The end of life at university is a watershed moment: whether you have already graduated or are about to get your hands on your degree qualification, it's a time to look back on the past three or four years with affection, a smidge of embarrassment and a huge amount of pride.
1 Why is it so hard to get a graduate job?
According to the most recent data from UniversitiesUK, there were 1.80 million graduate students in 2019, while job vacancies in August-October that year peaked at 864,000, according to the Office for National Statistics (and not all will have been positions for graduates).
It's also worth remembering many firms have closing dates for their schemes, with 20% in November and 15% in December, followed by 12% in January and February - so winter really is a harsh season.
Basically, competition in the graduate job market is tougher than your tutor when you ask for a deadline extension. Think The Hunger Games with ties and very smart shoes.
Some sectors are even more cut-throat than others, with finance and medicine among the top of the list. If you want to be a specialist surgeon or a high-flying banker, you're going to face a LOT of rivals.
Graduates studying contemporary circus with physical theatre, probably not so much...
According to the most recent data from UniversitiesUK, there were 1.80 million graduate students in 2019, while job vacancies in August-October that year peaked at 864,000, according to the Office for National Statistics (and not all will have been positions for graduates).
A degree is no longer enough for a graduate job
The news gets worse before it gets better too, because you're not even a 100% shoo-in for a graduate job if you bag a 1st either. Competition is FIERCE, and there are more than plenty of students graduating with top-drawer or 2:1 degrees, so you're going to have to work a little bit harder to convince potential recruiters you've got something extra when applying for jobs. However, for graduates emerging from uni armed with a dreaded Desmond for their job hunt, it's not the disaster it once was. Many employers are happy to take a graduate with a 2:2, depending on the job opportunity. They don't necessarily care about the subject, but they are keen to have someone with degree-level smarts.Navigating the job search process can be hard
Even after you've shaken the chancellor's hand and tossed your mortarboard in the air, as fully-fledged graduates there's no guarantee you're 100% certain which sector you're interested in exploring for a first job. Different industries offer different pathways, from internships to full-time graduate jobs. The landscape can be confusing and things seem to change quickly. One jobs board looks pretty much like another after a while, so to make it count where on earth do you start? Downloading the Debut app is a great first move. It matches your skills and knowledge with employers, so you don't waste time scrolling through endless lists of meaningless graduate jobs.Brexit and Coronavirus are playing their part
Of course graduate employers aren't limited to the UK. Job seekers looking for recent graduate opportunities or international students hoping to carve out a career path in the EU have been severely impacted by Brexit. That could ease in time, but for the moment, it's as well to anticipate a little more hassle and a few more hurdles to achieve your goal. Add into the equation the chaos caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and suddenly lots of juicy overseas opportunities are now fewer and further between, with some sectors strictly limiting work placement or volunteering opportunities. To overcome them and succeed in this difficult graduate job market, you'll need lots of patience and a strong will - characteristics many employers would be happy to see.2 How can you get a graduate job with no experience?
Let's be honest, the past year has been a piping hot mess when it comes to getting any kind of work experience under your belt, but there are still ways you can demonstrate you're the right person for a graduate job.
- Build your own website to show off your technical and graphic design skills. Put it front and centre of your Linkedin profile. Use it to post blogs about a CEO you admire or explore a business success or failure that interests you.
- If you have a list of companies you're eager to work for, do some deep-dive research into them. What are they doing that is fresh and new? You can then use that knowledge to bolster any applications.
- Organise virtual graduates events through your university or any social clubs to showcase your management abilities.
- Explore marketing trends and approaches, find out which ones interest you the most and what can you learn from them?
Demonstrate your soft skills
Hands on experience is always a great pet to have when job hunting, everyone knows that, but the past 12 months or so put the kybosh on almost everyone's internship chances. However, all is not lost, because degree-level transferable skills from graduates are also massively valuable too. Graduate recruiters are also looking for people with abilities that go beyond the cover letter, soft skills that can be applied across a variety of roles and that can mark candidates out as more rounded, less in need of their rough edges softening out. Think about your ability to communicate and solve problems, how well you work in a team and your skill with time management. Can you multi-task like your life depended on it? Are you the first person in and the last one out? All of these can elevate the average graduate - even one with limited or no experience - to someone rather special.Look for alternative ways to gain experience
Let's be honest, you weren't chained to a desk during your years at university, and it's worth remembering that when applying for graduate jobs. While few potential employers will be looking for details about your social life (more about that later), recruiters reading your covering letter will be looking for abilities and skills they can develop. It's worth demonstrating the useful, productive ways you have used your time outside working toward your graduate degree. Did you manage to confound Covid and squeeze in internships or a spot of volunteering while studying? Did you get the chance to work with a local business or lend a hand at a family enterprise? Highlighting these efforts during the application process and demonstrating how they dovetail with the skills required for a graduate job will burnish your reputation no end. Alternatively, if you've already graduated, boost your job application by mentioning online courses you've taken in your cover letter, and any transferable skills you've picked up as a result. One thing is very important: make sure you mention them at recruitment events or assessment centres.3 How to get a graduate job after graduation
If your graduate job hunt is proving harder than you expected, and you are struggling to convince recruiters you really do have everything they need, then panic not.
We have put together a series of tips, hints and links that will help you impress graduate employers and stand out from the crowded job market while applying for jobs that will kick-start your career after university.
The first stage of any job hunting exercise for recent graduates is to create a sparkling CV.
