Struggling to Get a Job After Uni? Here Are Some Tips

You thought getting into university would guarantee you a job when you graduated.  Unfortunately, the truth is that the hard work is only just beginning. A lot of graduates are struggling to find a job after university, forced into being imaginative in their approach to job seeking.  Continuing to learn with home study courses is one way to make yourself stand out.  Here we explore other strategies for how to get a graduate job.

Manage your personal brand

Your presence on social media could be the factor that is limiting your success in your job search.  Your social media feeds will be the first place the recruiters will visit.  They will want to be persuaded that you have a professional online presence.  This does not mean that you have to appear as though at work all the time.  Those headshots of you fully suited will look pretty odd on Facebook.  However, you do need to consider your brand as someone respectful, trustworthy and therefore employable.  Just remember that some of the comments you make as jokes or the images of you out on a Saturday night could destroy your reputation.

You probably understand the importance of brand to organisations and services.  However, you are as public now, and your online reputation could be helping or hindering you.

Use online job sites

If you speak to recruiters, they will tell you that there is a shortage of professionals with the right skillset.  They would describe recruiting the best talent as a pain point.  In answer to this pain point, several sites have emerged as a library of CVs.  If you want to be found for the post you didn’t even know you wanted, you need to make yourself visible on these sites.

Why wouldn’t you want to upload your professional CV?  The minimal effort could result in your future employer contacting you to offer you an interview.

When working on these job sites, such as LinkedIn, be sure to put effort into a professional profile.  Such sites often provide training and guidance on how to make the right impression.

Be proactive with communication

There many recruiting agencies looking to match the best candidates with the right post.  Many of these recruitment agencies will specialise in recruiting graduates.  The agency will receive a commission for filling vacancies; therefore, they are on your side.  They will work hard to fill the vacancy.  Consequently, you will increase your chances of success.

However, a recruitment agency will also send you on interviews that are not quite as relevant.  You could find yourself wasting your time, as the jobs selected for you are not as appropriate as the jobs you would choose for yourself.

Write directly to each recruiter

When you are in the full job search mode, it is easy to copy and paste the same cover letter and a personal statement each time.  You make sure you change the names of the contact person and the company, but otherwise, it is a standard application.

Never do this.

You need to tailor your letter and personal statement to the job and the organisation.  You need to respond to the specific job description and the values of the company to whom you are applying.  You should research the job specification and person requirement, as well as reading the About Us section of the website.

By responding to the specific company, you will demonstrate your eagerness to work for that organisation.  It will be like you have picked them out as a good fit for you, giving the company the impression that you might be a good fit for them too.

Network wisely

Some people mysteriously get jobs without trying.  You might wonder where to look for graduate jobs, where you will get the post as easily as they do.  The truth is that they have been rewarded the role because they know someone, or they know somebody who knows someone.  This word-of-mouth recruitment might feel unfair.  How can it be right that the son of the friend of a CEO gets the graduate post?

However, a lot of the professional world works based on who you know.  Many jobs are not even advertised.  Instead, the company responds to recommendations from within the sector.

You can use this word of mouth to your advantage if you are seen at networking events, if you volunteer for an internship or if you are proactive if volunteering and charity, you can get noticed by the right people too.