Careers centre
Just graduated
A passport to a brave new world
Looking to bridge the insurmountable gap between copious experience and none at all? Getting your first ‘proper’ job can be one of the hardest challenges in your career. The key is remembering you have more experience than you think.
- Make the most of your University degree – list relevant projects, tasks and modules to pad out your CV.
- Money is no measure of experience: voluntary positions and work experience placements are just as legitimate as paid work.
• You don’t have to explicitly mark these positions as unpaid work, but you should be prepared to answer any questions truthfully.
- If you’re struggling to find work, keep active. Take on projects for friends and family. Then write about them on your CV.
- Part-time work is also valid experience. Make sure you present it in a way that shows its relevance. “Part-time shop assistant” is no use for a marketing position, although “Organisation and realisation of [insert shop name]’s in-store promotional events” may be.
- Interests and hobbies can also provide you with a source of material, although make sure you refer to specific achievements and explain why they’re relevant:
• “I’ve played in a rugby team for the last five years and am a reliable team player”
• “I write fundraising letters for [charity name] and have excellent written communication skills”
- Don’t panic if you don’t know exactly what you want to do. This is normal. There’s no harm in trying new things, even if you end up in a completely different area of work. In any case, you will need to start at the bottom and work up.
- It’s no use having a perfect CV if your Facebook wall is publicly covered with pictures of your most decadent nights out from the last three years.
Before you go anywhere else, see our all-purpose CV advice for general tips on how to spruce up your CV.
Looking to bridge the insurmountable gap between copious experience and none at all? Getting your first ‘proper’ job can be one of the hardest challenges in your career. The key is remembering you have more experience than you think.
- Make the most of your University degree – list relevant projects, tasks and modules to pad out your CV.
- Money is no measure of experience: voluntary positions and work experience placements are just as legitimate as paid work.
• You don’t have to explicitly mark these positions as unpaid work, but you should be prepared to answer any questions truthfully.
- If you’re struggling to find work, keep active. Take on projects for friends and family. Then write about them on your CV.
- Part-time work is also valid experience. Make sure you present it in a way that shows its relevance. “Part-time shop assistant” is no use for a marketing position, although “Organisation and realisation of [insert shop name]’s in-store promotional events” may be.
- Interests and hobbies can also provide you with a source of material, although make sure you refer to specific achievements and explain why they’re relevant:
• “I’ve played in a rugby team for the last five years and am a reliable team player”
• “I write fundraising letters for [charity name] and have excellent written communication skills”
- Don’t panic if you don’t know exactly what you want to do. This is normal. There’s no harm in trying new things, even if you end up in a completely different area of work. In any case, you will need to start at the bottom and work up.
- It’s no use having a perfect CV if your Facebook wall is publicly covered with pictures of your most decadent nights out from the last three years.
Before you go anywhere else, see our all-purpose CV advice for general tips on how to spruce up your CV.
