How to get a great job despite the tough economic climate
by The Bright Futures Society

2010 is going to be another tough year for graduates seeking employment. And not just
because of the painful recession in 2008/9 but also because the number of graduates
each year is still growing & with it the number of applications per vacancy (which rose
by 50% in 2009) and if that is not enough employers are more & more demanding each year.

So how do you ensure you get the career you really want?
In Bright Futures we want students to be successful and to help them achieve this we have our ‘Foundations for Success’ which are supported by 3 key principles to give anyone who applies them success in any area of their life.
The first is ‘Certainty of Purpose’ which basically means know what you want (your goals). The second is ‘The Mastermind Principle’ which means you do not have to or need to achieve your goals alone, in fact the stronger the team you build around you the quicker and better you will achieve your purpose or goal. And the third is ‘Personal Responsibility’ in other words it’s up to you to make it happen.

So applying all these principles, there are 3 clear actions to take:
1. Know what you want to do, in terms of a career, and why, so you can both talk about it with passion and back it up with logic (i.e. from what you have done / found out from talking to people etc)
2. Build your CV with a wide variety of activities where you have played a ‘substantial’ part – employers see straight through CV’s which just say ‘committee member’ or ‘in team’ they want more detail, typically what you achieved within that role. By the way do not think that your academic achievement no longer matters it does but they want more!
3. And after you have read this article take action, make it happen!

So back to building your CV; this can be done clearly through work experience, and in this area make it as wide and varied as you can. If need be, unpaid work for a few weeks will show how determined you really are to get that relevant experience.

Other great ways to build your CV include:
• Taking a committee role in a student Society – like Bright Futures – where you as an individual, within your team, made a real impact
• Taking part in a competition run by a graduate employer, where you can take part in a real activity with an employer, prove your skills, compete and be noticed!
• Demonstrate your ‘career motivation’ by, for example, attending events on campus run by employers but do more than just listen, speak to them directly after the event, introduce yourself, take their business card and follow up with them the next day.
• Make contact with employers by calling and speaking to people within the organisation to find out more and help you make a better application.

And what are the ‘extras’ that employers want to see?
- The ability to make things happen no matter what and the bigger the challenges you faced and overcame the better. So if you have not faced any big enough yet set yourself some and overcome them!
- Your awareness of the world of work, how it works, the importance of delivering a result; an understanding of their company culture and values etc
- Your own self awareness, knowing what you are good at and playing to your strengths.

In short don’t kid yourself that with your degree or post graduate qualification from your University, however well respected it is, will alone get you a great job – those days have gone. Recognise to yourself the reality that job hunting will be tough, most don’t until it is too late. Don’t make excuses for putting off the need to constantly be making applications – just do it. And don’t think you have to do it alone, build a support team who can help you, be that your peers, your professional network, your student Society, your tutor etc – draw on them to help
keep you motivated in the face of all those rejections, & to advise you in improving your
applications and interview skills.

Find out more at www.bright-futures.org.uk