Being a Clean Slate

The transformation pathway -from Campus to Corporate

Now that you’ve even announced your completion of graduation on your social media, it’s time for the next venture – finding a job as a fresher. You have a lot of companies in mind, and you even got in touch with a few. You’re doing everything right but there’s one thing coming in the way of landing Fresher Jobs. For every posting of fresher-specific job role, employers end up wanting someone with a little experience anyway.

So, how do you overcome this paradox of an ‘experienced fresher’?

It is not an impossible feat, and you can take certain steps to get a job without any prior professional experience. Here are some tips on how to get a job as a fresher.

Your resume only gets about 5-6 seconds before the recruiters move onto the next one. With such a small window, your overview is your best chance at grabbing your recruiter’s attention. Make it as crisp and to the point as possible, providing a comprehensive view of your purpose.

1. List your strengths

Focus on what abilities you have recognised in yourself over your academic years. Write down a list of soft skills or personal traits that you see in yourself. It could be anything such as the ability to communicate, verbally or through writing, or the skill to lead a group project. These are reflected in your resume as the skills needed to work in a professional environment, as an individual professional as well as a team member.

 2. Seek help building your resume

Sometimes, trying to dig out your skills and abilities can be quite confusing, and more so for someone trying to look for jobs as a fresher. This is where your close friends or College Seniors can help. You can also reach out to any senior in your Linkedin connect for a review of your CV.

3. Online job boards/portals

You can also get professional services for building your resume, from online job boards and portals where you can register yourself. You can have your resume and profile boosted for better search results among recruiters, learn tips and tricks to improve your interview skills, and get advice specific to industries and roles, and even other aspects of the professional lifestyle.

 4. Make the most of your networking skills

Living in the age of the internet and social media, it is imperative to have a network online. While professional networking sites such as LinkedIn are purely meant for career-oriented connections, even your social networking platforms have dedicated groups and pages for you to connect with people for professional opportunities.

5. Research your employer

Almost every interviewer asks you what you know of the company, and it definitely looks bad if you have no idea.

Imagine if you walk into the interview stating ‘I read about the latest product update you had, and I’m keen on working with your company because I am keen on the domain.’ That immediately tells the interviewer that you’re aware of the work the firm does and they have something to start discussions on. Get details about the company and products during the research. No one expects that you know the latest quarterly reports in mind, but you should know enough for the interviewer to feel you’ve not made a superficial statement.

6. Branding yourself through the CV

 Keep your resume crisp. Everyone’s fighting for time in today’s world. No one has time to go through paragraphs to understand your potential. Make your resumes short and retain only interesting stuff.

Now, that you have crossed the chasm- Your CV has been shortlisted and you have been scheduled for an Interview. Hurray!

7. Prepare, prepare, prepare for the interview

There are loads of questionnaires specific to job roles, on the internet where you can prepare for expected interview questions. But, your best learning comes from the actual interview. Even if you don’t get to the next round, you now have live experience. Revisit your interview, study what your body language was, re-answer the interviewer’s questions, and refine your resume.

8.Try to cut down fillers from your speech

What are filler words? They’re tics of speech such as “um,” “ahh,” “so,” “like” and “you know” that we use to fill gaps and pauses in our speech. I have noticed that many of interview candidates habitually start sentences with “um.” Others may use the word “and” as a connector instead of using a period. Or, they use “So” at the beginning of every sentence. Still others have a tendency to add “you know?” at the end of a sentence as confirmation of what they said. Recognize your own personal pattern and address it.

 9. Don’t forget to wear your Smile and Confidence on the D-Day

What you wear makes a significant impact on your first impression score. Before you start communicating and interacting with the interviewer, your choice of clothing reflects your attitude towards the interview. Depending on your role and industry, go for a formal or semi-formal outfit, irrespective of whether it is a zoom or a face to face interview. For example, while most roles demand you dress in formals, for interviews with industries like advertising agency, media, casual wear is actually more appropriate. But, no matter where you’re interviewed, don’t forget to wear that confidence.

 10. For the Video/Zoom or F2F interview

Practice your introduction. Most people have short attention spans. You’re competing for attention with so many others. Start your introduction strong so that you capture the listener’s attention. It makes more sense to talk about relevant projects and why you’d like to work for the company. Do not start with statements like ‘If given a chance, I will do very well for the company’. That’s understood. And do not make generic statements like ‘I’m very passionate about work’.

 11. So, tell me about yourself- the dreaded question

Do not recite your experiences beginning from Kindergarten days. Instead, introduce yourself, your qualifications and then talk about projects you have done .As a fresher, you have no work experience that an interviewer can test you on.

12. Tell me something that is not already on the CV

It had taken you endless hours to put together your skills on the CV and now this question. You had listed everything you possibly knew about yourself. What else? Well, you already listed out your skillset in your resume, and the interviewer has already seen it. Instead of repeating that during your interview, you can describe how your skills can be utilised to make an impact at the workplace. Highlight any achievements that are relevant to your role. You can cite examples of projects, assignments or volunteer work where you might have delivered actual results, therefore, proving how you can add value to your potential employer.

Almost every IT freshers' resume claim that they know all major languages and platforms. The best way to grab attention is to talk about projects you were involved in.If you’ve already worked on open source projects or contributed something, talk about that-it will set you apart.

 13. Are you Visible? You got it right-Your Online presence

Curate your online presence. One interview is usually never enough for the interviewer to figure out you’re perfect for the job (though it’s much easier to figure out you’re not the right fit). And there’s usually a line of candidates who will also go through the process before/after you. Once the company decides that you have made it to the shortlist, many also search for you online to see if there’s anything else they find. Maintain a LinkedIn profile, even if you don’t have work experience.

 14. Recommendations on Linkedin- Do they matter?

Stay away from too many recommendations from your friends. They will definitely find you extremely talented and a future asset to any team, and the interviewer will definitely discount their views. Try getting recommendations from your professors, or from peers that you have done your college internships with. That counts a lot more.

 15. The flip side of Social media

Be careful about what you say on twitter/Fb/Linkedin. It may seem wonderful to shoot out something funny on a political scandal or malign a company based on hearsay, but remember, your future employer may not find it funny, or think you are naive.

 If you follow the points covered above, and keep learning from your job search experience, you have a much better chance of making it and eventually landing a job you deserve. Good luck!

If you are looking for a more detailed guidance on how to ace an interview, reach out to us at [email protected]

Learn more about our Online Training sessions on Bridging the Gap, which guide freshers in the nuances of cracking their first interview.

All the best with your job search!

This article is a part of our Recruitment Series. To know more about it and other blogs in the series, visit us at https://thehrbps.in/