ADD ADVICE TO FAVWhere to find graduate jobs
You know what you want to do. You know where you want to work. Now, how do you go about finding yourself the graduate job you want?
Starting a graduate job search can be difficult. You must organise your time properly and apply at the right time of year so be sure you don’t miss out on any vacancies.
Here are some ideas of where to look for vacancies:
www.get.hobsons.co.uk
Hundreds of graduate-level jobs, searchable by occupation area.
Your careers service
A great place to go for advice, help and graduate-job vacancy information. Read more about careers services.
Careers fairs
Graduate careers fairs, which are usually held in autumn or summer, give you the chance to talk to graduate employers, find out what they have to offer and network.
Find out more about careers fairs or view the events calendar.
Company presentations
Large graduate employers often visit universities and give presentations to explain their working environment and recruitment process. Check with your careers service for details of which companies are presenting and when.
Newspapers and magazines
Many national papers have daily job supplements covering specific industries, such as Media Guardian on Mondays. You may also be able to search for graduate positions on the newspapers’ websites.
Don’t forget about regional papers – these often advertise graduate vacancies with smaller employers.
If you are targeting a particular industry, it’s a good idea to read trade press such as New Scientist and Marketing Week.
Professional bodies
Telephone to ask whether they have any material they can send you, or browse their websites for helpful tips and jobs in their field.
Speculative applications
A surprisingly high number of graduates find work this way. Send a targeted CV and covering letter to a few chosen companies. This is the best way to find vacancies that haven’t been advertised. You can find potential employers by searching for jobs.
Speculative applications are a particularly effective way of finding work experience which may in turn lead to a permanent graduate job.
Contacts
Call any contacts you might have made on a work-experience placement. Ask them if they know of any internal vacancies that might be of interest to you.
Recruitment agencies
Signing on with a recruitment agency that specialises in, for example, IT, finance or publishing jobs is yet another useful avenue to investigate. Specialist agencies are more likely to find you work which is relevant to the graduate career you want to pursue.
Jobcentre Plus
Local companies will advertise here.
