Graduating soon and looking for a job in the digital sector? Here’s 12 tips to steer you towards greater success in your job search. Good luck and happy hunting!
Be proactive
It’s alright to take a little break after graduating (after all you’ve earned it!), but don’t let those lazy days on your sofa roll into weeks. If you want to get ahead you’ll need to be proactive and not wait for opportunities to come to you.
Don’t wait
Want a job in web development? Practise making websites in different styles. Want to write blog posts for a living? Start a blog about one of your hobbies and learn to promote it through online channels. Want to be a designer? Then design something for fun... Hopefully you get the picture; you need to demonstrate to employers that you’re not only passionate about wanting a job, but also a committed and capable person.
Keep your ear to the ground
Research local companies and create a list of the ones you’d love to work for and stay up-to-date with their latest news. Sign up for newsletters, follow social media channels and keep informed of their activities. You never know when opportunity will knock.
Plan ahead
Got a dream job in mind? Look at the skills you need for the role – reflect on where you are now - and plan out small steps you can take to gain the necessary experience you need.
Get connected
The truth is most jobs never make it to the stage of being advertised online, as they get filled through recommendations and connections beforehand. So, get yourself out there, create a LinkedIn account and connect with others involved in the sector.
Also, be sure to check our Event Calendar for local and online events happening in Brighton & Sussex on the topics you’re interested in. After all the best way to learn about certain roles is to speak first-hand with passionate people already working in the sector.
CV clarity
No one likes updating their CV, but it’s an essential part of job hunting. For most companies, this is the first stage of their selection process and you need to make sure that you’ve tailored your CV for each role, so that it speaks to the position and employer.
On average recruiters spend as little as 5-7 seconds scanning CV’s before making a decision on whether to invest time and read on. You need to make those seconds count and be clear on why you meet the requirements of the job. We have a blog post on 'how to write a great graduate CV’ so take a look for guidance.
It’s not all about the CV
Don’t underestimate the importance of a good cover letter. CV’s are basically fact sheets that employers check to see whether your skills align with the job. Whilst a good cover letter will set you apart from the competition and demonstrate why you're right for the job.
Take your time, research the company and explain why you are perfect for the role, and don’t want just any job.
Use one email address
It's important to have a professional email address when applying for jobs. That 'cat_lolz@4ever.com' address might be fine when emailing your Nan, but it’s probably not going to make for the strongest first impression. Your name@gmail.com will look better.
Interview prep
Congrats, you’ve made it through to the interview stage – now’s your chance to show your personality and sell yourself to make it clear why you’d be a great fit within their company. Take a look at our Interview Guide for some handy tips to remember when preparing for and during interviews.
Your digital shadow
Be aware of your online presence. Companies will search and check out your social media profiles (especially within the digital sector!) and those drunken nights might be fun at the time, but endless pictures of you inebriated won’t portray you in the most professional light.
Check your privacy settings, google yourself and curate your online image. And if you don’t like what you find online, you can always ask Google to remove it.
If you want to read more on this, I’d suggest checking out ‘Me and My Web Shadow’; a great book on managing your online reputation by Anthony Mayfield.
Don’t be scared of social media
Make the most of online platforms to showcase your ‘relevant skills’. You might not think twice about your twitter account, personal blogs or those lines of code you contributed to various GitHubs, but companies could see this as excellent experience – so make sure you link to relevant accounts when applying for jobs.
Other ways we can help:
It’s tedious having to check Jobs Board daily to keep abreast of all the new roles being advertised. So why not remove the leg work?
- Sign up for Jobs Alerts emails and be amongst the first to hear about the latest digital, media & tech roles being advertised in the sector, direct to your inbox.
- Follow us on our social channels like our Wired Sussex and Wired Sussex Jobs Twitter to also hear about the latest roles.
- Hear from others in the sector: There’s lots of great advice from industry experts who spoke at our Talent Fest 2020: Jobs Fair last year.