Over 1 in 5 UK students not confident applying for degree-related jobs
As we expect to see a surge of graduates enter the workforce this Summer, a recent survey by Student Beans, a top student discount provider, found 21% of students are unsure if they will apply for jobs related to their field of study.
Confidence is the biggest reason as around 30.1% admit they lack confidence in filling out job applications after life at University.
However, flexibility remains high on the priority list as 45.5% expect to work in a hybrid role. Surprisingly, remote working is the least popular choice as only 15.1% of students seek to work full-time from home.
To help the younger generation build their confidence, we spoke to Ilias Elsdon-Rentoulis, an accredited Careers Coach at Improve to Succeed for their top tips for securing their dream job after graduation:
G: Gather Information
Understanding the industry and companies you’re applying to will help you tailor your applications. So gather as much information as you can about market trends, key players, company cultures, and job roles. Then when you come to scoring an interview, you’ll be able to show an actual interest and knowledge about the role.
Ilias recommends creating a document to store information about each company and role, as well as a spreadsheet with the job requirements and how you cover them with your experience. “You can use this to tailor your CV and cover letter for each application”.
R: Refine Your Skills
Identify and refine the skills relevant to the job you want. Focus on both hard and soft skills to make yourself a well-rounded candidate.
- Hard Skills:These are the technical abilities required for the job. These could include a language, typing speed, coding knowledge
- Soft Skills:These aren’t specific to a role, but things you’ve picked up on during your experience. These include communication, teamwork, problem-solving, time management.
There are lots of online courses, workshops and certifications you can take to help hone your skill set. Platforms like Coursera, LinkedIn Learning, and Udemy offer lots of courses across different industries.
A: Apply Strategically
Applying for jobs strategically means focusing on quality over quantity, and leveraging any networking to help your chances.
Tailor your CV and cover letter for each job application. Ilias adds, “I cannot recommend this enough – it’s a very common mistake I see – candidates using the same CV and cover letter for all the jobs they are applying for”. Highlight the skills and experiences that are most relevant to the role.
Use LinkedIn to find and connect with other graduates from your uni who work in your desired industry. Reaching out and asking for advice can feel awkward but most people are happy to help where they can.
D: Demonstrate Professionalism
Professionalism can make a positive impression on potential employers. This includes your digital footprint, communication skills, and behaviour during interviews.
The internet is forever, so as well as making sure your LinkedIn profile is up-to-date, it’s worth scoping out your old social media accounts. Make them private or delete any old content that you wouldn’t want them to see, no one needs early tweets being accidentally discovered.
It’s worth practising common interview questions and preparing some answers (without reading from a script). Competency-based interviews are becoming more popular, and the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) can help structure your responses. Ilias adds, “you might feel that you can do this ‘on-the-spot’, but having interviewed 100s of candidates, I can tell when someone is properly prepared or not”.
After interviews, sending a thank you email can help show your appreciation and reiterate your interest in the position.
If you’re not feeling confident, try practising interviews with friends, family, or career services at your University and ask for constructive feedback. You can also video record yourself answering questions and watch it back, which can help especially with things like body language.
For more information, you can find this here: https://www.studentbeans.com/blog/uk/tips-for-applying-for-first-dream-job/
Our team of experts at Kingsgate Recruitment can offer help and support on how to land that perfect role. We have a wealth of experience across a range of fantastic clients in different industries and are on hand to offer advice and career guidance from creating the perfect CV to securing your ideal job.
So, if you’re a candidate looking for a new role or a business looking to hire permanent staff members or need to recruit flexibly to meet demand, give us a call to discuss your plans for the future. We have seen a huge increase in the number of roles, talented candidates and fantastic graduates contacting us to secure their next role. Our team are hand to give expert advice and can look at sourcing top talent, ahead of your competitors, for when you’re ready to hire.
You can contact us via our website, drop us an email, or give us a call on 020 8549 7212.
Source : HR News