Graduate Career Advice: Preparing For The University - Job Transition
The role of university-based graduate career advice centres is to help graduates develop their interests, job prospects
and career options thus preparing them for entry into the job market.
Even if you're still engaged in studies and haven't thought much about searching for a job
after university, it's never too soon to seek out graduate career advice. It can provide a wealth of information about potential
employment opportunities and help you steer your final year of school in the right direction, and give your education a real world
focus that it may not have had up until now.
Why Do I Need Graduate Career Advice?
Graduate career advice helps you formulate a clear, objective assessment of your career options and provides assistance and
direction so you can reach your goals. Most graduate career advice centres offer a range of options to help you develop and
achieve your professional goals. If you seek advice while you're still in university, you will learn how to make the most of
your degree, and you'll have time to acquire the additional knowledge and skills that will help you land that dream job.
While graduate career advice services may differ in their specific offerings, below are some of the key services usually offered.
Personality/Aptitude Tests
Graduate career advisors often provide free and confidential psychometric tests to assess candidates' aptitudes and interests.
These tests typically identify your strengths and help you focus on making appropriate career choices. Personality tests can
reveal your preferred communication style and key motivators, which in turn can provide pointers toward the career that suits
you best.
Career Guidance
Graduate career advice is often centred on helping you explore a range of fields and job types so you can better understand
your options. Not only do you get advice about specific industries, but you'll also get typical job profiles and practical
information on what it's like to work in a particular field. Some services will also provide you with contact information for
experts in the field you are interested in so those experts can give you advice from a real world perspective.
Application Assistance
Graduate career advice services can help you when preparing applications for part-time jobs and internships as well as full-time
job placements. Most advice centres can provide direction on how to identify job listings that are right for you and help you
follow up with applications. More specifically, a graduate career advice service can help you interpret the finer points of a
job advertisement or description, answer questions on application forms, and ensure that your application package is complete
and professional.
Interviewing Tips
A key benefit of getting graduate career advice is that it prepares you to face tough interview situations. Working with
experts at a career advice centre before that all-important interview means you'll be ready to impress the recruiter / potential
employer with your skills, knowledge, and presentation abilities. The advice will help you focus on your core strengths in a
positive, professional manner and can also include coaching on how to handle potentially stressful telephone
interviews.
How to Write a CV
Graduate career advice sometimes includes CV writing assistance to ensure your CV is in line with your
career objectives. Most careers services recommend that those who are job searching
maintain a dynamic, online CV like an iProfile,
which enables you to easily tailor your CV template to a specific job and gets you noticed by thousands of recruiters and
employers throughout the UK. It's a good idea to ask them to review your
CV before you
distribute it, which could give you an edge over other candidates.
In summary, graduate career advice can make the difference between a lengthy and unproductive job search and
securing a coveted position in the field of your choice. Besides providing a wealth of information on the career planning process,
advisors can introduce you to experts and professionals in your area of interest.
For more information, consider reading these articles on graduate career advice
and job search techniques