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Choosing where to apply is the first issue you are likely to address, once you have decided on your future career. Most students would hope to work for an employer with a good reputation, so it is important that you do your research. Just as employers will have a checklist of what they want from their applicants, so it is important for you to draw up your own checklist of what you want from your future employer. It is critical that you understand what you personally want from a job if you are going to find the job and the employer that matches your needs.

Take time to:
• use the resources of the careers service - interactive tools like Prospects Planner;
• meet with a careers adviser - to discuss your requirements and options;
• attend seminars put on by the careers service - to find out what employers have to offer;
• talk to people you have worked with, your family and friends - to help gain a better understanding of the kind of work that would suit you best;
• try to build up links with people working in your field of interest or those likely to have contacts -so you have the potential to develop a network as your job search develops.

 

Support and information will help you to move forward in the applications process.

Generally, those students most likely to be successful are those who have considered their future goal and the steps they should take to achieve it. 'Action planning' encourages you to consider what needs to be done and the time you have to accomplish it, in order to achieve your target.

As your plans progress you will need to gain an insight into organisations and their recruitment procedures. One way of doing this is by attending careers fairs, company presentations, workshops and skills training sessions set up by companies. The way organisations present themselves, the types of people they send and the sort of application procedures they put in place provide clues to the type of employer they are. These events also present an opportunity for you to introduce yourself in person, to make a positive impression and to find out more. Keep in touch with your careers service - they will let you know of ongoing careers events.

Once you have some idea of the types of employer that you would choose to work for, you can move towards the application phase. You will be more focused and better placed to take appropriate action to reach your goal. It should make things easier to draw up a shortlist of eight to ten organisations to apply to. As each application can take up to three hours to complete properly, applying to more organisations than that initially would simply be too time-consuming.

Before you begin you need to establish:
• the kind of application that is required, eg paper-based form, online application, or CV to be mailed;
• when the deadline is;
• when interviews take place.

It is important to use a variety of sources of vacancy information, as well as to make speculative applications to organisations. Most careers services will produce their own vacancy bulletin, or advertise these through their web pages.

If you are unclear about the application procedure, you should contact the employer by phone or e-mail for further clarification.

 

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If you plan to apply to some of the large companies who offer graduate training schemes, the following information indicates the typical timescale:
• October and November: Careers fairs and presentations at universities. A few early closing dates in November.
• December: The majority of employers with a single deadline require completed applications to arrive either before or directly after Christmas.
• January-March: Employers invite students for first interviews (sometimes on campus) and second interviews or assessment centres prior to making offers.

Many companies are moving to a more flexible timescale for recruitment. Outside the timetable there is year-round recruitment with many recruiters, including small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs), and for which finalists become eligible from March of final year onwards.

You can target appropriate employers by sending speculative applications. You should send a CV and tailored covering letter indicating the kind of work being sought and the reasons for applying to that employer.

After final exams, summer recruitment fairs are held in a number of universities targeting finalists in particular; they are also held at other times of year with an interest in meeting those who have already graduated.

 

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