Get a job!

Get a job! In this day and age, getting that all important graduate position is often easier said than done.

A report in The Telegraph states that graduate unemployment is currently riding at a 20 year high, and that as many as 20% of graduates are without employment; not to mention the numbers of graduates who are in under-employment.

How can you make sure you're not one of the unlucky 1-in-5?

First of all, get some work experience on top of your degree. According to High Fliers, a third of this years graduate vacancies are expected to be filled by someone who has already worked for the organisation. This could be in the form of an internship, a temporary or part-time job, or a sponsored placement during a sandwich course. There is some concern that internships are exploitative but, as I've said before on this blog, what's the alternative? There is no point in disadvantaging yourself on a socialist principle. Try and find some sort of work experience. If you're yet to start your degree, then seriously consider a sandwich course. If you've already graduated then sign up to a temp agency and get some proper experience under your belt and onto your C.V.

Talking of C.Vs, always make sure yours is up-to-date, available, and more importantly, can be tailored to each job you apply for. According to Give-a-Grad-a-Go, graduates make many simple mistakes on their C.V. which stand them at a disadvantage. Read the article, it really is good advice.

And that leads me on to employment organisations. As well as Give-a-grad-ago, there are also lots of other specialist graduate employment companies, like Milkround.com. Even if they haven't got any jobs posted which you fancy, if you sign up for email alerts or like their Facebook pages, you get some really good advice which could help you to be more employable.

If you want to stay in academia, maybe get yourself a masters degree (this could help make you stand out over other graduates too), then try http://www.jobs.ac.uk/. For those students that are good enough, universities offer paid studentships. These tend to pay at least fees, and often a stipend which is tax-free, and around the £10,000 to £15,000 a year mark. Some of them include teaching duties as part of the deal, boosting your experience too. Even if you don't intend to stay in academia full-time, it'll tide you over for another year, keep you busy and, you never know, it might lead to something big.

From the perspective of someone who's been in a position to hire people, I offer one small, but effective tip. If you have an email address like hotlips69@yahoo.com or similar, please please please register something more sensible to put on your job applications. You are a grown-up now, please act like one. There are numerous other graduates fighting for the job you want, don't give someone else even the smallest excuse to put you on the 'no' pile.

Also, one more. Occasionally step out of your comfort zone. I have read too many job applications where someone's dissertation topic was based on their university, other students, their friends. The ones that really stood out for me were the people who had researched and worked with groups like older people, disabled people, the homeless or other socially marginalised groups. So stop arseing about and get some real life experience, or at least show you want to experience it.

Anyway, good luck in your job searching. It is tough, though not impossible. Think quality not quantity when applying, and don't be afraid to do something menial rather than holding out for something better. Experience is experience and you never know where it might take you.

All the best.