Good Advices Part One – JOBsearch is nothing without REsearch…

Welcome to part one of a series on finding employers, finding vacancies, applications, interviews…and landing the job you want*.

*that last part’s pretty much down to you, but we’ll pitch in with stages 1 – 4 and hopefully make stage 5 a foregone conclusion. Enough smartalec-ism, let’s get started.

232:365 - Goofballness makes me happy. #100HAPPYDAYS“So what attracts you to a career with Amalgamated Paperclip Solutions plc?…”
First things first – know your employer, know the job, know the industry. When the interviewer asks a question like the one above (and they will ask it) be sure to have an answer.

Obviously you’re there because you want a job, but why *that* job? And why *that* employer? Applying and interviewing for jobs is like a first date – you both know you’re maybe talking to other people, but for the duration of the date you want to give the impression they’re the sole object of your attention. What’s more, in our hyper-connected, social media saturated world it’s easy for employers to know who’s genuinely interested (i.e. who’s following them on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, You Tube etc.) and who’s just full of chat.

So how do you find out all about this potential dream employer? As well as what they say about themselves, how do you find out what employees (especially recent graduate recruits) think of them?

The up-side to all that social media hyper-connectivity is that it’s easy to get insider info, and make useful connections in the process. Check out these links for starters;

LinkedIn

  • Students and graduates are the fastest-growing user group on LinkedIn, and employers know it.
  • Employers can search for finalists who are following them, and will certainly do so if you apply for a job with them.
  • Many employers have ‘careers with…’ pages to advertise jobs, broadcast the culture and values of their organisation, and share industry news.
  • You can make connections with graduate employees at your chosen company and get insights on working there, and advice on how to make the best possible impression.
  • See our pages on Using LinkedIn for advice on how to create a profile, make connections and get yourself known.

Glassdoor, The Job Crowd, Inside Buzz, The Student Room and Rate my Placement

  • All of the above sites have a wealth of information on working for graduate employers, from what to expect from an interview/assessment centre with a particular company to the reality of working for them and likely career prospects.
  • Content is written by recent graduates working for the companies themselves and is uncensored. It’s not glossy PR-speak, but nor is it hordes of internet trolls venting. Definitely worth a look.
  • See our page Finding Employers for links.

Occupations and Industries

  • Is our A-Z directory of graduate professions.
  • Each has links to trade journals and professional bodies to help you research the hot topics in the industry of your choice.
  • http://bit.ly/UoBoccupations

Facebook

  • As well as advertising vacancies on Facebook, some employers might expect direct involvement from candidates, or have their current staff searching user groups and discussions to find new talent.
  • In the past Deloitte and T-Mobile have set up Facebook groups for their graduate interns to get to know each other, and advertisers Saatchi & Saatchi recruited via a competition to create the most popular Facebook group.
  • For networking purposes – search and ‘like’ pages and groups for specific graduate recruiters, career sectors, careers services and jobs.
  • IMPORTANT BIT: If you already a member, take care that your social use of Facebook doesn’t undermine your professional standing. See our page about managing your online presence.

Twitter

  • Networking on Twitter can be as simple as following your favourite people and organisations.
  • You will be one of the first to hear their latest events, opportunities and news – very useful for application and interview preparation.
  • Look up the profiles of those you are following and see who they are following.
  • You can also create ‘lists’ of related Twitter accounts; this can be useful for finding people or organisations to follow.
  • Find out more about getting started with Twitter.

You Tube

  • There’s more to You Tube than film trailers and BuzzFeed.
  • Employers and other institutions (including ourselves) are using YouTube to publicise themselves to and interact with potential recruits and ‘sell’ the culture of their organisation.
  • https://www.youtube.com/

…and finally

Is your brain hurting yet? That’s a lot of information in one hit, I know. If you have questions (or don’t know where to start) leave a comment, drop us a line (careers@brighton.ac.uk) or call us on 01273 642855.

Keep your eyes peeled for Good Advices Part Two on CVs and applications, coming soon…

 

Image: Creative Commons License Susana Fernandez via Compfight

employabilityfacebookgraduatejobsearchlinkedinnetworkingsocial mediatwitteryoutube

Paul Rothwell • 03/10/2016


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