a work environment is very different from doing the 15 or so they might do at uni, and employers know this," says Simon Dolan, author of How To Make Millions Without a Degree, who has built a multi-million pound business empire despite having been thrown out of school at 16 with virtually no qualifications. He says graduates lack commercial acumen and the "humbleness to realise they will have to start at the bottom".
He advises job seekers to bypass university altogether. "Go and work in the industry. Maybe it won't be doing the job that you ultimately want but just being around, meeting people and absorbing what makes the business tick is a great way in."
Despite fierce competition, there is some good news – there will be more graduate opportunities in engineering, industry, IT and telecommunications, the High Fliers report says. And Pugh sees no evidence of graduate training budgets being cut. "In fact, there's a real emphasis on training and retaining good-calibre employees," she says. She recommends that graduates approach directors of start-ups and smaller companies directly for placements and employment. "The biggest mistake graduates make is not selling themselves directly to the company but talking instead about their needs. It's better to identify what the company needs and spelling out how you might help."
Switched-on universities and employers are responding to graduate needs for work experience with a range of innovative initiatives. Lancaster University Management School (LUMS) has set up a programme that mimics a nine-to-five working week before students undertake a one-year placement. Brunel Business School offers graduates free courses in practical skills, such as accounting systems. A new undergraduate and postgraduate programme at the London School of Business and Finance, the Trium programme, guarantees students a full-time, graduate-level position within six months of graduation. And the Arts University College at Bournemouth has partnered with visual effects company Framestore to open a studio on campus, which employs around 26 college graduates. City & Guilds offers more than 500 vocational qualifications, plenty of them relevant for graduates.
Wise students grasp the opportunity during their degree to find even casual work that will equip them with useful skills. Humaira Razzaq, a media and communications student at Birmingham City University, works as a brand ambassador for accommodationforstudents.com (AFS), a search engine that trains students for marketing roles. "It's taught me a lot about sales and marketing and social media, which has really increased my confidence in approaching people professionally," he says. AFS currently operates in 10 major universities and plans to expand to 25 next year.
While applications for postgraduate qualifications have been soaring in recent years, many smaller employers say that they simply want to have some sort of proof that graduates know what hard work is. As one director of a major conference centre says: "When hiring, I look for things such as whether they have survived a Reading festival or worked a ski season. That's enough proof of endurance, managing budgets and organisation."
http://www.independent.co.uk/student/postgraduate/mbas-guide/jobseekers-jump-ahead-with-work-experience-6294169.html
Not all advertising agency directors care whether their employees have been to university or not, just as long as they have talent. "Some of the best creatives in town were previously brickies or supermarket managers," claims Rob Fletcher, a creative partner at Isobel Advertising, an agency that offers an ongoing intern and placement programme. As it happens, most candidates knocking on his door are, in fact, graduates. "Usually with the word 'media' somewhere in their degree," he says. "But I've never asked to see any qualifications. We look for an eagerness and love for our industry; this can't be taught. If you're good, you will not leave."
Yet opportunities such as these are just what graduates need, say recruiters and universities, to toil at the coalface, have direct contact with clients and benefit from informal but effective training and mentoring from senior staff. Smaller companies, with placements and hands-on training, are an excellent place for graduates to start out.
This is all the more relevant when you consider the intense competition among Britain's leading employers. Applications for graduate jobs with the UK's top 100 "most prestigious graduate employers" have risen by 19 per cent for the 2011/12 recruitment round so far, according to The Graduate Market in 2012, a report published on 11 January by market analysts High Fliers Research. And graduates who have no work experience, even if they have top degrees, are unlikely to land a job with bigger employers, says High Fliers.
"They say you don't really learn to drive until you've passed your test," says Fletcher. "[Graduates] need to get out of the comfy confines of education and get a sense of what is really happening."
Last year, he hired a creative duo fresh out of their advertising design degree from the University of Salford. Spending time with the agency on a short placement, the pair helped win a client pitch in 2011. "At uni, you are always working to please the tutor and examiners, whereas in industry you are working to please clients and the creative director – and they're looking for different things," say Sam Mosley and Sarah Mullen, 24 and 23 respectively. "You might feel overwhelmed in a bigger agency; we've had really good mentors and got to be hands on with everything going – it's been a brilliant experience."
While the subject of unpaid internships remains contentious – they favour people from wealthier homes – they are worth it if you can afford it, says Soraya Pugh, head of graduate recruitment at Freshminds Talent. "I wouldn't recommend going somewhere just to fetch coffee and photocopy. A fantastic placement, even if it's unpaid, can do so much for you in the future." She is often asked for graduates who are "office and client-ready", possessing relevant IT skills and the emotional maturity to cope with colleagues, clients, not to mention the demands of a working week.
"Working 40 hours-plus in a work environment is very different from doing the 15 or so they might do at uni, and employers know this," says Simon Dolan, author of How To Make Millions Without a Degree, who has built a multi-million pound business empire despite having been thrown out of school at 16 with virtually no qualifications. He says graduates lack commercial acumen and the "humbleness to realise they will have to start at the bottom".
He advises job seekers to bypass university altogether. "Go and work in the industry. Maybe it won't be doing the job that you ultimately want but just being around, meeting people and absorbing what makes the business tick is a great way in."
Despite fierce competition, there is some good news – there will be more graduate opportunities in engineering, industry, IT and telecommunications, the High Fliers report says. And Pugh sees no evidence of graduate training budgets being cut. "In fact, there's a real emphasis on training and retaining good-calibre employees," she says. She recommends that graduates approach directors of start-ups and smaller companies directly for placements and employment. "The biggest mistake graduates make is not selling themselves directly to the company but talking instead about their needs. It's better to identify what the company needs and spelling out how you might help."
Switched-on universities and employers are responding to graduate needs for work experience with a range of innovative initiatives. Lancaster University Management School (LUMS) has set up a programme that mimics a nine-to-five working week before students undertake a one-year placement. Brunel Business School offers graduates free courses in practical skills, such as accounting systems. A new undergraduate and postgraduate programme at the London School of Business and Finance, the Trium programme, guarantees students a full-time, graduate-level position within six months of graduation. And the Arts University College at Bournemouth has partnered with visual effects company Framestore to open a studio on campus, which employs around 26 college graduates. City & Guilds offers more than 500 vocational qualifications, plenty of them relevant for graduates.
Wise students grasp the opportunity during their degree to find even casual work that will equip them with useful skills. Humaira Razzaq, a media and communications student at Birmingham City University, works as a brand ambassador for accommodationforstudents.com (AFS), a search engine that trains students for marketing roles. "It's taught me a lot about sales and marketing and social media, which has really increased my confidence in approaching people professionally," he says. AFS currently operates in 10 major universities and plans to expand to 25 next year.
While applications for postgraduate qualifications have been soaring in recent years, many smaller employers say that they simply want to have some sort of proof that graduates know what hard work is. As one director of a major conference centre says: "When hiring, I look for things such as whether they have survived a Reading festival or worked a ski season. That's enough proof of endurance, managing budgets and organisation."
http://www.independent.co.uk/student/postgraduate/mbas-guide/jobseekers-jump-ahead-with-work-experience-6294169.html
Thursday, 5 January 2012
The new rules of graduate job seeking
To help with your 2012 job seeking strategy, we've asked our experts to identify what's new, what's important and what will impress when it comes to finding work in the new year
Tanya de Grunwald is founder of careers advice website Graduatefog.co.uk
Don't forget the opportunities that SMEs offer: Many graduates ignore SMEs (small and medium enterprises) and focus all their energy on the big graduate schemes with companies they've heard of - but in doing that they are missing out on fantastic opportunities. Working for a small company can feel risky, but even big companies are going bust nowadays so nowhere is 100% 'safe'. What's more, if you choose wisely, you'll might well get to do much more varied work than if you'd been accepted for a big graduate scheme. Don't worry if you don't have all the skills and experience specified in the job ad.
Because SMEs tend to have fewer applicants for their roles, they are often willing to be more flexible than big companies are. If you're missing one of their must haves, don't draw attention to it, just highlight the skills and experience that you do have and explain how you feel that would be an asset to their company.
Charlie Duff is a digital engagement specialist and community manager for BraveNewTalent, a social platform enabling talented people to network with top employers
Don't be afraid to let people know you're job seeking - if you don't ask, you don't get: There's no need to be ashamed of looking for work. Recent research we commissioned showed more than one in five would not tell anyone they were job hunting. This was even higher – 36% - among those aged 55 and over. We know that most jobs are never advertised, and when people are recommended for jobs they are more likely to get them. So even if you feel a bit sheepish about it, you should definitely ask your family, friends and business contacts if they know of anywhere you could be valuable. Additionally, open up to your social networks as your social circles can help you professionally. People generally love to feel they are helping others, and if you don't ask, you certainly won't get.
Mildred Talabi is a CV consultant, trainer and the author of 7 Keys to a Winning CV: How to create a CV that gets results, published by Harriman House
Seriously sell yourself on your CV - and don't forget the interests and activities section: Learning to sell yourself on your CV is going to become crucial for graduates. Previously, all you needed to waltz into the job of your dreams was the mention of a decent grade from a top university and one or two work experience placements here and there, but not anymore. Today, more and more graduates are coming out with good degrees and work experience to match so employers really are spoilt for choice.
The solution for the savvy graduate is to learn how to sell yourself on your CV in order to give yourself the edge over other candidates, and one way to do this is by focusing on the interests and activities section of your CV. Where previously this was a token section included at the very end to fill up space, the new rules require job seekers to pay closer attention to what goes here, because employers have certainly started to do the same. Interests and activities reveal much more about a person's character and the attributes they'll bring to a role. So if you really want to stand out from the crowd, mention that peculiar craft-making hobby you have, or the fundraising dinner you organised to raise money for your local youth centre. Be unique, be specific, and be honest in what you share and you may just find yourself at the very top of the interview shortlist pile.
Lucy Williams is a careers adviser at the Careers and Employability Centre, University of Birmingham
Learn to spot application fatigue - stop applying when you get totally fed up with the process: Going through selection processes can feel like an assault course. This is deliberate - recruiters want applicants to look at the exercises involved and feel like it's not worth the battle. In theory, this should leave them with applicants who enthusiastically plunge into the assault course based on their determination to work there. In short, making applications is mentally tiring and the process often unhappily collides with academic deadlines and all the other activities which keep students busy.
When you are time poor, it's better to put your energies into a small number of quality applications than apply to a large number of employers, each demanding to know why you've applied to them in a tiny word limit forcing you to produce a haiku-like answer in which you successfully demonstrate your fit with their values, culture and mission. Finally, stop making applications when you get totally fed up with the process. I can tell when students have application fatigue, which means the recruiter can too. OK, so you might miss a deadline but there are other ways to get a job and trying a new method might help get your energy and enthusiasm back, which means you're more likely to succeed.
Alexandra Hemingway is a careers adviser at the University of Surrey
Use social media to gather information about an employer: Networking is not a new idea, but social media has greatly improved access to new contacts. For starters, networking online is great for people who'd rather take the time to consider what they type than front up to a stranger in person, or on the phone. The important thing to remember is that networking isn't just about asking people to give you a job, it's an ongoing process of gathering information. The more you know, the better position you're in to prove yourself and your abilities.
An easy starting point is Googling organisations that interest you, to find news and facts and reading around the whole of the company website, instead of just the job advert. You could also graduate from Facebook to its more professional cousin, LinkedIn, which allows users to search by company name. This means you can track down current employees and check out their career trajectory to see what are the high priority skills and experiences that worked for them. If you haven't got as far as naming your target, you can also search by location and industry and find out what's happening in your chosen sector. Another way to reach out is to search for alumni of your university to find friendly folk who might help you – Surrey has a group with over 3,000 members. Watch the handy 'LinkedIn grad guides' on YouTube for more tips
.
Charlie Ball deputy research director at the Higher Education Careers Services Unit (Hecsu)
Don't get too fixated on getting your dream job straight away: If you're a new graduate, you probably have at least 45 years of working life ahead of you, so don't get too fixated on the idea that you have to get your 'dream job' right now. In the past 20 years, we've seen the rise of the internet, online businesses, multimedia, mobile technology and globalised working, all of which have transformed the workplace and given rise to whole new career areas. It's a fair bet the next 20 years will see all sorts of change, and, for many of you, what will turn out to be your 'dream job', or, at the very least, your long-term rewarding career might not have even been invented yet. You don't have to have a clear career plan yet - it might even be better not to, as you may find it changing as new ideas and experiences come along. So apply - carefully - for roles that are going to give you useful experience in areas like use of technology and information, and dealing with clients and people, and you'll be ready for whatever comes along. Don't apply for every job out there - you'll never be able to offer each role enough attention. Remember that if a job gives you a contact to ask for more information, get in touch and ask what you need to do to stand a good chance of getting it, and tailor every application to the role and your experiences.
http://careers.guardian.co.uk/graduate-job-seeking-tips
Tanya de Grunwald is founder of careers advice website Graduatefog.co.uk
Don't forget the opportunities that SMEs offer: Many graduates ignore SMEs (small and medium enterprises) and focus all their energy on the big graduate schemes with companies they've heard of - but in doing that they are missing out on fantastic opportunities. Working for a small company can feel risky, but even big companies are going bust nowadays so nowhere is 100% 'safe'. What's more, if you choose wisely, you'll might well get to do much more varied work than if you'd been accepted for a big graduate scheme. Don't worry if you don't have all the skills and experience specified in the job ad.
Because SMEs tend to have fewer applicants for their roles, they are often willing to be more flexible than big companies are. If you're missing one of their must haves, don't draw attention to it, just highlight the skills and experience that you do have and explain how you feel that would be an asset to their company.
Charlie Duff is a digital engagement specialist and community manager for BraveNewTalent, a social platform enabling talented people to network with top employers
Don't be afraid to let people know you're job seeking - if you don't ask, you don't get: There's no need to be ashamed of looking for work. Recent research we commissioned showed more than one in five would not tell anyone they were job hunting. This was even higher – 36% - among those aged 55 and over. We know that most jobs are never advertised, and when people are recommended for jobs they are more likely to get them. So even if you feel a bit sheepish about it, you should definitely ask your family, friends and business contacts if they know of anywhere you could be valuable. Additionally, open up to your social networks as your social circles can help you professionally. People generally love to feel they are helping others, and if you don't ask, you certainly won't get.
Mildred Talabi is a CV consultant, trainer and the author of 7 Keys to a Winning CV: How to create a CV that gets results, published by Harriman House
Seriously sell yourself on your CV - and don't forget the interests and activities section: Learning to sell yourself on your CV is going to become crucial for graduates. Previously, all you needed to waltz into the job of your dreams was the mention of a decent grade from a top university and one or two work experience placements here and there, but not anymore. Today, more and more graduates are coming out with good degrees and work experience to match so employers really are spoilt for choice.
The solution for the savvy graduate is to learn how to sell yourself on your CV in order to give yourself the edge over other candidates, and one way to do this is by focusing on the interests and activities section of your CV. Where previously this was a token section included at the very end to fill up space, the new rules require job seekers to pay closer attention to what goes here, because employers have certainly started to do the same. Interests and activities reveal much more about a person's character and the attributes they'll bring to a role. So if you really want to stand out from the crowd, mention that peculiar craft-making hobby you have, or the fundraising dinner you organised to raise money for your local youth centre. Be unique, be specific, and be honest in what you share and you may just find yourself at the very top of the interview shortlist pile.
Lucy Williams is a careers adviser at the Careers and Employability Centre, University of Birmingham
Learn to spot application fatigue - stop applying when you get totally fed up with the process: Going through selection processes can feel like an assault course. This is deliberate - recruiters want applicants to look at the exercises involved and feel like it's not worth the battle. In theory, this should leave them with applicants who enthusiastically plunge into the assault course based on their determination to work there. In short, making applications is mentally tiring and the process often unhappily collides with academic deadlines and all the other activities which keep students busy.
When you are time poor, it's better to put your energies into a small number of quality applications than apply to a large number of employers, each demanding to know why you've applied to them in a tiny word limit forcing you to produce a haiku-like answer in which you successfully demonstrate your fit with their values, culture and mission. Finally, stop making applications when you get totally fed up with the process. I can tell when students have application fatigue, which means the recruiter can too. OK, so you might miss a deadline but there are other ways to get a job and trying a new method might help get your energy and enthusiasm back, which means you're more likely to succeed.
Alexandra Hemingway is a careers adviser at the University of Surrey
Use social media to gather information about an employer: Networking is not a new idea, but social media has greatly improved access to new contacts. For starters, networking online is great for people who'd rather take the time to consider what they type than front up to a stranger in person, or on the phone. The important thing to remember is that networking isn't just about asking people to give you a job, it's an ongoing process of gathering information. The more you know, the better position you're in to prove yourself and your abilities.
An easy starting point is Googling organisations that interest you, to find news and facts and reading around the whole of the company website, instead of just the job advert. You could also graduate from Facebook to its more professional cousin, LinkedIn, which allows users to search by company name. This means you can track down current employees and check out their career trajectory to see what are the high priority skills and experiences that worked for them. If you haven't got as far as naming your target, you can also search by location and industry and find out what's happening in your chosen sector. Another way to reach out is to search for alumni of your university to find friendly folk who might help you – Surrey has a group with over 3,000 members. Watch the handy 'LinkedIn grad guides' on YouTube for more tips
.
Charlie Ball deputy research director at the Higher Education Careers Services Unit (Hecsu)
Don't get too fixated on getting your dream job straight away: If you're a new graduate, you probably have at least 45 years of working life ahead of you, so don't get too fixated on the idea that you have to get your 'dream job' right now. In the past 20 years, we've seen the rise of the internet, online businesses, multimedia, mobile technology and globalised working, all of which have transformed the workplace and given rise to whole new career areas. It's a fair bet the next 20 years will see all sorts of change, and, for many of you, what will turn out to be your 'dream job', or, at the very least, your long-term rewarding career might not have even been invented yet. You don't have to have a clear career plan yet - it might even be better not to, as you may find it changing as new ideas and experiences come along. So apply - carefully - for roles that are going to give you useful experience in areas like use of technology and information, and dealing with clients and people, and you'll be ready for whatever comes along. Don't apply for every job out there - you'll never be able to offer each role enough attention. Remember that if a job gives you a contact to ask for more information, get in touch and ask what you need to do to stand a good chance of getting it, and tailor every application to the role and your experiences.
http://careers.guardian.co.uk/graduate-job-seeking-tips
Tailoring Your Resume For A Specific job
Many job seekers dread creating a resume. Putting your education, experience and qualifications down on paper can be daunting. Deciding what to include can be a difficult decision. Many individuals draft one resume and use it over and over, no matter the job to which they are applying. Learning how to tailor your resume to specific job situations is an essential skill that can help you land the ideal job.
Five easy steps can have you well on your way to creating the perfect resume.
Understand the business to which you are applying.
If you are fresh out of school or are considering a change in career, you may not be familiar with how businesses in some industries function. Make sure to do research on a company before applying for a job. Read the profiles of similar businesses in the same industry. If a company lists executive or employee biographies on its website, be sure to read them. Understanding what a certain business needs and values will help you as you decide how to format your resume. Once you have a solid grasp on the business to which you are applying, review resume examples that are specific to that industry. These examples will serve as an excellent guide as you formulate your resume.
Know how to make the best of the amount of job experience you have.
Job seekers who are entering a new field may find that they have years of job experience that is not pertinent to the position for which they are applying. In these situations, you should do your best to highlight your tenure in your previous job and note any accomplishments. These items will show that you are dedicated to your work and can achieve long-term goals.
If you are entering the workforce for the first time or have only worked intermittently, you may be worried that potential employers will view your lack of job history negatively. In order to combat this, list out volunteer activities and other accomplishments that show you can remain dedicated to one task or organization for more than a few months. Highlighting your academic achievements is a good way to demonstrate perseverance and dedication.
Spend time perusing stellar resumes.
You should review resumes from the specific industry to which you are applying in order to understand what conventions and standards are in use. You should also review resume examples to strengthen your sense of how to word various entries. Pay attention to what designs you find both visually engaging and easy to read. Note the types of information that jump out as important, and try to incorporate similar entries on your own resume.
Organize information logically.
This is no-brainer advice that many job candidates neglect when formulating resumes. If you are applying for a job that requires a certain level of education or special certifications, you should include these items right after your contact information and objective. Recruiters and human resources personnel tend to be very busy and may skim over your resume quickly. It is important that you provide essential information that qualifies you for a position quickly. Your qualifications will not matter if your resume is too cluttered to be read easily.
Know what hobbies and interests are worth including.
Many resumes include an area to list hobbies and interests. If you are going to include this area on your resume, you must make it worth the while. Share about activities and hobbies that demonstrate a specialized skill. If you are applying to a small business, your passion for photography and graphic design might add extra value to your candidacy. Hobbies that require perseverance and dedication demonstrate to employers that you are able to complete challenging tasks. Be sure to review example resumes in your targeted job area to see if including such information is common practice.
Submitting a resume is usually the first step in the job application process. Your resume should be clean, clear and well-organized. Make sure that the style of your cover letter and resume are consistent. Use the same font and general graphic design. Keep resumes and cover letters concise. The ability to distill and present a wealth of information in a small package is always attractive to an employer.
http://blog.thecareerproject.org/blog/2012/1/3/tailoring-your-resume-for-a-specific-job.html
How graduates can prove they have the skills employers want
To avoid being told you don't have enough experience ensure you highlight the skills employers are looking for on your CV
Employers hire on a mix of attitude, skills and experience. There are ways you can highlight a great attitude on your CV and a robust experience section is crucial. But you also need to prove you have the skills that employers want.
A lack of the right skills is letting graduates down, according to two recent articles. In Job seekers don't fit the bill Alexandra Levit writes that entry-level graduates are missing a strong work ethic and the ability to get along with others. In Key IT skills that graduates are missing, employers point out a lack of relevant IT skills, but they also say graduates lack understanding in basic business functions (accounting, logistics, marketing, and so on); a real-world perspective (understanding cost or time constraints) and the ability to work in teams.
It's crucial that you highlight your skills effectively to persuade an employer you're a strong candidate. Simply stating you have a particular skill isn't enough.
Pay attention to keywords
Use the job description to identify the most important skills for the role, then make sure you use these keywords appropriately. For technical or vocational roles, you can list your skills in a table, while for other roles, you can use them as sub-headings in either a key skills section, or in your work history section.
For broad skills like team work, it's effective to break the skill down into various aspects, such as goal-setting, communication strategies, planning or monitoring. Spotlight what you did in each of these mini-skill areas, and describe the impact your actions had on the team project.
Leave no stone unturned
As you read through the job description and identify the key skills, comb your entire background for examples that illustrate how you've used that skill. These could come from group project work or case-studies from your degree course, or from a previous job, extra-curricular or voluntary activity.
Don't discount anything just because it doesn't reflect your current career goals. As you don't need to declare every detail of a previous job (for example), extract key relevant information, then downplay or omit the rest. Organise the details of the job (responsibilities and achievements) into sub-headings, which you can title with the relevant skills keywords to shift the focus away from an irrelevant job title.
Plug your skills and knowledge gap
Once you've identified your target role, company or sector, work out what missing skills or knowledge might be holding you back. Find out what employers currently want through scouring job ads. Then tackle any areas you fall short in: it might be as simple as asking people in your target industry to explain crucial processes or to let you work shadow; or you might need to search out specific training – whether that's free online tutorials or more specialist training provided through professional or industry groups.
Consider including a small section on your CV that lists ongoing training, mentoring or skill-building activities.
Write a covering letter
A covering letter allows you to add further detail to your application, and to emphasise personal qualities, such as a pro-active approach to gaining skills or a strong work ethic. Focus on how your experience has equipped you with work-related or interpersonal skills, or given you a valuable business or commercial perspective.
Show awareness at interview
Portray yourself as an applicant keen to fill gaps and learn the business. Ask questions that reveal this mindset, such as "What skills would someone in this position need to perform really well?" or "What advice could you give me to improve my suitability for this type of role?"
http://careers.guardian.co.uk/cv-graduate-skills
Employers hire on a mix of attitude, skills and experience. There are ways you can highlight a great attitude on your CV and a robust experience section is crucial. But you also need to prove you have the skills that employers want.
A lack of the right skills is letting graduates down, according to two recent articles. In Job seekers don't fit the bill Alexandra Levit writes that entry-level graduates are missing a strong work ethic and the ability to get along with others. In Key IT skills that graduates are missing, employers point out a lack of relevant IT skills, but they also say graduates lack understanding in basic business functions (accounting, logistics, marketing, and so on); a real-world perspective (understanding cost or time constraints) and the ability to work in teams.
It's crucial that you highlight your skills effectively to persuade an employer you're a strong candidate. Simply stating you have a particular skill isn't enough.
Pay attention to keywords
Use the job description to identify the most important skills for the role, then make sure you use these keywords appropriately. For technical or vocational roles, you can list your skills in a table, while for other roles, you can use them as sub-headings in either a key skills section, or in your work history section.
For broad skills like team work, it's effective to break the skill down into various aspects, such as goal-setting, communication strategies, planning or monitoring. Spotlight what you did in each of these mini-skill areas, and describe the impact your actions had on the team project.
Leave no stone unturned
As you read through the job description and identify the key skills, comb your entire background for examples that illustrate how you've used that skill. These could come from group project work or case-studies from your degree course, or from a previous job, extra-curricular or voluntary activity.
Don't discount anything just because it doesn't reflect your current career goals. As you don't need to declare every detail of a previous job (for example), extract key relevant information, then downplay or omit the rest. Organise the details of the job (responsibilities and achievements) into sub-headings, which you can title with the relevant skills keywords to shift the focus away from an irrelevant job title.
Plug your skills and knowledge gap
Once you've identified your target role, company or sector, work out what missing skills or knowledge might be holding you back. Find out what employers currently want through scouring job ads. Then tackle any areas you fall short in: it might be as simple as asking people in your target industry to explain crucial processes or to let you work shadow; or you might need to search out specific training – whether that's free online tutorials or more specialist training provided through professional or industry groups.
Consider including a small section on your CV that lists ongoing training, mentoring or skill-building activities.
Write a covering letter
A covering letter allows you to add further detail to your application, and to emphasise personal qualities, such as a pro-active approach to gaining skills or a strong work ethic. Focus on how your experience has equipped you with work-related or interpersonal skills, or given you a valuable business or commercial perspective.
Show awareness at interview
Portray yourself as an applicant keen to fill gaps and learn the business. Ask questions that reveal this mindset, such as "What skills would someone in this position need to perform really well?" or "What advice could you give me to improve my suitability for this type of role?"
http://careers.guardian.co.uk/cv-graduate-skills
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