Getting a First Graduate Job

After a life of study, and possibly some toil in a local pub or supermarket to help your way financially, once you've graduated from university you'll probably be eager to get your first graduate job.

However, to say the job market is unfavourable at the moment is somewhat of an understatement. The UK economy has only recently pulled itself out of recession, and there are now 2.5 million people unemployed. That means anyone graduating during 2010 will be coming up against stiff competition when they want to enter the job market. If you're looking for a job this year, then this article can give you some tips.

When to Start Looking

If you're graduating this year, and you've got no idea of what you want to do, then it's certainly time to think hard about it. You might think it will be an unnecessary distraction to your final exams, but if you haven't at least thought about it, you'll probably be heading for an extended period of unemployment. Ideally, you should be able to decide on your career path as early in your university course as possible. Companies run internships for second years over the summer holidays, and it's possible to get on one of these if you're a graduate too. Granted, it's more difficult to get one because of the tough jobs market, but an internship can help you decide if that career path is right for you.

Your C.V.

Your C.V. will almost certainly accompany any application you make, even if there's an additional application for it, so it's the most important document with regards to applications. The layout of sections should be as follows:

• Name and contact details, including address and telephone number.
• Career objective statement.
• Education details.
• Employment history.
• Skills.
• Hobbies and interests.

Recruiters have to sift through hundreds of C.V.s, so it's important yours is succinct and gets to the point. Make sure you write in plain English and don't simply list a load of buzz words – recruiters read them all the time and get bored. Because you're unlikely to have much of an employment history, it's important to highlight your academic achievements, skills learned through your course along with anything relevant that you may have picked up in any employment.

Interviews

Interviews can be quite tough if you haven't got much experience of them. It's important to make use of your university's career service and have a few practice runs if you can. Furthermore, some recruiters may run mock interviews with you before you go to their client. Just try to get in as much practice as possible – go to every interview offered, even if you know you don't want the jobs. An interview will usually take between forty minutes to an hour, and it will basically be a talk through your academic career and your ambitions. It's possible that interviews will last longer than this, and some recruiters will have assessment days. Just make sure you are prepared as you possibly can be for these.

Once you’ve prepared yourself take a look at a reputable recruitment website, such as Guardian Jobs, that lists 1000s of jobs and vacancies and launch yourself into the job market.