Expert tips for early career success

"Well what a to do"! The year 2021 may feel like a mission impossible for graduates and those choosing new career paths because of the current world pandemic. Remember no matter your own personal mission in entering or changing direction in the current volatile Labour Market one fundamental fact remains. You can take heart, all employers still look for core skills and a set of behaviours that are all within reach. With a bit of research on your desired companies brand and values you can think about how you could fit into that brand and even enhance the brand with your own unique attributes. We all have a gift to give we just need to know our gifts. How? Ask trusted friends for you strengths then ask if they could change one thing about you what would it be and why. If your really on a mission go SAS and ask someone who doesn't like you so much. This really takes courage. Be prepared to take note of similar observations and put a plan together to become the best version of you. What about gaining needed experience. Consider any job as its all about your journey and learning experience. As Mary Pippins says, "In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun". Always look for the positive in everything you do.

Social media is a great platform to let people know you are seeking a job opportunity! Make sure you create a LinkedIn profile, start making connections with your networks; family, friends, University tutors. Digitally talk to your networks, tell them what you are looking for and see if they can help you expand your digital networks to create opportunities. ? If you want to specialise in a particular sector, join professional groups via LinkedIn & Instagram – start conversations on the platforms seeking advice and guidance from the groups followers. When they started out how did they approach their job search? What tips advice can they give or do they know of current opportunities? Genuinely, I find people do want to help our next generation of job seekers and will give advice or time away to make things happen.?Leverage your family and friends to get personal introductions into companies they work for. Be authentic, tell people it’s your first time in the world of securing your first job after University. There’s a lot of empathy out there! P.S Pertemps are recruiting an IT Apprentice within our HQ at Meriden so if you have anyone in your networks who’d be interested in a conversation please get them to message me. ?? ? ? ? ?

As a Business Hays is always looking to work with the graduate population and forging a career. My Advise is firstly to research the business and the sectors you wish to work in and tailor your applications accordingly. The market is always a challenge so be determined in your approach and resilient if your not getting positive results. When you are moving through recruitment processes be positives and always look to bring your A game to every chance, use your own personal brand to make you stand out.

Three tips: 1. Before you begin your job search, demonstrate you're a student of your craft by engaging in the dialogue happening on LinkedIn and elsewhere. 2. Invest in a CV that showcases your skills, experiences and accomplishments that are most relevant to the position you're hoping to land. 3. After applying online, try to find a common connection to the hiring manager to get your resume seen. Recruiters are swamped and getting your resume in front of the hiring manager or a member of the team could help you stand out. #hiring

If there is a role someone is keen on applying for, they should tailor their CV (with their experience relevant to the advert) – this helps make it easier for recruiters to take notice of a potentially suitable candidate. If there's an option to attach a cover letter, an applicant can further highlight their transferrable skills and motivation there. Double check all documents for typos and grammatical errors! List achievements or activities outside of formal qualifications. If you are on social media, ensure your presence is decent. Build a thick skin - you’re going to experience A LOT of rejection. Don’t be disheartened by it - there is something better out there for you. Set up job alerts on job board aggregator sites like Indeed and Google Jobs for relevant new roles coming on to the market. Build good relationships with agencies recruiters relevant to the sector you want to go in, as they may have exclusive opportunities. For a video interview, dress like you’re going for a face-to-face interview. Learn how to have a good interview. e.g. research the STAR method of answering questions. Treat looking for a new job, like a job. A positive mindset, self-belief and taking action are key. Good luck! You can do it!

Here's my 8 tips. 1)?????Realise that your first job is highly likely to set you on a path that may influence all successive job choices. So think carefully. 2)?????Are you seeking a job, or a career, or can you build your own future from scratch? 3)?????Do you love what you studied? You might be better off being an unpaid intern in your field of passion, than taking a job in a field you care nothing about. 4)?????Be geographically agile. Don’t search for the roles just within your immediate commute. Search for roles that excite you and be mobile if you can. 5)?????Interrogate 'culture' during interviews. A great job starts becoming painful quickly when cultures collide. 6)?????Stay humble. Even though you may have graduated with a first, the receptionist is going to know more about the business than you when you first start. So approach interviews with humility. 7)?????Treat your job search like an academic project. Track your success rates at each stage of the hiring process and look for opportunities to refine your approach. 8)?????If a recruiter is involved, work on your relationship with them. Ask for feedback. Ask for brutally honest feedback. And be robust when you receive it. Good luck to everyone!

Construction and Engineering are facing a huge skills shortage. A lot of organisations are now recruiting on their websites for Graduates fresh from University with Surveying and Construction degrees. I work with candidates from Graduate level to Board / Partner level but, what sets one graduate apart from another.... in my opinion.....is the ability to talk, to communicate, to listen and partake in a conversation. They might not have the best CV or even the best grades, but if someone can hold a conversation, thats a winner for me.

I recruit within the data centre sector which is heavily focussed towards IT and STEM careers. It is a rapidly growing sector and one that was already experiencing a skills shortage prior to the growth created by the increase data usage as a result of the pandemic. My advice to people looking to join the sector is to do your research on the sector and the companies within it - this enables you to stand out from the crowd when making applications and gain the attention of the people you want to contact. Why do you want to work in the sector? What can you bring to the company? Ask for advice from leaders in the industry, most people are always happy to help as they are keen to attract more people to the sector. Add a paragraph at the top of your CV (or on a cover letter) that outlines the skills you have that are transferable and also provide examples of how you have used these skills in work or outside of work. Don't use the same CV / cover letter for every application. And have a positive attitude and be resilient. These traits will take you a long way.

?? Employers need to identify and outline skills required, nice to have and working policies for progression. ? Those applying, align experience and expertise on the skills required, make sure they're clearly articulated on the CV and practise interviews before hand. ?? Companies need to ensure equitable practises with accessible platforms, working with communities, enabling applications from outside the privelidged zones and ensuring hiring managers have training. Like Minded Females (LMF Network) CIC found that 1. to enable social mobility, education around negotiation skills and confidence is fundamental 2. 95% of people believe that there are biases in hiring and recruitment ? Mentoring ? Hiring managers and interview practise ? Hire for skills not culture