Student Life Information

How to make the most of your degree

Some of you will be still be basking in the glory of graduation celebrations which are richly deserved...

But as one challenge ends another begins. While some of you may be about to travel or undertake voluntary work, the vast majority of you will be thinking about your first career move. This article aims to give you a helping hand to that crucial first step on the ladder.

Firstly, consider carefully what interests you; a lack of interest, no matter what the level of remuneration,will result in demotivation and poor performance. Many of you may have firm ideas and have already chosen your career paths. The rest of us of however find out our strengths through experience, but applicants should always consider what motivates or interests them however vague the conviction

Once you have considered this, you should gather a list relevant recruitment web-sites. National and local newspapers continue to play a large role in recruitment – for example if you are interested in joining the public or voluntary sector, you would do well to put the Guardian recruitment web-site on your favourites list. Also, there are an increasing number of webs-sites and agencies which specialise in specific sectors and professions.

This should simplify your job search while saving considerable time. This should also help avoid the temptation of applying for as many jobs as possible. This hinders your chances of finding a job. You should target carefully the role and tailor your CV to each job; or if required, spend a lot of time on the application form.

CVs should be short and simple. While your university lecturers may encourage the use of long sentences and flowery language, employers are interested in simplicity and clarity. Do include interests in your CV by the way; particularly team sport participation, which is looked upon favourably by employers

If successful, the interview marks the most difficult part of the recruitment process. Presentation is very important. While many employers empathise with experimenting with your appearance in your youth, they are unlikely to look kindly upon brightly coloured hair or facial piercings.

The job interview is much about preparation as the interview itself. Read up on the company’s activities on the internet – the annual report and press releases (if these are available) are often good sources of information.

You should also prepare for particular lines of questioning. Anybody who has attended several interviews will find that you are often asked the same questions; such as listing your 2 main weaknesses. In addition, you should try and concoct some questions of your own by reading the job profile. Finally, it is often helpful to get a close friend or relative to conduct a dummy interview. This exercise is invaluable and could make the difference between a coherent and disjointed interview.

When you are in the interview room, smile and make eye contact with the interviewers. Don’t ramble and stick as closely as you can to the job profile. You should also make sure that you have a couple of relevant questions at the end of the interview. Again, try and stick to the job profile.

Following the interview, you might also consider sending a letter to the interviewers confirming your commitment and interest in the role. Remember, Tony Blair was originally selected as a candidate in the Sedgefield constituency because he asked the selection committee for time to reconsider their decision. Don’t get too disheartened if you are consistently rejected for roles. Recruitment selection often says more about the organisational culture than it does about you. Fortunately, however, recruitment conditions for graduates are relatively favourable – so with adequate planning and preparation, many of you will embark on exciting, successful careers; so good luck!

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development,
CIPD House, Camp Road,
London SW19 4UX
Telephone: 020 8971 9000
Fax: 020 8263 3333
Web: www.cipd.org.uk