Be proactive - don't sit and wait for the job of your dreams to be advertised. Up to 40% of graduate vacancies are never advertised
It's vital to really know about the skills employers want in addition to your degree so that you can effectively persuade them that you have what they are looking for. Once you've done that, understand the recruitment methods used by large and smaller companies so that you can focus your efforts on the techniques - there's no point in spending time producing a great CV if the kind of organisation you are targeting will use application forms. Many graduates every year find excellent career opportunities using networking, making speculative applications or being offered a job as a result of a successful placement or vacation job etc.
Use various sources of advertised vacancies, employer presentations and the Scottish Graduate Fair. Don't just depend on one source such as the jobs pages of the newspapers - use the web and specialist journals too and combine this with attending recruitment events. And, if you want to work abroad you must do thorough research on your target country and how the job market works there. You also need to identify relevant international sites for vacancies and business directories. Going Global is a useful starting point for identifying international vacancy sites.
Things to do :
- attend seminars and workshops led by employers to develop your job search skills. Some of these are especially for international students
- read employer talks on Working in Scotland - helpful for everyone and vital for international students/graduates
- research potential employers with our Employer & Business Information
- use the Jobs and Work area of Prospects for additional information on sources of vacancies used by specific industries and jobs and for profiles on hundreds of graduate recruiters
- Discover how to use social media in your job search (Courtesy of the University of Kent). Also look at Career Player video on social media and job hunting.
