When you graduate from university one of the most common next steps is getting a job. Of course, this may not be the ideal option after spending 3 years having fun at university and studying hard, but it is the way you pay your bills, and it has to be done! So, if you are going to have a job you may as well find one that you enjoy. There are a few different steps to achieving your dream job and I have a few different tips I want to share with you so that you can find the best job possible!
Research jobs
The first thing you need to do in order to get your dream job is research the jobs out there so you can decide what it is you want to do. You can do this by simply googling the types of jobs you are into and reading about them.
A good thing to do is to look at the job descriptions on job applications to see exactly what you would be doing in that type of job.
Make sure to look if you would need any more qualifications to do that specific job. A lot of graduate jobs require you to do extra exams whilst working. Make sure to look if these are paid by the company or if you would have to pay for these exams.
When researching jobs, make sure to search for graduate schemes as well as normal advertised jobs.
Job search
When you have come to a conclusion about the type of job you want to go for, you need to start searching.
This will involve the location you want to work in, the salary you want to get paid and lots of other factors that get mentioned in the job brief such as benefits or bonuses.
The best places to look for jobs in Indeed.com and a good place to look for graduate schemes in Bright Network. Reed.com is another good website you can use to find jobs. There are lots of recruiters looking for people and it is super easy to apply on reed.com
Alternatively, your university may be able to help you find jobs.
Use LinkedIn
LinkedIn is also a great place to aid your job search. You can either search for jobs and apply on there – again these are really easy to apply for most of the time.
Or you can see if any recruiter is putting out posts looking to hire people. You may even get recruiters reach out to you in you come up in their searches. So, either way if you don’t use LinkedIn for job searching, if you have a profile then people may reach out to you.
Reach out to people in the industry
Leading on from the LinkedIn tip, reaching out to people in the industry is a great place to find a job. By reaching out they may think your being proactive and if there are any vacancies in their company, they may put you forward.
But just reaching out to a few people to get to know more about the industry and the job roles available is a great way to get to know even more about the job and the company itself.
Use your connections
If you have family or friends in an industry that you want to get into then see if they can put you in touch with anyone. Even if it is just for a chat, it is worth it! It not only helps you gain more information, but it helps you get your name out there.
Get a good degree
Of course, a good thing to do to get your dream job is to get a good grade in your degree. Depending on the type of company you want to work at, they will have different opinions on your degree. Some may really value it and want to take on people with the highest grades. Whereas some companies may not take into consideration your degree. They may be focusing on your past work experience more. It totally depends on which company you apply for. So, either way, getting a good degree can only help in your job application.
Prepare for interviews
You will 99% have to go for an interview to get your dream job. But interviews are no problem if you have practised, and you are confident. Sometimes they will give you a hint at the questions they may ask so make sure you listen and prepare for what you are told. If they do not tell you anything then the best thing to do is come up with a range of different answers to example questions using the STAR technique. Make sure you tell the interview your situation, next tell them the task you had to do, tell them your action and then finish with the result. Using this method can help with most competency-based questions.
You can find example questions online or your university should offer you example interview questions. Reach out to your employability team at university who will offer you practise interviews.
It may just be an interview but sometimes there can be multiple steps in an application process including things like written tasks, phone calls, assessment centres and online tests.
Prepare for assessment centre
Assessment centres can be a little tricker than interviews but as long as you are prepared you will be fine. They can include all different sorts of things, but they usually include a group task. Make sure you speak up in the group task. They also like it if you show you are good at time management by using a watch and letting your group know how much time is left.
You may also be given a written task which could include writing an email to someone in the company. You could have to do a presentation with your group or solo. You may even be given a case study and your task is to write a report based on the case study in a certain amount of time.
Some universities will offer mock assessment centres, so this is the best way to prepare for something like this.
Final Thoughts
Finding your dream job can be difficult but if you keep trying you will 100% find it! Make sure you use of the different ways of finding a job as sometimes jobs are only advertised on one platform, so the ore platforms you are searching on the better opportunity you have.
