How To Find A Job For After The University
Students assume that they will freely find a job within the chosen specialty after the University. But sometimes it is not that simple. In order to find a serious job in the specialty immediately after graduation, it is better to start working while still studying. Then, at the time of graduation, you will have some experience with which it is easier to get employed.
It would seem that the work of a waiter can hardly be useful in the sense of a start for a future professional career, for example, a marketer or a lawyer. But in fact, even non-profile work gives certain universal skills, and successes in it develop and demonstrate to the future employer the qualities that are important for most professional areas: at least - activity, resourcefulness, efficiency, attentiveness, the ability to find contacts with people, to convince. In this sense, work, such as a sales manager or customer service, can be a good start for many different professions.
First of all, students prefer to take companies for which it is important to "grow" employees "for themselves." It happens that the lack of experience is even a plus in the eyes of the employer, because it is easier to teach newcomers their approaches to work from scratch than to retrain those who are already burdened with other people's methods. For example, law firms and companies in the field of financial consulting quite actively attract talented students as trainees and interns, look at them, and then take the most promising staff to their initial positions, allowing them to gradually climb the career steps. Many successful professionals have come this way. In banks, it is also quite possible to get an operator or a junior specialist. Advertising and creative agencies are also quite actively attracting students to work.
Yes, the salary of a novice specialist with no experience at first, as a rule, is small. In the case of summer practice or an internship, it may even be a question of a free option solely for the sake of experience. At the same time, work for beginners is almost always routine, at first with the simplest functions, and workload can be intense. But this is a chance to take a closer look at your professional environment from the inside, “catch on” in it and, having proved yourself, grow further. From the point of view of career prospects, such work will give more chances than non-core work, but for a lot of money.
If you had a good practice or internship, but were not offered a job as a staff member, ask your curator for a written recommendation describing the tasks you performed and your progress. She will come in handy in the future when looking for work.
In a job search, it’s better to use several resources at once - so you increase your chances and get the opportunity to choose from several options.
Most often, work can be found through online resources: specialized sites, groups on social networks, etc.
Significant role in a job search is played by acquaintances. The advice to “ask friends” only at first glance seems too obvious. Do not be shy to ask friends about possible vacancies. The fact is that it is easier for employers to take an intelligent person on a recommendation than to conduct a long selection. Tell your friends and acquaintances that you are looking for work, post this post on your page in social networks. Maybe somewhere just looking for a person on the functional that suits you. Do not be afraid to approach teachers at a university with such a question. They often combine teaching with practical work, or at least they have connections in the professional environment that interests you.
You can ask at the dean’s office whether your university has agreements with industry employers on practice and internships.
When contacting a potential employer, consider compiling a cover letter and resume as responsibly as possible. Although you have not yet had work experience, you can still create a resume. Indicate where you study, in what subjects you have notable successes, what you can do in a practical sense. For example, if you are a student in IT specialties and have already created websites or some applications, you need to write about it.
Do not use negative phrases. For example, do not write directly: "I have no work experience." Instead, it’s better to indicate that during your studies you received the knowledge necessary for this work, or that you have the qualities necessary for it.
List your strengths that will come in handy at work. If you are fluent in a foreign language, become the winner of a student contest in your specialty, this is definitely worth mentioning. If you carried out practical tasks during your studies that were close to the tasks of real work, indicate them in a letter and attach the result. If you have had a practice or internship, list what exactly you did during this experience and attach a recommendation from your supervisor. Even volunteering experience can be useful if it demonstrates your qualities that are important for future work.
If you participated in social activities, be sure to write about it. This will describe you as an outgoing person. Remember to put a good photo on your resume.
Do not use boring stamps, write in plain language and show your successes with examples.
If you want to work in a particular company, it is better to study its corporate culture, the expert believes. Employers love that the candidate at the interview could tell why he wants to work in their company in this position.
Explain in a cover letter why you want to work in this particular company and how you intend to combine work with study.
The practice of internships for students and graduates is now widespread. Compensations are often low or may be absent, but this is a good chance for job seekers with no experience to gain skills and try themselves in the profession. After graduation, the young specialist can already add practice to his resume, which will be a big plus when applying for a permanent job. Often companies retain specialists who have had internships.
Text by
Yulia Inyakina