A grads eye view managing your job search

A grads eye view managing your job search Theres plenty of information out there to help you  prepare for interviews, but its often the experiences and insights of your peers that resonate most strongly. Esther, a recent Warwick MSc graduate, has taken time out to reflect on her experiences and share her top tips for a successful job search It is not easy to find a graduate level job in this economy, but it is possible. Overall, the people who get graduate-level jobs are not necessarily the most talented, but rather those who are the most ready. This is why you have to be meticulous in your job search strategy. So, here are some tips: Start looking early:  I was lucky to end up with two offers at the end of my Master’s degree, and therefore have the opportunity to choose. But I sent my first CV about a year before I signed my first contract and I sent my application to my current company in March, signing my contract in September. This is why you have to start looking while you are still at Uni. Treat all interviews as good practice:  An interview is like a one-man show. All the spotlights are on you, but the audience has yet to be won over. In order to have a great show, you need to have a lot of rehearsals. You may need a couple of interviews before it becomes routine and you know what questions to expect and what answers to give. Be ambitious but realistic:  You need to aim high, but do not cling to a dream job (or dream company) that you don’t have the capacities to get. You WANT your dream job but you NEED any job in your field. A bird in the hand is better than two in the bush. Aim to get a job in your field first; then you’ll be able to apply to your dream company once you have acquired real experience. Use a list of key words that employers want to hear  (e.g. hard working, team-oriented, ability to multitask, extensive knowledge of……., etc)  and have a short story connected to previous experiences to illustrate each keyword :  It is all about selling yourself. It is up to you to demonstrate that a couple of baby-sitting hours made you an expert in client relations, or that serving beer at a bar for a summer has sharpened your analytical skills. Acing an interview requires a lot of upstream preparation. Do not put something on your resume that you could not talk about for at least 5 minutes.  You do not have to start scratching things from your CV, but think about how each line can serve as an opportunity to showcase skills that the company is looking for. Looking for a job is a full time job:  It is costly in time and money. You need to develop a routine and stick to it if you want to be successful (e.g.: Decide that you have to look for opportunities and send applications from 1 to 4p.m. every day, until you get a job). Debrief in writing every interview that you have:  How long it lasted, what questions they asked, what exercises you were given and what you didn’t know. This will help you avoid making the same mistakes in the future. Excel sheets are a very good tool for this. No matter what happens, always stay on good terms with your interviewers:  A thank you email after an interview process is a must (whatever the outcome of the encounter). I was recently contacted by a company whose first offer I had previously declined a couple of month ago, for a second interview for an even better position. I fully believe this happened because of my tenacity to show politeness and potential corporate spirit throughout the first interview process. Esther graduated from Warwick with an MSc in Biotechnology, Bioprocessing and Business Management and is currently working as a strategy consultant for a company specialising in pharmaceutical consulting.