Life after graduation

Life after graduation Its graduation week time to celebrate, let your hair down (after the formal photo) and  enjoy your final few days in CV4. If youve got a graduate job lined up congratulations! And if you havent.dont panic. You have a long career journey ahead and its a marathon, not a sprint, so dont hurry into those starting blocks. Keep some perspective Some people hit the bulls eye after one application, others take 200.  We all compare and compete, but try to focus energy on your own job search it will prove far more productive. Dont get caught up in any  misconceived notion of fairness: there will always be someone  more talented, more experienced or better connected. Its worth remembering however, that as a graduate from one of the UKs most prestigious universities, with an excellent track record in graduate employment, youve already been dealt a pretty good hand. Make small changes We recently held our first ever Finalists Get Hired! event and hosted an employer panel to bust some job market myths.  One of the most positive themes to emerge from the day was the impact of small changes in attitude and approach.  A small change can make a big difference. If youre keen to move into a particular field, but lack both contacts and experience, start a blog. Find your voice and offer something unique. Blogging can generate a great return for a modest investment of time. Its a good  way to build your profile, demonstrate your enthusiasm and start making (potentially) influential contacts. Ask someone in your chosen industry or a careers professional to give your CV the once-over and tell you where the gaps are. It might take very little to turn your CV from no thanks to job ready. Dont dwell on past mistakes and rejections learn from them. Im not sure attitude entirely trumps ability, but it goes a long, long way. Stop saying no; start saying yes Im not suggesting you throw caution to the wind and agree to scale Kilimanjaro (unless you really, really want to), but try to approach life with a renewed vigour. Youve just graduated from Warwick, so ride the wave  of positive momentum and say yes a bit more. Im not one for career theorising, but I am comfortable bedfellows with planned happenstance and the role of chance. By saying yes, you may open yourself to new encounters which could have unforeseen and far-reaching effects (to the good!) on your job search. Dont be a gloom merchant When I blogged this time last year, the graduate job market was still a little ropey. If the class off 2013 was feeling circumspect about their prospects, there was some justification.  Very few economists were prepared to stake their reputation on an economic recovery, but fast forward a year and its a different story. Ive highlighted just a few of recent good news items on the  AGR (Association of Graduate Recruiters) site: Employers expect an 18% increase in graduate hires Graduate job vacancies up 10% with 23 000 jobs on offer The  totaljobs Barometer calculates  an 11% year on year increase in graduate and trainee vacancies Now, Im the first to urge caution and context when it comes to stats and the AGR represents just a slice not the totality of the graduate job market, but its still indicative of an upturn in graduate prospects. Add to that the  range  of opportunities within smaller businesses (SMEs) and theres every reason to feel optimistic. Here comes the practical bit I have been working in this profession long enough to know that quite a few of you (actually, more than a few) like being told what to do and how to do it! So, Ive decided to oblige with short list of practical, tangible things you can do. Starting now. Read  the email from Student Careers Skills informing you how to convert your student account into a graduate one. We know you get frustrated with our frequent emails   regular communications, but this is one you dont want to miss. Did I mention there are still hundreds  of graduate opportunities on myAdvantage.? Use social media as a professional tool, not just a recreational one. Yes, its fun to waste time on Twitter, but its more than just a lunchtime distraction. Theres a really rich mine of sector and market information out there, and its a great way to unearth potential opportunities. I came across a great post, Jobs in the Twittersphere,  from Edinburgh student and guest HuffPo blogger, Francesca Mitchell, which I think just about nails it! Set yourself some realistic and manageable goals. Much will depend on your state of career readiness; are you looking to enter the  job market now, or  do you need to get more experience before launching  yourself fully into a graduate job search? Be  proactive. Now is not the time to retreat to your bedroom, post a few CVs to online job boards and hope the offers will come flooding in. Your time is better spent investing in quality relationships and quality applications,  both of which are far more likely to bear fruit. Plug in to any relevant Warwick networks (see point above about quality relationships) and join professional groups and associations in your chosen sector. This has been something of hybrid post  but Im hoping it might diffuse that  post-graduation anxiety and encourage some positive thinking. Remember, graduation marks the end of one journey and the start of another. Embrace it.