Apr 25 2022

By Laura Bill, Head Writer at Inspiring Interns

If you’re about to graduate, thinking about your next steps can be daunting. After spending three years or more at university, getting out into the big wide world of job hunting may seem completely overwhelming – especially if you have never had a job before. If you’re worried about how to tackle the job search after graduation, you’ve come to the right place. We’re going to provide some helpful job search tips to bear in mind.

1. Know what job you’re looking for

The job market offers thousands of different roles in different sectors, but do you know exactly what you want to do? If you already have a rough idea, you’ll be able to narrow down the jobs that fit your interests and specialism. If not, it’s time to evaluate your strengths and weaknesses and the type of job roles that you’d like to do. Alongside this, you may also want to think about the salary, progression opportunities, the location and the company culture.

2. Consider a graduate recruitment agency

You may apply for hundreds of jobs, only resulting in receiving multiple dreaded rejection emails. When this happens, it’s natural to lose motivation and even completely give up, but it may be the case that you need a helping hand to polish up your skills and get introduced to employers with a graduate recruitment agency that specializes in finding new graduates jobs in their desired sector. These professionals can point you in the direction of graduate jobs and internships that are suitable for you and offer advice for each stage of the interview process.

3. Attend job fairs                                                                                                             

Before you officially graduate, aim to create as many opportunities for yourself as possible. Job fairs are a great way to learn about different companies and network with professionals in your desired field – and there are several at Royal Holloway at different times of the year (check the Careers Portal events page to find upcoming fairs). Before attending the jobs fair, research as many of the companies you are interested in as possible to gain some background information about what they do, as well as their company culture. In doing so, you can create interesting conversations with hiring managers and make a great first impression.

4. Send follow up emails

If you have applied for several jobs and haven’t heard back, sending a follow-up email is a great way to get feedback and thank them for the opportunity. State that you are still interested in the role and believe you are the correct fit. Employers will appreciate the time you have taken to get in touch and may put you top of mind when it comes to selecting the most suitable candidate for the job.

5. Be wary of social media

If you’re a social media user, do be aware that some hiring managers will check out a candidate’s social media profiles before deciding to hire them. With this in mind, you may want to carry out a full-clean-up of your drunken selfies and outrageous statues which could give the company the wrong impression and automatically reject your application. If you don’t want your employer to track down any embarrassing posts, you may want to set your profiles to private to be on the safe side.