ATA Recruitment
If you’ve recently graduated or are going to be graduating this year, this blog is for you! We’re constantly on the lookout for ambitious graduates that would make great trainee recruiters, but regardless what career you’re looking to get into, the tips in this blog will help you get there.
Your final year at University is undoubtedly hard – your workload will increase drastically in comparison to the previous years and you will start to realise that your student life is due to end very shortly! While it is easy to become in engrossed in trying to balance the amount of work you have to do and maintain some form of social life, it is also important to start preparing for life after University.
By planning ahead – even just a little bit – you can set yourself up to ensure you have the best chance possible of securing a well-paid and exciting graduate job. Find out how below:
Create a great CV
Although you may not have a huge amount of work experience, creating a CV at this stage is a good idea – it means as soon as your final exam is out of the way, you can start applying for positions. Your CV at this stage should represent your academic achievements to date (and your predicted grade at University) but should also highlight you as a person; any hobbies you have, any societies or clubs you are a member of and what skills you feel you could bring to a company as a result of this. Alongside this, any work experience that you do have should obviously be detailed. Try and think outside of the day to day duties of the position itself and how what you have learnt in this role could be transferred to another.
Do your research about the best graduate jobs
Every company wants to hire the best graduates; graduates are eager to start their careers and because of this, will work extremely hard at a company to progress. Graduates are usually cheaper to hire initially than an experienced candidate, meaning your return on investment to a company is substantially higher. Due to these points, it means that a lot of companies will sell you the dream to get you on board but in reality, their graduate programmes may not be up to scratch.
Be smart about your job search. Do your due diligence and properly research the companies you are applying for; this is potentially where you will spend the next 3-5 years of your life (perhaps even longer) and is certainly where you will get the grounding for your long-term career. Do not be afraid to ask questions about training and progression – you are entitled to ensure it is the right company for you and any decent company would welcome this line of questioning.
Create a LinkedIn profile
Linkedin shows employers you are not only serious about your job search, you are also being proactive which is an attractive trait. It is very important to not only create a profile, but also really see LinkedIn as a tool to utilise. Think about areas you are interested in and connect with people in this field. Even if you are not sure about what you want to do; LinkedIn basically acts as a digital CV and recruiters and Hiring Managers utilise this site – someone could approach you based on your skillset and offer you an opportunity that is perfect that you have never even considered before. However, remember LinkedIn is a professional social media site – so do treat it as such.
Keep your options open
If you are lucky enough to know what you want to do after you graduate, you can cater the above toward your desired career choice; however, it is important to keep your options open. So many people have a specific idea of what they want to do once they leave university but are disappointed by the reality. The graduate job you accept can shape your entire career – and this is likely to be the only time in your life that you will have the freedom to be a bit picky, so explore all your options before making your final decision.
ATA Recruitment is always looking for ambitious and hard-working graduates to join us! A role in recruitment is not easy, however, we genuinely believe we offer one of the best training programmes out there! Not only do we have an extremely structured route of progression, meaning you will be able to work your way up the corporate ladder quickly, but we also ensure that you are completely ready for each step you take, with ongoing support from industry experts.
Use the button below to speak to our Talent Acquisition Manager, Rachael Bailey-Frost about a career with ATA..