‘I got the job!’ Learn from success stories

I always enjoy hearing from graduates who let us know that they have got a job. A couple of recent success stories are quoted below from 2012 graduates who got a job after attending our Graduate Recruitment Fair in June.

While we might have helped by inviting companies that these graduates might not otherwise have considered applying to, what  the graduates did themselves was vital – after all those employers didn’t employ every graduate they spoke to. So what can you learn to make you the next success story?

I went to a meeting before the Manchester graduate fair this year, and we got told to dress smartly. I went to a stand called Manpower, and because I was dressed smartly and made a good impression on them by approaching and talking to them, they asked me to come down for an assessment centre in London.

Following a final interview yesterday, I have now got the job.  Of course, after the meeting concerning the graduate fair, I never thought that I would even get asked/fastracked to come down to an assessment centre. But it would be good to let students know in future meetings that it does happen.

I am so happy now as I get to do a job in the field I wanted to specialise in (recruitment). Attending the grad’ fair, and making a good impression can definitely pay off!

This graduate clearly listened to advice and ensured he looked and acted professionally.  He had a clear idea of what he was interested in and targeted relevant exhibitors.  He must have asked sensible relevant questions and demonstrated good communication skills in order to impress.

You never get a second chance to make a good first impression so make sure you take opportunities to meet professionals seriously. Think about how you look, what you say and how you say it.

I just wanted to say a massive thank you to the careers department for the graduate recruitment fair back in June. Thanks to all the adverts I went along to it and spoke to a lot of companies. One in particular Unicom were there and I spoke to them, gave them my CV and after several interview stages, I received a phone call this morning to tell me I was being offered one of the 6 places available for their Graduate Management Programme. I also received some really good advice at improving my CV at the fair.

My tips are to be confident, and to be prepared.

Also I worked really hard at my degree and came out with a 2:2, which I was proud of. It just goes to show that top grades are only part of being successful. I graduated in July and now I’ve got a graduate job. There are a lot of successful companies who are looking for the right person for them and not just the top academics.

This graduate says she spoke to several companies – you can’t expect every application to be successful so you need to increase your chances by trying a multi-pronged job seeking strategy with a number of organisations. She also thought hard about what the company were looking for and how she could match those requirements.

Both graduates also made a good job of the formal application/interview/assessment centre process.  You can’t take short-cuts with the essential basics of job hunting – better to apply for 5 jobs well than 50 jobs half-heartedly.

• How to present yourself – networking.
• Get help from the Careers Service
• Application and interview advice

See also another recent success story of a PhD student who obtained a postdoc position has been reblogged on the postgrad blog. Packed full of lots of tips and advice!