Knowing where and how to look for a job is hard, but knowing how to convince employers of your ability is another level of difficulty. In a previous article, we have shared with you tips on where and how to find 2017 graduate jobs. In this article, we will show you a comprehensive process to make yourself look more attractive to potential employers.
Conducting job market research
Research job trends: It is advisable for students to research the job market to see which industry is having high demand. Search for more specific jobs which are hot in that industry as specific skills may be needed at a certain period. Look for reports from employment agencies such as SEEK, as they are the middleman between employers and employees and have statistics about the job market.
Creating competitive advantages
Technical advantages
Once you have known which jobs are hiring and paying well, you can start to improve your knowledge and skills for that position. There are several ways to do this.
- The easiest method is to try Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC). These MOOC platforms provide a wide range of courses in various areas, so your chance of finding a suitable course is high. Most courses are free, although if you want to practice more and get certification for completing these courses, you must pay a fee. The best thing about MOOC platforms is that these education providers offer specialized courses on specific skills of a job such as digital marketing and data analysis. These specialization courses take less time and course to complete, and graduates can utilize them as a quick training course on new knowledge and skills.
- You could also try to register for offline training courses. Prices may be higher and attendance time may be less flexible, but the direct, personal interaction between learners and coaches as well as networking opportunities may make up for the drawbacks. The Australian Marketing Institute may be a good source if you want to find good quality course provider.
- Apply for internships: These programs will provide you with real world experience and up-to-date knowledge of the area, which academic programs may lack. You can look for intern positions on job boards as well as classifieds website easily.
Soft skills
In addition to technical knowledge, you should also build on your soft skills as these will help you to tap into the emotions of your employers. Students with soft skills appear more professional and ready for a job than candidates without these skills.
- Universities now offer free workshops that help you improve your employability. These workshops will teach you how to write your CV, how to answer interview questions. You can find these workshops at the websites of universities, such as University of Sydney and University of Melbourne.
- To improve your people skills so that you can work with others better, participate in volunteer programs. These not only give you the chance to meet new people but will put you into situations that call for various problem-solving Organizations such as Volunteering Australia will give you plenty of choices to choose from.
- Build your profile: You have got the packages, but you must know how to show it. There are various things you can do to make yourself look good in front of employers.
- Social profiles: social networks have become such an integral part of our life that employers now have learned to use these platforms to search for employees. Employers have online presence on the most popular social networks such as Facebook and Linkedin. If possible, they will look at your profile on these platforms, so make sure your present yourself in the most professional way possible. Watch your languages, posts and images. Anything that makes you look childish and immature should be deleted. Utilize portfolio websites that are used to demonstrate projects that you have participated in. Behance, Dribble, Coroflot, Carbonmade and similar services allow you to advertise yourself better than CV in PDF and Word forms.
- Professional email: the next thing that employers see is your email as this is the most popular method to apply for companies. Be professional in every component of your message. Your email name should not be something embarrassing that you created during your childhood such as beautifulgirl@gmail.com. It should have elements of your name in it and add additional factors to help distinguish your email from others’. The content of your email should contain all the components of a business letter: Greeting, Introduction, Body, Ending, with appropriate An important part of emails that many graduates forget is the email signature. In this section, you should include additional information about yourself such as contact details and social network profiles. You can use signature tool for email to create professional signatures such as Wisestamp.
- Make sure to brush up on your interviewing skills to increases your chance of landing a job when encountering your interviewers. StudentBees has also provided some useful tips for interviewing, so be sure to check them out!
Getting a job requires multiple skills such as searching, branding, communicating, and interviewing as well as technical knowledge. Therefore, it is vital that future graduates prepare beforehand to get a competitive advantage over other candidates in the job market.