Entering the Workforce

Every year Britain’s universities release thousands of bright and ambitious new graduates into the workforce. However, the reality is that the vast majority of these graduates finish university with little job experience and even less understanding of how to find a job and start their careers on the right track.

The abundance of job-searching resources and tools available to them can often seem overwhelming. For most graduates, just untangling the web of job-search information out there becomes a full-time job in itself.

There are two types of graduates: the ones who know what they want to do after university, and the ones who don’t. The ones who know are usually the most prepared for starting a career as they are the ones that generally hone the skills most relevant to the careers that interest them while at university, often through summer internships and work experience. These graduatesare almost always in the best position to dive straight into their careers straight after graduation.

Then there are the ones who have no idea what they want to do. To them, the best advice we can offer is to pursue opportunities in sectors that they find interesting. Don’t waste time waiting to have a career epiphany. It might not happen. The best thing to do is to get out there and get some job experience. Learn how industries work and develop your skill set.

The best time to pursue job opportunities is often when you are still a student. Contacts made during campus career fairs or milkrounds can lead to coveted industry internships and work experience. Volunteer work with charities and non-profit organisations can lead to greater opportunities in the sector. Involvement in campus clubs and societies can offer fantasticnetworking opportunities — they all offer experiences that can be valuable to you both personally and professionally.

The best advice we can give you is to not wait until you have graduated university and spent the last of your student loans to start thinking about what you want to be “when you grow up”. However, if you have already reached that cathartic crossroads in your life, you need not fear. Help is at hand, so read on.