Your final year at university can be a difficult one. Exams, dissertation and graduation on the horizon can lead to a lot of stress! On top of all that, making yourself marketable to future employers is an important step during this time.
How To Improve Your Employability Whilst At University
4th October 2018The professionals at CY Partners are experts at assisting graduates, providing support to help students enter the workforce with confidence. These simple steps can be achieved while studying and can have a great impact on your future career aspirations.
Polish Your CV And Cover Letter
Though you have probably heard it a dozen times, an effective CV and cover letter can make or break your chances at being hired. Get in touch with the careers service at your university on how to make sure you have a ‘good’ CV.
Your cover letter is just as important. Don’t commit the mistake of discussing yourself too much. Instead, make sure you explain how your skills will benefit a perspective employer — try to emphasise how you can help the company reach its goals.
Network, Network, Network
Never feel like you are entering the workforce on your own. There are loads of people you can ask for help and advice when entering the world of work.
Professors, university alumni, university career centres, LinkedIn, and even your peers are great outlets. Conferences, industry events and career fairs can create additional job leads. You never know what a connection will lead to, so try your best to make as many contacts as you can while they are readily accessible at uni.
Stay Up to Date
As your graduation date gets closer it is beneficial to brush up on your industry knowledge. Accessing industry journals and learning relevant information about specific roles won’t take a lot of extra time during your studies, but it will put you a step ahead of the competition (and impress employers during interviews). Understanding practices, trends and developments will make you that much more prepared when you begin a new job — allocating a few minutes each month will help you accomplish this.
Be Proactive
Despite a busy schedule, reaching out to employers proactively will make a good impression and can land you opportunities that may be unavailable later in the year. Potential employers and recruitment specialists have more connections to jobs that may not be advertised on online job boards or company websites. In addition, contacting Recruitment Agencies will connect you with individuals who have an in-depth knowledge of the job market. When you are ready to begin your career, your connection with recruiters will be very beneficial, as your name could be the first one that comes to mind when they are looking to fill entry-level roles.
Doing a little extra work will be worth it — the more you can prepare yourself for after graduation, no matter how small the task, the more you can bring to an interview to get that dream job.