“ As the end of final exams approaches, the benefits of advanced planning to help find the right job become increasingly clear ”
Timing is everything in today’s competitive graduate market – and if they get a move on, this year’s students may be more employable than they might think
As the end of final exams approaches, the benefits of advanced planning to help find the right job become increasingly clear. Meet The Real Me's academic careers expert Martin Patrick provides ten tips for those wishing to beat the rush.
Dr Martin Patrick MA PGCE academic consultant to Meet The Real Me, is quick to assert that now is the time to pursue the career you want, a fact that will become more and more apparent as competition increases. Although post-exam celebrations are yet to be enjoyed by many of this year’s graduating students, and job applications may seem weeks (or even months) away, Mr Patrick recommends an early approach to graduate jobseeking. “This may seem difficult at a time when exam stress is at its highest, but today’s graduates may be more well-positioned than they think when it comes to career suitability. Although CVs are yet to be written, qualities needed to thrive in the world of work begin to develop as soon as the first term of the first year: the vital link is found in translating degree experiences into practical and professional skills,” he explains.
While assessment is a consistent presence in academic life, he says that some students are hampered by a failure to assess and recognize the importance of a vital factor in success: professional attitude. Understanding the way in which degree experience itself has contributed to this attitude is crucial in fostering a sense of employability in graduates - and such awareness can only support candidates in a time of competition. Developing recognition of how university experience has contributed to professional attitude early on means that graduates are well placed to begin jobseeking and beat the post-graduation rush.
Although a strong degree result is unquestionably important in any presentation of candidate suitability, disregarding the value of other transferable skills is tantamount to disregarding the true extent of candidate employability. These skills include traditional CV boosters such as time-management and organisation, but other unquantifiable aspects of employability are also cultivated by university experience: confidence, charisma, and passion for a certain subject or area.
In his capacity as a Senior University Lecturer, and now as in-house academic consultant for online recruitment agency Meet The Real Me, Martin Patrick has built up 20 years’ experience of academic practices and procedures in further and higher education, and he is quick to affirm the importance to undergraduates of building an awareness of transferable employment skills. He says, “Recent graduates must be better prepared when it comes to recruitment in the climate that we are in. A university student, be they a fresher or a final—year student about to graduate, develops transferable skills. These skills may be derived experientially, but they are still of value: dynamic professional graduates with excellent communication skills attract the interest of employers. A strong candidate is aware of the strength of both personal savvy and academic skills.”
Martin Patrick’s ten tips for preparing to beat the rush
1. Remember that as a graduate your offering to employers is three-fold: individuality, personality and qualifications. Find out which of your own skills are translatable now – don’t wait until after graduation to build awareness of and confidence in your value.
2. Asses your transferable skills as you would assess any achievement – take the time to record your experiences and the qualities you needed to exhibit to succeed at them. These can be simple things such as working to a dissertation deadline under pressure or planning study time around personal commitments.
3. Work with your university careers office: student Professional Development Profiles are a key concern of student careers officers, and it often takes another person’s opinion to identify your own strengths.
4. Think about the modules and topics you chose to study; why did you choose them? Why were you able to achieve the result that you did? Choosing to undertake a written assignment on an area you are passionate about, for example, says something about you – examples of this work can be presented to potential employers as an example of a project that required certain skills, and helps showcase the individual behind the qualifications.
5. Take the time to re-asses the career-degree relationship. Often students take a somewhat blinkered view of which sectors their own degree has qualified them to pursue. Understanding the key skills harnessed by a degree and how these can transfer to a varied range of professions results in use of the academic experience in a more diversified way.
6. It may seem basic, but focus on the job you want, rather than focusing on just getting any job.
7. Undertake work experience wherever possible. The university experience requires you to manage yourself, whereas the professional world is largely structured in that you will be managed by others in the first instance. Any experience of professional practice helps to foster the accountability of the world of work.
8. Don’t be afraid to practice your interview technique. Remember that an interview is a chance for you to supplement a degree result with personality and individuality. Personal presentation and convivial attitude are key, and nerves may inhibit you from expressing yourself if you are not ready to do so.
9. Use the tools available to you. Recruitment consultancies, for example, are a useful resource - but choose an agency that understands the importance of matching personality to profession, allows you to express yourself fully and equips you so you are prepared to do this. Consider innovations, such as structured Video CVs, which can help you communicate your qualities effectively.
10. It can be debilitating for unemployed students to feel that they cannot present themselves advantageously to employers. Don’t sell your skills or charisma short, and you will build the confidence necessary to face the challenge.
Copyright 2012 Meet The Real Me Ltd
