1. Join a club/society
I'm currently in the process of researching employability for a careers essay, and yes, you get told this all the time for a reason: A Degree Is Not Enough. Employers recruit a shockingly low percentage of people with absolutely no work experience... zero percent infact. So get some experience! Turn up the freshers fair, and when you sign up for everything without intending to turn up to anything, make the effort to turn up to just one thing. Luckily for myself, the thing I chose to be worth my time was joining Enactus, so I decided to put my hangover aside for a couple of hours a week, and get going with some social enterprise. Employability wise, this was the smartest thing I have ever done.
2. Get involved
So you've selected your club/society and made a commitment. Well done. But the great thing about societies at University is that you can take as much or as little responsibility as you want. If you have a good idea for a new project, you can make it happen! Employers are looking for those individuals that show commitment and passion to a task or cause. As the HR director Kirsty will remind me, "You can always reach higher."
3. Work experience and internships
Try to fill your CV with impressive and unique work experience. Utilise your parents/friends/neighbors when asking around to see if anyone can let you shadow them for a week. Paid summer internships with large companies are extremely competitive, but being successful is all down to practice. In second year, I must have applied to over 40 organisations; finally getting lucky in the last week of term. So my advice would be, keep trying keep trying keep trying!
4. Networking opportunities
Some people already have contacts in the industries they are trying to get into, but many don't! In this case, its important to make the effort and grow your networks. The careers department send out weekly emails about employers visiting the University, and turning up to these will give you the chance to meet representatives. Joining Enactus also allows members the chance to network with employers and business advisers, and trust me, they remember you at interview!
5. Research
Employers like to check that you've made the effort to find out what kind of role you genuinely want to do, they don't want to waste your time as much as you don't want your time wasted. So when you apply for a company and role, make sure your reasons for doing so are concrete and that you can explain this to them. Having networked with representatives is a good way to prove your point; if you can pinpoint and explain something a graduate has told you, this will really display your interest.
6. Reflection
Another important aspect is reflection. Reflecting on your strengths and weaknesses will allow you to improve on anything that you feel you need to. Companies also feel it is important for a potential employer to be able to reflect and improve, so practice this throughout your work experience and time spent in societies/clubs. Ask your friends and peers for feedback and think about what you can do.
7. Use the careers service
Have you been in the careers library lately?? Theres computers, hundreds of books trying to help you decide what you want to do, and even more books showing you all the jobs out there with pros, cons and salary expectations. Drop in sessions and official appointments allow you to speak with members of the careers department, who can check your applications, give you CV help, or just chat to you about your options. Sheffield students can book an appointment by calling the Careers Service on 0114 222 0910.
8. Online applications
A thousand hours later, when you finally click "submit" on an online application, you need to come away with the feeling that there is no way the company can possibly ignore what you have written. Think of ways you can adapt your experiences to display the qualities they are looking for in the competency question. For example, if you have been part of an international team, you could explain how this meant you had to deal with conflict, cope under pressure, work in a team, motivate others or negotiate new deals, depending on what the company is asking and looking for. Look at the core characteristics the company ask for in a person, and try and drop these "buzzwords" into your answers to get noticed.
9. Assessment centres
You've already been tested and identified as someone capable of doing the role, and now it's just time to show your personality. So when your sitting in a sweltering corporate room surrounded by other candidates and being stared at by assessors, remember to smile! Keep your energy levels high all day, ask as many questions as you can think of, connect with those around you and show your enthusiasm. Even if, on paper, you may not be the strongest candidate for the role, if you can win them over with your energy then the assessors will want to work with you.
10. Join The Intern
The Intern is a competition run by Enactus for students, providing the winner & runner up with paid summer internships with two Times Top-100 Companies. The competition will involve a structure similar to that of The BBC Apprentice, with different entrepreneurial tasks running each week. Not only could you win an internship, but through the competition you can gain skills for life, and receive exemptions from your Sheffield Graduate Award.
Sign up to our mailing list below to receive updates before the competition starts in Early 2014.
http://theinternsheffield.wordpress.com/
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