From Year Three to Square One
Published on 4th October 2010 in Features, Lead articles, This Issue. 2 comments.
You've heard the rumours. Heard the frightened whispers of those embarking on a year abroad, seen out of the corner of your eye the knowing glances passed between lecturers. And sadly, your worst suspicions are correct. Outside of the University of Nottingham, the real world continues to exist.
During an average three year stay at our university, careers advice is in bountiful supply for any UoN student. But many will spurn said advice for at least the first two years of their higher education experience. The beginning of year three however - with the very real prospect of unemployment at its end - is something like crunch time in terms of making decisions about ones professional future.
And with 2.5 million unemployed in Britain today, never has the masquerade been more essential. The statistics alone are enough to give the average student stomach cramps: currently, according to graduate recruitment specialists MeettheRealMe.com, 69 candidates are applying for every UK graduate job going. Put another way, that means that there 68 other ex-students to prove yourself better than every time you send off a CV. And if you're lucky enough to secure an interview facing those odds, the pressure to then secure the job is palpable.
First, the all-important prep: “It may seem a cliché but when it comes to securing that all important second interview, failing to prepare really is preparing to fail” says Mark Fels, director of Meet the Real Me. “A CV can tick all the right boxes, but if the candidate doesn't make the right impression, the first meeting will spell the end of their success.” Even if your CV isn't overwhelmingly impressive, at least do yourself the favour of keeping it honest. Instead of embellishing the truth with the odd few fibs, talk up and emphasize the interesting, relevant things you have done, even if they're in short supply.
Striking the right conversational tone in an interview is a difficult skill to master, but one that's probably better practiced and perfected sooner rather during the interview in question. “Make the interview more of a conversation,” say the CCD. “It's an opportunity for you to find out about the company, so don't be afraid of asking questions yourself.” But take care not to get too comfortable: a one-to-one conversation with an employer whose trust and money you wish to secure can be dangerous territory for the student who has been conditioned to fire off 'banterous' responses to the simplest of statements. Even the most offhand use of a singular word can be a sticking point for potential employers. Daft as it may sound, calling the interviewer 'mate' is cited by Mark Fels of Meet the Real Me as one of the top ten most common mistakes that graduates make during an interview; yes, despite casually using the term to refer to everyone and their auntie during three or more years of university, the interviewer is in actuality rarely their interviewee's mate, and thus will baulk at being referred to as such. The wider world is seemingly a far more literal place than a student might suspect. Read more
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