Find the right job for you

You've gained skills, listened to advice, made plans and taken advantage of the opportunities available, now reap the rewards.

If you have followed the tips in the Skills sections and have built up a strong CV throughout your time at university, then you stand a good chance of finding a suitable graduate job.

As you'll have seen in our Career planning pages, it's important to be organised and strategic when you are thinking about your next steps after graduation. The more you know, the more likely you are to make the right choice for you. We've gathered together the information you need to:

  • understand the range of opportunities available to graduates including jobs, internships and placements
  • decide which employers you should apply to
  • get the most out of recruitment agencies
  • use social media to make a positive impression.

Research potential employers

Finding out about future employers is key to impressing both at application and interview stage. All graduate recruiters appreciate a candidate who has shown the motivation to research the company and its environment. In-depth research will make your applications stand out and add to your confidence in an interview. You should know:

  • what the employer does (they may do more than you think! Did you know, for example, that Mars make pet food and pasta sauces as well as chocolate?)
  • what the job for which you are applying involves
  • what sort of person the employer is looking for
  • current issues affecting the employer's business interests (such as mergers, new government legislation, the stock market, environmental or political issues). This will demonstrate commercial awareness.

When visiting an employer’s website, don’t just look at their graduate recruitment pages. Other sections such as About us, Media or News will give you extra information on the latest developments within the company.

Graduate job sites including placement opportunities

The companies and organisations listed below provide information about graduate roles including placements and internships in a range of companies and are a good starting point for your research.

Find out about graduate internships

Many employers, including large  and small businesses, government departments and charities offer internships to graduates. These are short-term, career-related posts which can start at any time of year and typically last around three to six months. They offer a good way to gain initial experience or to try out a career area that interests you. 

  • Graduate STEP 2-3 month internships offering meaningful, paid work for recent graduates.
  • Inspiring Interns graduate internships, jobs and work placements, mostly based in and around London. The site also includes advice, a blog and live chat.
  • InternJobs a global database of internships and entry-level positions for students, recent graduates and career changers.
  • Jooble is a good resource with thousands of roles.

Bright Network four-day virtual internship programme (26th-29th June) - applications closed 20 Jun 23.

Different sectors available: Business, Marketing, Law, Finance, Consulting, Banking, Investment, Public Sector, Charity and Technology.

Recruitment agencies

Recruitment agencies can be a useful part of your job search. They are used by large employers who wish to "spread their net" as widely as possible and by smaller ones who do not have the resources to carry out their own recruitment.

You need to do your research and send your CV to the agencies that are most appropriate to you. Some may offer you a screening interview, either by phone or face-to-face: this may involve a test, as well as questions to find out if you are suitable to send to interviews with their client companies. This is a good sign as it shows they are strongly interested in you!

Agencies should not charge you for their services.

You shouldn't rely on agencies alone to find you a job - you can use our graduate vacancy database or other graduate directories and make direct approaches to employers. The list below is a good place to start.

Make social media work for you

Social media and networking sites can be used for careers research, job-seeking and to market yourself to future employers.

Many employers use Facebook to promote their brand and their graduate programmes, and to enable potential candidates to network with staff. By engaging with a company's Facebook page you can pick up useful information on the company and its recruitment process. This helps you to come over as well-informed and interested in your application and interview.

Google yourself

Stories of recruiters checking out potential candidates via Facebook are largely exaggerated but it does happen, so set your privacy settings to the highest possible level and make sure your profile picture is one that you would be happy for a future employer to see.

Try Googling your name to see what can be found. Are there any old social networks that you have information on, or forum posts, or photos that you don’t want employers to see?

Personal branding

By developing your personal brand, you can increase your employability, protect your online privacy, show your passion and proactive nature, get noticed by potential employers, develop important relationships, and establish a strong, professional social media presence. The brand that you are promoting to employers should show you in the best possible light. 

The about.me site helps you to create your own homepage to encourage people to connect with you.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn has over 90 million members worldwide. Make sure your LinkedIn page sells you effectively - it is an 'online CV', that also allows you to mention your career goals. Adding a photo to your profile makes people four times more likely to connect to you.

YouTube 

YouTube is a great way to find advice from graduate recruiters on interviews or get insights into what it is like working at different companies. If you feel that you come over better in person than on an application form, here is your chance to prove it: tell people about yourself and what you can offer on a video CV. See our advice on video CVs.

Twitter

Twitter - as with Facebook, graduate recruiters make extensive use of Twitter, giving out information about their organisations as well as actually posting job vacancies. You don’t have to tweet – you can just follow companies, brands, people or issues of interest to you. You can show your interest in a particular career, or tweet about current affairs in the sector you wish to work in. Your Twitter bio should include your degree and some of your relevant skills.

Blogs

Company blogs can give you an insight into an organisation – graduate trainees, interns and placement students are often encouraged to blog about their experiences. Bear in mind though, that these blogs will usually have been vetted by the corporate communications department.

“Unofficial” blogs can be informative, but need to be taken with a pinch of salt. To find useful blogs, Google the name of the company or career area you are interested in, e.g. IBM+blog or barrister+blog.

Having your own blog can demonstrate your writing skills, knowledge and enthusiasm to a wide audience. It should demonstrate your forward thinking, passion for the industry and give an insight into how you work. Establishing yourself as an online authority in your field, can place you ahead of other online candidates.

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