Get a job
Here’s a crazy idea: maybe you should
just grit your teeth and get on with the
job hunt. The sooner you start, the
sooner you will find something, right?
In June, the Association of Graduate Recruiters
announced an increase in graduate vacancies –
the first since 2008. But as the system plays
catch up, you will be competing not only with your
peers, but also several years’ worth of graduates.
You need to be prepared, armed and ready for
job-seeking war.
Start with your university careers service, says
Whitmell. “As well as advertising vacancies, they
can also help you with your applications, give you
CV feedback and help you practise interviews.”
Don’t leave job hunting too late: you should start
looking for positions two to three months prior to
finishing your course, says Gutsell.
Avoid applying only to big companies with large
graduate schemes – they will attract swathes of
Graduates need to
be prepared, armed
and ready for the
job-seeking war
applicants and trap you in endless rounds of
assessments. “Find out about smaller employers in
your chosen industry,” says Whitmell. “They might
not offer such structured training, but you could
find yourself exposed to a much wider range of
working experiences.”
Make sure you sign up to recruitment agencies,
especially if you are interested in a niche industry.
There are a number that specialise in science and
technology and these will help you find careers you
didn’t even know existed. “Specialist recruiters
have industry contacts and know their client
companies well,” says Whitmell. “They can give you
gold-dust tips on how best to organise your CV or
conduct yourself at interview.”
It’s been said a hundred times before but the
first step towards a successful application is a
perfect CV. Your university careers service is best
placed to help with this, and there are a number of
online companies who you can submit your CV to
for free feedback.
But it’s not just your CV you need to focus on –
your mindset needs attention too. Research an
employer before applying, looking closely at any
values they provide on their website. “These will
give a strong hint as to the way the organisation
4 | NewScientist | 22 October 2011
‘
would like people to behave,” says Mark Parkinson,
a business psychologist and graduate assessment
consultant based near Bath. Knowing this will
help you pass the selection assessments some
companies use, called Situational Judgement Tests.
These pose a series of hypothetical scenarios and
ask you to apply your reasoning and common sense
to get through them. The only way to succeed is to
practise, says Parkinson. There are many free tests
and questionnaires available on the web, and
books you can buy or borrow from libraries.
Some companies ask prospective employees to
take a personality test to see if they would be a
good “fit”. Employers use these to guess how an
applicant is likely to interact and behave with
clients and colleagues. “The best single piece of
advice for these tests is to be yourself,” says
Parkinson. Under no circumstances should you lie
or bend your answers – these questionnaires test
for consistency, so they will be able to tell.
The reality is that these days it is not unusual for
graduates to apply for many, many jobs before they
are successful. But the best advice is to start
looking for a job as soon as you can, while you still
have some student loan left and before the novelty
of having you home, rent-free, wears off on your
parents. Whatever you decide to do, avoid
succumbing to the numbing comfort of Neighbours
and Countdown. Sitting around doing nothing to
further your skills doesn’t look good to a
prospective employer. Penny Sarchet �
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