5 Career Tips for a Recent Graduate

Are you a graduate looking for your first post-university role? If so, you're not alone. Thousands of graduates are currently on the hunt for graduate jobs. This means it certainly makes sense to do everything you can to stand out from the crowd and make you and your skills as appealing as possible to potential employers. Read on to find out about five career tips for recent graduates.

Be flexible

Some graduates have a very fixed idea of what they want to do, while others don't really know. Either way, it helps to be flexible. Many graduates look for London jobs, which is great as there is a wide choice in the capital. However, don't forget to look elsewhere in the country. In fact, the more flexible you're willing to be on location, the better.

Being flexible in what you do can also help. For instance, if you're interested in communications, there are lots of industries where you could look for work. When competition for jobs is so competitive, you can't afford to narrow your search too much.

Get experience

Getting experience is also important. Many graduates have some work experience, often from volunteering or work in retail and service industries. This is great and will bolster your CV, but getting experience in an area of interest to you will also help. You could check out volunteering opportunities, internships, work experience or temping opportunities.

Be professional

It's also important to be professional. Casual language is fine in emails to your friends, but when you are writing to prospective employers, be careful to make sure you use good spelling and grammar. A speculative email or covering letter detailing your interest and skills is often the first contact you'll have with a company, so make sure you leave a good impression.

Be creative

As well as being professional, there's also room for being creative. The statistics may show that young people are finding it hard to get hired right now, but that's no cause for giving up. Think about your skills and experience and how they could help you when looking for graduate jobs in Leeds or elsewhere. Does your youth mean that you think in a different way to the rest of the company you're interested in? Tell them why this is such a great thing.

Network

Finally, network. Many graduates find out about jobs through connections, so ask around about opportunities and attend events related to your field of interest wherever possible. You never know when or where you might stumble on an exciting lead, or even land yourself a fantastic role - so get out there!

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