How to climb that executive ladder

Climbing up the executive ladder is never going to be easy, but there are ways that can give you a better chance of achieving your goal.

It's human nature to keep on striving for success, rather than settling for staying in the same position for thirty years. But, some people are not only more ambitious than others, they also do the right things to make sure that their career prospects are enhanced.

Show That You Care About Doing Your Job

Do all the right things at the place that you currently work. Whether that's happily arriving early, or staying in the office till a job is completed, don't plod along and get a job done on a set day if that job can easily be completed a day earlier. Also volunteer to undertake work some of your fellow employees don't seem so keen to do. These are examples that can show a company that you are not just happy to do as much as you need to earn your wages. Also dress appropriately, and pay attention to the fact that a scruffy appearance will not reflect too well on the company.

Show Respect and Be Respected

Keep on good terms with fellow workers and employers, and generally treat people with respect and kindness. Don't be afraid to disagree, but do so in a non-aggressive manner. If you are seen as a person who can get on well with everyone, but without also being a pushover, this makes the task of offering you a better position that much easier. Strength and resolve, combined with good communication skills and a likeable nature, are favourable attributes for anyone to have - especially when looking to advance their careers.

Don't Push Too Hard

Don't be too pushy, and begin to think that you are irreplaceable. Nobody is. If you think that you deserve a promotion, just look at the type of work a promotion would involve, and subtly suggest that some of your other skills include those that would also be useful in a new position. Not all your skills may be known, so don't be shy about sharing this knowledge with employers.

Be Humble and Honest

Be willing to ask for help, and be honest about your abilities and mistakes. Don't try and take on a task that you can't do, because mistakes can cost time and money, and you may undermine your own confidence if you do make mistakes. If you have a reputation for being honest, then you will also be more respected among employees and workers alike. Honesty is another valuable aid to climbing the executive ladder.

Never Stop Learning

Keep learning. If you display a willingness to learn and to improve this will go down well with bosses, and indicate dedication. If you don't seem to show ambition, then it will be hard for anyone to show faith in you when people are considered for promotion. Drive is always going to be a necessary part of job success.

Georgina Stamp has worked in the executive search business for a number of years and has met successful candidates whilst recruiting for various international and local organisations. She currently works for Marble Hill Partners, who help provide interim management.

Taking advantage of the social network

Knowing how to stand out from other graduates and job seekers can be tough. But Amy Russell, part time marketing executive for RAM Tracking and full time student at Huddersfield University, shares a few of her tips to getting ahead of the game.

There will be hundreds of thousands of new graduates, including myself, in the UK alone. So having your potential recognised and standing out from the crowd is becoming very difficult. There are some vacancies getting an extraordinary number of applicants, including the coffee shop that received 1,700 applications for only 8 jobs, so what can you do to ensure you get an interview?  

Having a good degree in a relevant subject will certainly help when looking to enter your desired career sector, but employers are looking for people with more than just a degree. Employers are in the position to choose the best applicants to give an interview to, so when there are over 1,000 CV’s sprawled across a desk or piling up in someone’s inbox, you want to be considered a candidate not a piece of paper.

Having an absolutely faultless CV is a great place to start but there are always others who have gone the extra mile, or ‘the networkers’. The adage ‘it’s not what you know, it’s who you know’ is something we have all heard, but ‘the networkers’ are out there using social media to communicate with prospective employees. Rich Jones, recruiter and HR professional has recently said “if you’re not taking advantage of LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook, you’re not maximising your networking efforts”. The majority of people have profiles on these social networks and often use them for personal correspondence, but they also provide a great opportunity for professional networking.

LinkedIn

When it comes to professional networking LinkedIn is by the far the most useful to build your professional contacts. Sending out invites to friends and people you know, or even influential figures in your preferred field, is a great starting point; but having a big list of contacts isn’t particularly useful until you start networking. Join groups about subjects that you are interested in, your desired career path, or areas related to your dissertation. Comment on posts and engage with the other members of the groups; be confident and let people know what you are doing in a professional sense.

When you feel you have developed a relationship with some members of the group message them personally. Ask them for advice or guidance, and what steps they took in their career to get where they are. Don’t be afraid to ask people questions, be proactive, if you don’t I guarantee someone else will.

Facebook

Facebook is the most common social media channel for personal communication, but is rarely used in a professional sense. Building a professional online presence through Facebook may not be the most effective way to communicate with companies or potential employers, but you can definitely learn a lot about a brand and the way they communicate with the public.

But be aware that potential employers may look at your personal Facebook page to see how you communicate with people. Think about what you are about to post as a status, and whether the pictures from last Saturday night are going to come across as totally professional. Don’t be afraid to show you like to have fun and socialise, but be aware of what potential employers may gather from that information.

Twitter

In the past 18 months Twitter has become increasingly popular for professional communication. Having a strong Twitter presence allows potential employers to see what topics interest you, and that you are confident enough to share your thoughts on these topics. Again, don’t be afraid to engage with people, ask influential figures questions or their opinion on something, even share articles with them that you have come across. Twitter provides you with direct communication to people working in your desired field, so make sure you take advantage of it. 

Find more tips on how to job hunt using social media here. 

How a year abroad will get you a job

Our intern Laura is back with yet another great blog. This is a must-read for all those that are starting their year abroad or are thinking about planning their year abroad for next year.

I started a British Council teaching assistantship in Germany two years ago and although it may sound like a cliché, I feel a lot more employable now I’ve done it. Loads of you will be starting your year abroad this month and if you learn to sell your year abroad experiences well, there’s no reason why it shouldn’t secure you a graduate job when you get back.

On the most obvious level, a year abroad bulks up your CV and application forms with a huge amount of new experiences; often experience that you would not have been able to get at home. I chose a teaching assistantship because it was a chance to do something completely different to studying, and even if you don’t want to be a teacher, doing something out of your comfort zone can boost your confidence and reveal strengths you didn’t know you had.

And although you will be the ‘gap yah’ guy for the first six months after you get home, don’t treat this as a bad thing! If every sentence that leaves your mouth starts with ‘when I was on my year abroad…’ or ‘this reminds me of a time on my year abroad when…’ you can adopt in graduate job interviews when you need to provide examples of your competencies. Just by going abroad and surviving the year you’ve already ticked loads of competency boxes- courage, adaptability, personal responsibility, the list goes on. Don’t undersell your year abroad experiences because even the things you don’t think are particularly notable achievements, like finding accommodation and making friends, really are. The fact that you still managed to do them despite being in a foreign country, speaking a foreign language and out of your comfort zone is something a graduate recruiter would want to know.

Finally, when going for graduate jobs, it is important to remember that graduate recruiters want to know how you think, not what you know. A year abroad develops the way you think because it makes you question and challenge everything you come into contact with. It makes you see your own life and country from a new perspective and while you may think conversations about minor cultural differences sound trivial, they make you question the status quo and develop your global perspective. No graduate recruiter wants someone who accepts things as they are. They want people who can identify strengths and weaknesses, think outside the box and suggest alternative ways of doing things. If you’ve ever had a thought like ‘I wonder why the Germans start school at 8am’ or ‘I wonder why the French kiss each other’s cheeks all the time,’ as trivial as it may sound, you’re on the right track.

In a nutshell, your year abroad is worth much more than just a line on your CV, so make sure the recruiters know it. 

We've also got some great articles on our site on how to make a gap year count, whether it is part of your university course or not. 

GT-bye

As my internship comes to a close, I’ve been asked to think about what I’ve learnt here at TARGETjobs towers. So as I promised our blog editor Jackie, I’m going to give you a bit about the top five ‘things’ I’m taking out the door with me when I leave.

This may not sound very cool but one of the most important things I’ve learned is Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). I realise that this makes me sound like I spend far too much time at a computer and before I started at TARGETjobs I would have wondered why I would need it too, but really – it’s useful. With so much of the media making its way online, employers are emphasising more often that they want experience in online journalism. I’m not saying that I’m an expert, but having a working knowledge of HTML will hopefully mean the difference between me and another candidate.

Staying on this tangent, my next most important ‘thing’ is the content management system (CMS) that we use at work to get all that lovely content online to you guys. Again, boring as I sound, knowledge of how to use a CMS is a great soft skill that you can put on your CV. It’ll show a prospective employer that you know how to work the ‘behind the scenes’ bit of a website and that you won’t cause their website to crash on your first day, substituting stock exchange rates for a cute picture of a cat in a box and party hat.

My third ‘thing’ that I’m taking with me is confidence. No, I’m not going to strut my stuff out the door like I just don’t care – this relates to writing. Previously I would fret over who read my blog posts in case they took offence to them, or thought my comments ridiculous and inarticulate. TARGETjobs has taught me to shift this angst. Writing on a regular basis has taught me that through practice my writing has become better. I’m quite happy to write now and publish away without fear of rebuttal.

I’m also more intelligent now. Ok, not really, but I can pretend to people now that I’m more intelligent than I am. Having worked on pieces for (deep breath) finance, management consultancy, IT and technology, property, quantity surveying, law, media and a good chunk of The Guardian UK 300, my knowledge of different industries has increased beyond what I thought was possible. It means that I can hold a conversation with a colleague about the technical points of a finance graduate scheme and understand the brain-teasers asked of graduates at interviews.

At this point I must stress that the fifth ‘thing’ I was going to take with me when I left was one of the titanic apple desktop computers that our design team have, but I’ve been assured that this isn’t possible. Apparently it’s something to do with theft.

Anyway, the last ‘thing’ I’m taking with me is advice. After four months of full time work, I would be a fool not to remember at least a few of the things people have said along the way. For instance, I realise now that it’s not just about having a huge amount of work experience on my CV, it’s about being able to convince an employer on one piece of A4 that they just have to meet me. No pressure then for the next time I put pen to covering letter paper…

On a serious note, I would like to thank everyone I’ve worked with at GTI Media who have contributed to my experience over the past four months. They’ve been extremely rewarding and I will miss you when I’m back at university.

Communique' from an uncertain future

Something everyone has heard before: ‘You need to do what you enjoy. You spend the majority of your life working, so if you don’t enjoy it then you’ll not be happy.’

Something else everyone has heard before: ‘If I won the lottery…’

In life, the prominence given to money cannot be understated. People talk about it all the time. Parents complain about a lack of it. Some individuals are ruthlessly driven in the pursuit of it. The fruits of wealthy pockets are forever envied. Money must be quite important, then?

Our consumer-driven, capitalist society is propped up by self-perpetuating industries and organisations following the dangling carrot of profit, hence the credence given to commercial awareness by graduate employers. Publishing, which, broadly speaking is the sector in which I am currently employed, is not renowned for its generosity when it comes to financially rewarding employees for their hard work; yet it is still a commercial enterprise. Fiscal payback for employees is largely dependent on the amount of money that a business is able to accrue; so what of those job sectors that are more likely to supply their employees with kinder monetary gifts? Without having experienced graduate jobs in traditionally cash-soaked sectors such as banking, law or accountancy, for example, I can’t say that they are substantially more demanding than publishing. I also can’t say that they’re boring, soul destroying or grim, which is why I’m starting to wonder: should I choose to pursue a career in an area that could furnish me with sterling and hope that I might, as a bonus, even enjoy the job?

Here’s a surprise: I’m uncertain. As I discussed in a previous blog entry, the implications of pursuing a career that you haven’t experienced are many and various. If you opt for a path that you think you’ll enjoy, there’s every possibility that you may rue your choice when you find yourself struggling for money; if you follow pound signs, there’s a chance that you may curse your choice when you are battling for contentment.

There’s no way to accurately predict the future. Depending on the career choice you make and how things fall, anything could happen. So here’s a seemingly silly suggestion for skirting a mid-life crisis: get some hobbies. Colour your free time with activities that you enjoy so that in future, you can work to live instead of living to work. Play golf. Take up cycling. Buy a camera. Develop your interest in ornithology. Do whatever appeals to you and if you don’t know what you like, get thinking and try things out. This isn’t intended to be a doom-laden sentiment, merely a pragmatic means by which to exercise some control over a wild beast. At least then if things don’t go entirely to plan, you won’t be left feeling completely short changed.  

Thank you Ross. 

Maybe taking a gap year after university may also help clearing your mind, picking up hobbies and figuring out what to do with your career. If you have thought of this but worried about how employers may view it why not have a look at how you can market your gap year to employers. 

Or why not have a read of our 'Fun, prospects or money article' this may inspire you and give you some options. 

Gillian O'Neill - an introduction

Meet our new guest blogger, Gillian she is here to tell us about her journey from uni life to being a graduate. Her first post is an introduction to herself and a little background. 

I still remember the day that I decided what I wanted to study at university.  It was one of the first days back at high school after the summer holidays, I was starting sixth year, and our Head of Year announced that our usual S.E. (Social Education) class would now be dedicated to university applications.  We were pointed towards the UCAS website, and told to begin

.

This is rather unexpected, I remember thinking.  I had never really given much thought to the concept of life past high school.  Sure, I had thought of finishing high school (I was happily crossing off the days of my 2005/06 calendar at home), but beyond that? Beyond that was a big fat void.  I was suddenly faced with the prospect of my future - as if it had only just that moment burst into existence because I had granted it my attention - and I was a tad overwhelmed.

So, there I was, university prospectuses in hand, being told to pick a course.  I became panic stricken at the notion of planning out the next four years of my life in the same class that was usually reserved for finishing off last night’s homework and catching up with friends.  I relayed this thought process to my Head of Year (well, minus the pointlessness of SE as a class; I figured she wouldn’t quite see eye-to-eye with that part), and her reply was, “Well Gillian, what are you good at? What do you enjoy?”

But what was I good at? In the academic sense, the obvious answer was English.  Having completed my Higher Grade examinations that year, I had received an ‘A’ for English, a ‘B’ for both Drama and History, and a ‘C’ for Administration.  I hadn’t even managed to sit my Maths higher, after receiving 5% (yes, 5) in the preliminary exam.  English seemed to jump out as my strong suit.  It was, after all, my only ‘A’.  As far as what I enjoyed, that answer was in a similar vein; I liked to read and I liked to write.  And that, right there, was the entire thought process that led to my studying an English degree.  I was good at English, so I would study English.  I enjoyed writing, so I would study something I enjoyed.  It seemed logical.  Sensible.  Of course, I didn’t really consider where this degree would take me after university.  My future may have just turned into a real concept, but only insofar as the next end goal: graduating university.

In 2006, I received an unconditional place on an Arts & Social Sciences course at the University of Strathclyde, which became a single-honours in English in my final year.  I then graduated in 2011 with an upper-second class degree.

And so, in July 2011, I found myself staring into the same blank that had presented itself to me in high school; my future.  But it felt much more serious this time around.  This wasn’t higher education; this was a career, a living, a life.  I quickly realised I was now in the same place I had been six years prior – looking into my future, wondering how long it had been there and why I was only just noticing  it now.  Just like before.  And, just like before, all I knew was this: I loved the English language, and I loved to write.  So was that what lay in my future? English? And if so – how?

My university prospectus listed my future career prospects as being in areas such as local government work, teaching, social services and the voluntary sector, amongst many others.  But nothing stood out to me as “my career”.  And I still really wanted to incorporate my love of reading and writing.  So, I looked to my peers for direction.  Those who had actually made a decision all seemed to be going down the teaching route, whether it was through a postgraduate course to become a teacher, or taking a gap year to study abroad.  The teaching thing was clearly popular with us English grads, but seemingly not with me, as I cringed at the notion of returning to school and attempting to teach the beauty of the English language to the auto-correct generation.  Sure, there would be reading, but it would be for others.  And as for the writing aspect? I had visions of myself working long into the night (most likely clutching a bottle of wine) as I tried to translate the scrawls of an apathetic adolescent, red pen tearing through paper, a manic look in my eyes, and I feared for my future sanity.  Teaching was definitely not for me.  But then, what was?

Which brings us to the present.  As it stands, I have spent the last year applying for graduate jobs whilst simultaneously working temp jobs, retail jobs, call centre jobs (none of which have taken into account my love of reading and writing, sadly), and signing on for Job Seeker’s Allowance.  I am an atypical, modern day graduate, stuck in the University/Real-World limbo.

This introductory post has been just that; an introduction into how I came to be a graduate.  I plan on writing more blog entries for TARGETjobs, where I will share my personal experiences on seeking a graduate job, as well as discuss my dream job(s!), and also give my own advice to those at university, or are just about to start.  I hope you enjoyed my post, and hope you’ll return for more!

If you are unsure about your career options why not have a look at our careers report, which measures your strengths and weakness, and through other questions and answer can suss out which best careers are suited for you. 

Preventing being pigeonholed

This week Alex has been thinking about what to do should your career aspirations change.

I’ve been at TARGETjobs Towers for nearly three months now and I’ve found myself to be in a dilemma. It’s not the commute, the early mornings or the routine that bother me, or the lack of ‘student mobility’. I’m wondering whether I know what it is I want to do. Call it a mid-life crisis for a 20-year old if you will.

On my first day, I had an idea that I was going to gain a valuable insight into the way magazine editorial works. This, I have come to realise, was a rather naïve assumption. Not only would I be experiencing the publishing industry from a grassroots level up, I would be thrown into a world that dipped its feet into multiple industries on a daily basis.

Being delegated tasks by editors who are responsible for fields as diverse as engineering, law and management consultancy, you can imagine that my knowledge of these different career paths increased significantly during the first few weeks of my tenure. My youthful, journalistic mind was intrigued and weirdly, I flirted with the idea that I could transfer into one of these industries.

Funnily enough, and for me it really is funny, the industry I most came to be enticed by was finance (SIGH). Up until this point in my career, I have not had the slightest inclination to pursue a life in financial services, but now I would be lying if it wasn’t a consideration I was making.

But I love writing – something that I am not prepared to give up. So on to my dilemma. How do I keep writing whilst also indulging my fancy for finance? I have lost many (one) nights’ sleep to this question. The answer, by the way, is pretty simple and, coincidently, it gets into our office every morning at about 10:00am. This came in the form of a hot off the press Financial Times. Cue an Olympic closing ceremony light bulb hat – Eureka.

It’s a pause to kick myself moment, how something so obvious could be overlooked. Why have I never thought of specialising in the way that I write? Yes, there is the traditional print media, those that get circulated every day to hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of readers, but the number of specialist newspapers and publications is staggering. It didn’t take long to realise the plethora of opportunity that lay just outside my clammy reach.

I’ve realised that I shouldn’t be so rigid in my thinking. Yes, I know what career I want, but things may change depending on what you’re exposed to – in this respect TARGETjobs has been a rebirth for my career aspirations. I’ve allowed a wide variety of career paths to fall into my lap, ones that I had previously never considered or knew of. Journalistic curiosity flowing, I’m ready to go out and hunt one out.

But not now, it’s raining.

Just say yes: applying for work experience, the dreaded rejection and silver linings

Emma Williams, regular TARGETjobs blogger is back yet another insightful blog.

Sending out cover letters, query letters and endless CVs with a barren inbox of responses can be dismaying; and believe me, the rejection emails offer a breather of relief sometimes. Relief that you have actually been acknowledged, rather than dismissed, laughed at or deleted from their inbox or ‘in’ tray. But as an undergraduate, it sadly is process that you get accustomed to. With constant reminders that not even a 2:1 result is enough to guarantee a place on a graduate scheme, work placements and stint of work experience in every field are rife with competition amongst conscientious students.

I wouldn’t count myself as an overly-ambitious student or an outright competitive person, but I am one that worries about my prospects after graduating before I’ve even finished second year. Scouring the web for feasible sites offering media work placements, writing opportunities or anything remotely to do with fashion has been a task and a half, with many of my polite and borderline-desperate emails falling upon deaf, or most likely uninterested ears. Though I didn’t have responses from some attempts and applications, this didn’t quell my determination to get experience—any experience, really— that would be relevant and worthwhile for my CV.

I’m sure many students would agree how annoying and frustrating it can be to not hear back from an application or carefully compiled email that you sent to an employer you would crawl for a day’s work at, but I can vouch for such experiences where even when you do get a response, and it’s a dismaying ‘no’, it doesn’t always equate to the end of your correspondence from them.

I recently applied for a two-week placement for a media event placement, and though my long-winded and carefully thought-out answers were not what the corporation were looking for, my enthusiasm and determination was apparent through my application and they offered me a volunteering role at the event. Disappointment was overcome by sheer disbelief, and I jumped at the chance to volunteer, and it was one of the most rewarding “work” experiences I have had. I met a lot of good contacts, had the opportunity to prove myself doing a little of the work I would have done at the placement and had a great insight into a professional environment. An insight I never would have been able to experience if I hadn’t been given a chance, and as a result I have been added to the corporation’s pool of volunteer names to be notified of future events.

Impressing and presenting your willingness to partake in any opportunity as experience for your CV will get you somewhere; if not always, it will eventually. This experience proved me wrong that not every unsuccessful application or email is disregarded. If you really show the experience would be worthwhile for you as well as for them by how much you’d benefit from working hard and immersing yourself in that industry and environment, then you’ll make yourself memorable and a frontrunner in the choice of people for future endeavours.

 Whatever you do, just say yes: you won’t regret an experience you can learn or gain from!

A great post for Emma and I hope you join me in wishing her good luck in her future and in her third year at university. If this has inspired you to look for work experience visit our work experience pages:  

Commerical awareness: the graduate holy grail

Laura, our third editorial intern is back with her second post. Today she chose to talk about commercial awareness this is a great read. 

Dear TARGETjobs readers, I have a confession to make. I have no commercial awareness. I don’t know what overhead costs are and I would probably struggle to tell you what a profit margin is.

As you already know, I’m a recent graduate and one of the new editorial interns at TARGETjobs. The commercial side of work was something I’d never had to think about at university and at my first assessment centre in March this year made it very clear that my heart was in the right place but my head was in the clouds. ‘You can’t save the world every day’ was one particularly memorable thing my interviewer said and she was completely right. I was far too idealistic and sadly mistaken if I thought a business could survive on ideals and goodwill alone. All businesses, whether you work in an investment bank or a not-for-profit organisation, need to make money to survive. Like it or not, that’s just the way the world works.

To someone who is naturally commercially-minded this may seem obvious. For the last four years, however, I have filled my head with grammar rules and foreign literature, which was all very well at the time but did not provide me with the commercial awareness I needed to secure a graduate job.

The chance to do an internship at TARGETjobs was therefore perfect for me because it allowed me to work in a real business environment and learn things that years in Warwick’s humanities building could never have taught me. None of the jobs I’ve had before have been particularly business-orientated and after months of listening to careers advisors talking about how important commercial awareness is, I’ll be damned if I leave this job without it.

‘But how do you reach this holy grail of commercial awareness?’ I hear you say. I’m still not 100% sure but so far I’ve been going about it by asking lots of questions. For example, how does TARGETjobs make money if the content is free? What is the difference between advertorial and editorial content? Why do recruiters choose to advertise with us and not our competitors?

Publishing may seem to be a less of a corporate industry than retail or investment banking, but it is still a business and if a publishing house does not make money it will no longer be able to afford to produce its content. Editorial may seem like a safe, non-commercial bet, but don’t be fooled. Editors cost money and they must work efficiently to produce content that people will want to read. Think about the editors of free magazines that are funded by adverts. If they don’t produce a magazine that people want to read, companies will no longer want to put their adverts in it, and they will eventually be unable to fund the magazine’s production.

Whether you like it or not, every job role requires commercial awareness and the sooner you get some, the better. There is no shame in being a commercial ignoramus. I myself am one. However, it is not too late to change. You can use any job opportunity to ask questions about how a business works and in such a tough economy the applicant with a sensible, business-minded head on their shoulders is probably going to be the one who gets the job. On that note, I’ll get back to you if I ever find out what an overhead is.

Great post Laura. 

If you found this interesting, why not read up on what we have to say about commercial awareness. 

Routine

Alex Ward is back with this third guest post. Enjoy!

This week I'm taking note of the differences between university and work life.

After two months now working for TARGETjobs, I can safely say that in some ways I will consider going back to university to be more of a holiday. The prospect of reckless nights out, followed by lying in bed until I deem it necessary to crawl out from under the covers is, to me right now, a whole world away.

During my second year, a typical day would begin somewhere between 9:00am and 13:00pm. This was often subject to what I call the drunk equation, whereby units of alcohol consumed, plus hours spent partying, plus kebab topped pizza is directly proportional to the number of hours spent in bed the next day. Now however, during the holidays, the variance in the time I get up is significantly reduced – to about half an hour between quarter past seven and quarter to eight. This is dependent upon whether or not I decided to watch American Dad on BBC3 after the Family Guy double.

The thing is – I don’t mind. There were definitely times when I thought to myself late one afternoon at university ‘I could have gotten a lot more out of today’, and it’s true. Having such a routine now, my body is automatically ready to go by about eight in the morning. This means that come Saturday I’ve done all that pesky administration that us students have to occasionally tolerate, before the crack of noon when my peers emerge, dressed in joggers and shielded from the sun by large-framed sunglasses.

To this day I will not forget my friend’s confusion when he saw me up and about the morning after a particularly heavy session on the shandy.

This routine though, of working nine ‘til five (cue Dolly Parton) up until now has been more beneficial than I realised. Rising at a reasonable hour means that I get my ‘Three square meals a day young man’, meaning that my health is a lot better – I’ve had a lot less left over floor pizza to boot. I get a varied and balanced diet, something which I am positive has never occurred whilst studying.

Organisation too is something that, as soon as routine slips into place, is easier than expected. Making time to drunkenly see friends now comes on a Friday evening and at the weekend, with the more sober encounters occurring after work during those long summer afternoons. I admit, that I’m not completely organised – there is still a letter from the student loans company on my desk gathering dust. I’ve taken the attitude to it like I would a fine wine. Leave it for ages in a dark, cool spot and pretend it doesn’t exist for a few years before opening it and wondering what all the fuss was about.

TARGETjobs has opened my eyes in many ways this summer; from teaching me lessons in plain English and email etiquette, to content management and competency-based interview questions. But without a doubt, what I have woken up to the most (no pun intended) is the amount of time I have neglected when I could really have utilised it.

That said, the student union doesn’t start serving until noon anyway.

From an 'amateur Facebook page' to head-hunted overnight

It's been nearly four months since I wrote my previous guest blog for TARGETjobs. So much has happened since then!

Last time I was writing about the importance of being relevant, persistent and positive. I also mentioned The Graduate – a Facebook page I created as part of an application process to an advertising agency.

Well, I must say, this page has had a fantastic impact on my life! I did pass through to the next round of the application process, and the one after … And that's as far as it went with this particular agency. But looking back, I am so very glad I didn't get an offer. Because then I would have never been able to do what I'm doing now. I was approached by a head-hunter via The Graduate and am currently working on a super exciting project! I've been given a ton of responsibilities and a creativity carte blanche!! I would have never imagined that this early in my career, I'll be involved in concept building, branding, cost to market planning, business strategy, project management and pretty much everything else that goes hand in hand with creating a new business! It is an amazing opportunity and it all happened because of an amateurish Facebook page I put together during one afternoon in January.

There's more. I kept applying to agencies. But I was much, much more picky. I only applied if I could really see myself as part of their team. And this made a massive difference! I got invited to interviews and offered positions. Now it was me who was in a position of choice! After a whole year of rejections, I was finally getting somewhere! All because I actually implemented the painfully familiar“it's not about quantity but quality”strategy.

Obviously, things didn't just happen overnight (although it felt that way). Meanwhile, I was working on this project I mentioned, in a pub and a sports venue. And this is important, too. Whilst I was just sitting at home, working hard to perfect my applications and having all the time in the world to worry about my future, nothing really happened. Once I got out there, worked an average of 12 hours a day and only spend a couple of hours or so a week on applications, I was able to focus only on what really mattered. And it paid off.

I'm now excited about launching the new business I'm helping build, starting my new job in September and continuing on the path to my Dream Career.

So, this is my story. I'm sure you've got a story, too. And if you're still looking for your Dream Job, try to fit it into your story, rather than the other way around! This is the best advice I gave myself.

If you need more convincing that keeping busy will eventually get you the job you deserve have a look at how your part-time job in a pub or in retail can lead to a success career.

Or have a look at how you can make your social media work for you by getting you your dream job and how to manage your online reputation.

Aim high and you might surprise yourself - Tips from a first-class graduate and published author

Today we have a really inspiring blog from Michael Tefula, successful author with his first published book 'How to get a first' 

I started my accounting and finance degree at the University of Birmingham with a wild goal: to graduate with a first-class degree. Some of my friends sneered at the thought - “a first? Impossible!”. After all, I had the memory of a fish, went out a lot, and rarely came across as someone who could spend up to 12 hours in a library revising. But after three years of hard work, I surprised some of my friends and myself by graduating with not only a first, but also with the highest marks in some modules.

It is intimidating and perhaps even somewhat embarrassing to aim high, but if you aim for something average and common, that is exactly what you will get - average and common.

If, on the other hand, you aim for something grander, then you could end up working harder and doing much better than anyone ever expected.

Here is another example that reiterates this lesson. In my second year at university, I applied to lots of internships so I could get work experience. I had a few interviews with a number of large and highly competitive firms but failed to land a job with any of them.

Luckily, my application to a particular mid-tier firm was much more successful and I happily took on the role for a summer placement. While I found the experience immensely valuable, I soon discovered that I was better suited to a different career. One I had read of, and spoken to other interns about. So at the end of my internship I took a big risk and turned down a guaranteed job in pursuit of a more lucrative but even more competitive position within the same organisation.

Unfortunately, my pursuit ended with a failed final interview. It was then that I decided to aim even higher by applying at a larger, more prestigious and competitive firm. Having been through numerous application processes and interviews, I was much better prepared for this round of assessment. With a bit of luck and competence, I landed an even better job, surprising friends who thought me mad for having turned down a previously guaranteed job offer while the UK was in a recession.

Kanye West once remarked, “reach for the stars so if you fall you land on a cloud”. In my journey from a student to a graduate, then to a young professional, and most recently to a published author, I have learnt that living by such a statement can propel you to achieve a number of highly sought after aspirations.

What I’m I driving at? Here are some practical scenarios for you to ponder:

Found a dream job but afraid to apply because of the competition? Apply anyway and worst comes to worst, you will get experience from it to use in your next attempts.

Want to take a year out to travel around the world but can’t afford it? Make it a goal. Find temporary employment. Start saving and you will eventually earn your way to it.

Do you have dreams and aspirations which you are too embarrassed to declare? Share them with a mate and consider ways you could achieve them before writing them off.

Ps. Feel free to share your dreams in the comments below.
Find Michael on twitter @getafirst and his book on Amazon here.

Hope you find this blog inspiration. If however, you haven't got a clear idea of what you want as a career. Don't panic, here is something that will help you answer the dreaded question: I have a degree, now what? 
and if your marks have unfortunately not been the highest, again don't worry, We can advice you on how to job hunt if you get a 2.2 

Best luck to you all soon to be graduates from the TARGETjobs team.

Graduate Schemes: beware of the Buyers Exercise!

Nichola Chapman is back and this time with a big warning of what to expect when your assessors give you a buyers exercise. Really great post! 

Before the real pressure of final year at university had kicked in, I found the time to apply for a graduate scheme. If you have applied for one yourself then you’ll know just how long filling in application forms can take - admittedly, it doesn’t help if you over-write the work you had done so far on the application form, as I not-so-cleverly did – but without taking that mishap into account it took me a solid two days to complete it to the best of my ability.

The scheme I applied for was a graduate buyer’s job at an exclusive London department store. The two days spent filling in the application form paid off as I got through to the next stage of the application process; a half-day interview. A week before the day of the interview I was sent an information pack explaining what would be happening on the day. This included: creating and presenting a ten minute presentation on one of four topics provided, a one-hour group interview and a forty-five minute buyers exercise.

By the day of the interview and despite the usual ‘this is an important day’ nerves, I was feeling quietly confident with the presentation I had prepared, not exactly dreading the group interview as I’m a pretty good talker (so I’ve been told!) and a little unsure what to expect from the ‘buyers exercise’. With it being a department store I had envisaged some sort of ‘best sellers’ identifying tasks or a discussion of the company’s product ranges.

The presentation went well and I felt I had given my best during the group interview. Then came the buyers exercise. This was not a ‘spot the best-sellers’ task as I had hoped. It was a maths test. A heavily percentage-based maths test. We were each given a booklet and asked to independently complete the task in 45 minutes – panic quickly set in! I was NOT prepared for this – all knowledge of GCSE maths on percentages was absent from my mind, stored somewhere in the ‘I’m 15, when am I ever going to need to know this?’ part of my brain. Even with the calculator provided, vague guesswork was the best I could offer.

As expected, I did not get through to the final stage of the application process. It’s just as well because the dealing with numbers aspect of a buyer’s job had sunk in since the interview and I was pretty sure that this was not my dream job after all. Still, I think going through the application process was massively worthwhile and beneficial - it taught me that things aren’t always what you expect them to be, even if you think you’re prepared.

Regardless of the type graduate scheme or job you are applying for, this would be my advice when applying…

1) Background Research – know as much as you can about the company you are applying to work at, specifically for retail. They will expect you to know who their target audience is, what products and brands they sell, which products or brands are selling well at the moment and who are their major competitors.

2) Revise your weakness – this is what caught me out! Most business related scheme will require some mathematical knowledge, so if you know your no good with numbers spend a few hours going over some of the basics you think the job might involve. That extra effort might make the difference between getting through to the next stage or not.

3) Don’t be over-confident – if there is a group-interview involved in the application, make sure you contribute but don’t be over-bearing. Almost all businesses require you to work as a team at some stage. Employees want to see that you have both the qualities of a leader and the ability to work with a team. Group interviews are naturally competitive because you are all up against each other so the balance can be difficult, be aware of how long you are talking for and allow others to say their piece without interrupting.

4) Go Local – international and national graduate schemes are naturally the most popular, meaning your chances of getting onto one are limited. The scheme that I applied for received 120 applications and 84 got through to the next stage, the competition was obviously still tough but not as tough as facing 1,000 other applicants! Speak to a careers advisor at you university and ask for advice about smaller, local companies that run graduate schemes. You’ll also have the advantage of knowing the local area better than some of the competition.

5) Leave ‘The Big One’ till last – if you have your sights set on a dream graduate scheme I would advise you apply for a similar scheme that’s less popular first. It’s likely that their application process will be similar and it’s great practice towards getting the one you really want.

If you enjoyed this article find out more about how to get a career in the retail here.  

From English Literature to Online Marketing

If you are a soon to be English graduate and are not sure what to do next we bring you Anna. Anna works in the Online Marketing department for Propertyads, a property portal search engine, and here she shares her story about her journey from English Lit. graduate to employee.

After graduating from a degree in English Literature at Bath, I thought the world was my oyster. I could do anything! Well, except apply for those graduates schemes for those big firms like Ernst & Young. Or anything engineering related. Or accounting. IT jobs were also out of the question, and banking was definitely a no-go zone. Suddenly I felt like I was very limited with my options, and with my only experience working in part-time retail jobs, I was beginning to panic. Who would hire me, a humanities graduate with great grades but little else? I was suddenly wondering why all those years ago I had even chosen to study English Literature when 3 years later my options were feeling so limited.

I decided to start applying for jobs in media and marketing, even though I knew it would be competitive, being inexperienced in both industries. I had a few positive responses, but due to my lack of experience, it was mainly internships with little to no pay. Although beggars can’t be choosers, I felt disappointed with the results. Without trying to sound too cocky, I felt that I deserved more. I had so many skills to show to a potential employer, if only they would let me.

After a few months on the job hunt, I luckily managed to land an interview for the online marketing department of a property website. I felt really nervous before the interview, but after a few minutes on the phone I felt totally relaxed and I felt like I could really show off who I was and what I had to offer. I heard back a few days later that I had got the job, and for the first time since starting university, I felt truly excited to start something new.

I really took to the job like a fish to water. Although I had no previous experience in online marketing, learning about it all was so interesting and I managed to learn a lot very quickly. What I had learnt from my degree could be applied to my job and at the same time I was acquiring lots of new skills. From day one I was given some big tasks like proofreading editorial content, which really felt like my employer trusted me and were letting me reach my full potential. It’s really opened up my eyes to an industry that I had no idea about and I think I would like to progress further into this area of career.

My advice for graduating students is not to give up. It might take a few months, but there is a job out there for you which you will enjoy! There were many times I just wanted to stop applying for jobs and give up, but the moment you stop may be the moment that an interesting job comes up and you might miss a great opportunity.

Hope this post has inspired you to explore your options. If you need an extra helping hand why not visit our Degree Matcher advice page, here you are able to see what qualifications are needed or preferred for specific job roles. Alternatively why not try our Careers Report, here you can practise psychometrics test, answer behavioural questions and much more to give you an idea what career options you are best suited to. 

As always good luck with your job hunts :) 

Seize opportunities and other useful tips from Nick

Great advice from Nick Talbot an ex-TARGETjobs work experience member of the marketing team (we miss him!!) 

Hi. My name’s Nick. As a recent graduate who is currently employed, with a grad scheme position lined up for September 2012, I’ve been asked to chip in with some advice for all you student job hunters. In this entry I hope to pass on a few general points, which will help you to structure your first year after completing university, with the aim of breaking into the job market.

First things first. Congratulations to everyone who has graduation to look forward to this year, or even over the next few years. The celebrations will be wild, and sharing in your friends’ successes as well as your own creates a sense of collective achievement. Nothing makes you value your hard work and the good times along the way more than the realisation that your time at university is coming to an end.

That said, many people around you and in the media would have you believe that there’s not much to look forward to on the other side. If you took it to heart you might think that the world was coming to a stand still. Well, don’t panic. There is a world outside university and a job market that still values graduates a great deal. It might be a cliché, but we really are all the world’s future leaders- a fact that isn’t lost on most companies.

So how do you go about getting what is probably your first “proper” job? Well first of all it helps to know what you want that job to look like. That is to say, create a clear job-related goal or an outline of the job you are aiming for. For some of you this may mean setting yourself the target of getting 3 or more internships/temp jobs over the next 12 months in a variety of industries, to help you decide what roles suit you. For others it might mean trying to get a grad scheme offer from one of the Big 4 accountancy firms for next September in their audit department.

Now those goals might seem a bit advanced right now, but the more ambitious and specific your targets, the more you start to actively think and research what you want to do. Which brings us to my next tip. Make use of your free time. This doesn’t necessarily mean spend every waking minute job hunting though. Chances are after university you’ll have a fair amount of free time if you’re still seeking work, or just doing part time odds and ends to earn some cash. At the time you might not know what to do to keep yourself entertained on a low budget and boredom could set in. But that free time is like gold dust. Whether you take up a hobby, catch up with friends, or research different jobs it’ll be time well spent. Staying busy and being productive are crucial to remaining upbeat during a job hunt.

Seeking and sharing help and advice from a range of sources, is my third pointer. Perhaps the word “networking” needs a bit of rebranding. It comes across to me as a bit egotistical and one-sided. Chances are if you genuinely take an interest in talking to people about their experiences and spread the word that you’re interested in learning more about jobs, people will mention opportunities or provide useful advice. Your parents have probably been there and done that when it comes to building a career, so they’re a good place to start. The internet too, is full of detailed personal and factual accounts of different industries and roles. Friends can be a good source of information as regards the here and now. My university career service was limited in what it offered but the service and leads were of a very good quality. If you spread your job hunt into more social or adventurous activities you’ll probably enjoy it more and open up new opportunities.

Seizing opportunities is tip number four. For example when I heard that someone at my friends workplace had left, I knew that they would need someone. Who better to hire at short notice than a job-seeking graduate who is available immediately and friends with one of their current employees? (I got the job). Likewise if you do get an interview put the extra effort in to research the company and try to emphasise how you have the skills they’re looking for.

Finally I want to put forward my interpretation of job hunts. My chosen phrase is: “it’s (almost) a numbers game”. Yes, getting your CV out there is essential. Yes, the sooner you can get over being rejected (or even not hearing anything at all!) the better. But how I intend to use that phrase is to suggest that every company with a vacancy or potential position looks for a good fit. Realising that you wouldn’t really be happy with just any job will hopefully help you empathise with the employer. That means by researching jobs you want, putting yourself out there and being positive about every opportunity that comes, you will come closer to achieving your goal.

For more helpful tips and advice on how to get yourself ready for the graduate job hunt why not visit our career pages 

Give yourself an ultimatum

Read Michael McKenna's graduate job hunting journey and his ultimatum

I initially undertook my graduate job search much in the way I take life, as laid back as possible. January 2011 when it should have been in full swing, I was preoccupied with motivating myself to complete my dissertation, and felt I didn't have the time to be filling in application forms and sending out CV's.

As a result I found a way of shaving of the pressure of parents to get it underway, by applying for a postgraduate study.  This was because I knew a response from the Admission offices would not come for a number of months, holding off the parents.

Obviously one reason for these applications, was trying to hold on to my relatively carefree student days, I now realise that in the current economic conditions this was a mistake.

Graduation came and went. 2.1 secured, left Dundee and moved home, penniless and facing what has become the biggest challenge I have faced.

The search began in earnest in late June of last year, and has continued for nine months with barely a nibble on my bait in the job pond, I am still extremely unemployed. It now seems it is only going to get harder as the Government cuts continue to bite and a new group of final students prepare for graduation.

One thing I have always maintained is that there is no point letting the job search get me down, it is an experience many others are having, and losing any motivation to continue is not going to help at all. Part time work keeps a few pounds coming in and allows me the time to fill in applications, so it could be worse.

However even bearing that in mind, it can't go on forever, so I have given myself three months, no job and everything will be geared towards emigration. Although that will bring an adventure in itself, it is quite depressing that the only opportunity available to this generation, may be one that previous generations undertook and always hoped their descendants wouldn't have too.

Find Michael on Twitter @MichaelMcKenna8

If you are worried you may have left your job hunt too late, don't worry here is some practical advice on how to get started. Or find out what the top 10 skills graduate recruiters are looking for. 

From student to student marketing. The rises and falls of a graduate job hunt

This weeks posts comes from our very own, Louisa Smith, Marketing Assistant telling you all about her transition from being a student to her first full-time graduate job. 

For my first entry, I want to go right back to the beginning and tell you about my journey from university to working life. As a student, it’s incredibly easy to assume that you will finish your degree, graduate in the summer, enjoy a few months of lazing about in luxurious sunshine, and then settle down on a graduate scheme in September, earning your own money, renting a swish new pad with your friends, and essentially, living the dream. Of course this happens for a lot of people, but for those it doesn't happen to – I want to reassure you that there are many other ways to find your feet in the world of work!

A year ago, I was happily living in the bubble world of Warwick University. I loved everything about Warwick. I knew the end was nigh, and whilst I was sad to leave university, I was also excited to start my career. I therefore spent the majority of terms one and two filling out application forms for graduate schemes. My Facebook news feed was constantly plastered with celebratory statuses from those who had secured their graduate scheme and new life for the next year. As I wrote about all the extra curricular activities I was involved in, all the work experience I had done, all the ways I had expanded my knowledge and developed my personality at university, I made the assumption that I would be offered a place on at least one of them, surely?

Sadly not. I was rejected from every single graduate scheme I applied to, and was dragged away from Warwick an emotional wreck, with about 50p in my bank account and no plans for the rest of my life. After a few (long) days of arguing with my parents about washing up or radio volume or sharing of the car, I decided that regression was not the way forward, and that the only way I would be happy is if I had a reason to get up and get out of the house everyday! I therefore began the search for an entry level graduate job.

And that’s where TARGETjobs came along! The role required someone to work for 3 months, travelling the UK, representing TARGETjobs at Freshers and Careers Fairs. I would be in different places everyday, meeting new people, having new experiences, and all the time developing my skills for future employment. For the first time, I felt excited about a job. I completed an application form, had a telephone interview, and was then invited to the head office for a face-to-face interview. As expected, I was asked about my previous experience, my skills, and what I believed I could bring to the role. My answers came naturally for the first time, I felt like I had found a job which matched my skills, and which I believed I could really succeed in. When I was offered the job, I accepted immediately! The three months flew by, and I had a fantastic time working at all the fairs. My success in the role then led me to a full-time position in the TARGETjobs Marketing Department, where I began work in January. I’m now expanding my skills and knowledge everyday, and am (hopefully!) well on the way to a future career in marketing. All this stemmed from one application back in July, for a temporary role!

This experience has therefore taught me that there is more than one way to enter the world of work. There are hundreds of jobs out there, but what’s important is that you search out the right role for YOU. My CV was bursting with extra-curricular activities which I’d undertaken at university, and it was this energetic and lively lifestyle which got me my role in marketing, because they demonstrated that I had the necessary skills for the job. My advice is therefore to get as much work experience as you can, in the area that you would like to work in. If you get rejected from a graduate scheme or entry job, keep going! There is something out there for everyone, and once you find your dream job, I promise you that all your experience and efforts will definitely pay off!

So have a think about what you’d like to do, then get out there and go for it!

GOOD LUCK!

Louisa 

P.S. Next time I’ll be writing all about my role in marketing, and what you can expect as a graduate in a marketing job. Until then, happy job-hunting!

Graduate job hunting: To sell out, or not to sell out?

Read what Holly McCluskey our very own trainee editor has to say about not selling out when graduate job hunting. 

My best advice for job hunters might be easier said than done, but it’s also the best way to remain sane during the slog to success: don’t sell out.

Two months into my job search, I began to panic. I wanted more than anything to work in media or publishing, and was seriously struggling to find anything at all appealing. All I could find were unpaid internships, based hundreds of miles away in London, at the kind of magazines that might appear as guest publications on Have I Got News For You.

I took an approach that would usually be considered a positive one: I started widening my search to other sorts of jobs. Now, I wouldn’t want to discourage anyone else from doing this, because people often find jobs that are perfect for them in areas not previously considered. My problem was that I stopped thinking about what I was interested in and began to apply for everything that I thought I could probably do.

I found one job, in particular, that I met the criteria for. It was vaguely related to writing and media, and so given my comically low bank balance and dwindling self-esteem, I poured my energy into writing a cover letter that was overloaded with enthusiasm and sent it off along with my CV.

Exactly 19 minutes later, the hiring manager called to ask whether I could attend an interview that week. I said yes. Brilliant! I had obviously impressed him so much that he felt the need to snap me up! I had successfully tricked him, and myself, into thinking that this job was The One!

I showed up to the interview feeling nervous but positive. I had spent time researching the company and the job, I’d thought of all my answers to all of the questions I might be asked, and now all I had to was remember everything.  

But the first question was the only one I hadn’t prepared for: “Why do you want this job? Why would you want to leave media behind?” 

My heart sank. He was right: why did I want abandon everything I had been working towards? This job was by no means a bad one: it paid well, it was in London, and there would be a lot of perks. But I had always been interested in writing from a neutral perspective and in this case I would be writing solely to toe a particular line. I knew that I wouldn’t like it.

I spent the next two hours (yes, two hours) telling the interviewer how much I was interested in this job and how great I would be at doing it. He told me that he was impressed and would arrange a second interview. We parted, and as soon as I had made it to the safety of my car I burst into tears.

Dramatic, I know. But I felt ashamed of myself for giving up so easily, and embarrassed that I had come to the point where I was apparently willing to do something I would hate. After a bottle of wine and several days of thinking it over, I turned down my second interview and I’m yet to regret it.

I didn’t find another job straight away, but I did find a fresh focus. I even had some of my pride restored; it was good to know that I wasn’t the type to give up (and at least it had been me to turn someone down).

Now, I have a new job that is much more suited to me and I am happier than ever that I didn’t go to that second interview. I’m sure that whoever got that job will be equally satisfied, but it just wasn’t right for me, and that’s what everyone needs to think about when that paralysing sense of desperation begins to creep in.

Times are tough, but abandoning your goals will only make them tougher. 

Thanks for the post Holly! If you want to get in touch find Holly on Twitter @hollykmc 

If you are yet to find your focus why not visit our Degree Matcher page as a first step to finding out which careers best match your future qualification. If however you already know what career path to follow why not see how to fine tune your hunt further by looking at our specific career sector pages. 

The Importance of being Earnest

Read Della Massey's post on what she thinks is important when applying for graduate placements.

So, there I am, trotting into my first ‘Skills for Placement Search’ seminar, armed with my pen and paper: ready to take on advice from my Business tutors on how I, THE most employable student ever was going to make myself look even more attractive to bosses than I already was. I hadn’t actually applied for any placements yet, but there was no need to rush. As soon as I handed out my CV I would have them all queuing up to employ me!

After a couple of weeks of doing this I decided it was time to unleash my shining applications onto those unsuspecting employers. So I sat in front of my computer for two days, writing the sterling words that I knew would win me a spot on the highly prestigious, and sought after, investment banking placement scheme. My glowing application was finally ready to wow the whole of the bank... I could already hear the sounds of applause I would have as I walked through the building for my inevitable interview. Submit. “Thank you for your application. Please follow this link to reach our numerical and logical reasoning tests”. Tests? I don’t need any tests!! But to apply, I had to complete them. So I started the 18 minutes and finished in 6. Brilliant. Now I just have to sit back and wait for the calls to roll in. The first e-mail I received came back to me within minutes: I had obviously underestimated how amazing I was!!

But that e-mail wasn’t amazing. Obviously, I wasn’t quite as ignorant as I have portrayed, but it still hit me pretty hard when I got my first rejection e-mail. I remember the thing that upset me the most was that because I hadn’t scored highly enough in the tests they hadn’t even read my application; though already I was deemed unsuitable. The whole experience of my first, almost automatic rejection really brought me back down to earth with a thud. Though I must have landed on a trampoline or something as I decided I would try my best and spend another two days applying for another bank, which I would almost certainly be rejected from as I didn’t have the knowledge to complete their tests. And rejected I was! I just remember being so distraught, as my mind for a long time had been set on doing this sort of placement - I even had an image of how my life would be from there on! I just found it insulting that I had been told by an automated e-mail that I wasn’t good enough for something I had planned so well in my head.

For a long time I went quiet on the placement search: trying to re-evaluate what I wanted to do as for me, placements are for getting vital experience in an industry that I would like to pursue a career in. I found that really studying my skills and strengths allowed me to choose a sector that I know I will enjoy working in, rather than shaping myself to conform to some good idea I had three years ago.

In doing this, I decided a career in PR (Public Relations) or HR would be best suited to me.  So in light of this, I applied for several roles which would be doing things I was far more suited to, and actually have since managed to secure a 2^nd interview for a job that I would be really enthusiastic to work in. And the best part is that I didn’t have to pretend or talk myself up to make me look employable to them – just goes to show the importance of being yourself.

Overall, my experience through this has shown me that no matter how many times someone tells you to “keep going” and “don’t let rejection get you down”, it doesn’t really mean anything until it happens to you. And when it does, I think it’s really important to stay positive and ensure that you are happy in yourself with the decisions you are making, otherwise employers will see right through the bravado and realise that your heart is not in it. Obviously, you may have not made my mistake and have already chosen something which suits your skills best; though I think that my position highlights the importance of being sure in yourself to help you handle the rejection that you may find along the way: giving you the ability to know whether a placement is right for you. I could have handled my situation much better than I did – and I hope that I have given useful information to other students about how to (or how not to!!) handle the first stages of your placement search.

Find Della on Twitter: @DellaMassey

TARGETjobs offers the largest choice of graduate jobs, internships and placements. Independent reviews on top graduate employers and career planning tools and expert guidance. Become a TARGETjobs blogger by getting in touch with me at jackie.balchin2@targetjobs.co.uk 

Keep plugging and eventually things will click into place

Hi, my name is Simon and I’m a second year media arts student at St. Mary’s University College in Twickenham. I was lucky enough to be asked to write this blog, sharing some of my experiences of internships, work experience and the trials and tribulations of being a student. On looking through the other featured blogs, it would appear I am the baby of the group as I’m still at University so hopefully I’ll be able to bring something a little different to the party for those of you that are in a similar position to myself. 

For a long time now, I have known I wanted to be involved in the media in some way, shape or form. Apart from a brief stint as a seven-year-old when I wanted to be a Commonwealth swimmer (I knew my limitations) but, I digress. A number of my relatives have been involved in TV, Journalism and Photography and it always seemed like quite an exciting career choice, listening to their stories of working with celebrities on a daily basis and being responsible for the creation of things that were available for the world to see. 

As they say, in the media industry, it is not what you know, but who you know and I personally think this is true. It is all well and good being fantastic at video editing or an excellent photographer, if you don’t have the contacts once you have finished university, it is going to be difficult. That should be the first step; get yourself a presence online.  I am still fairly new to the blogging game but have been using Twitter and Facebook for some time. I have been considering going into journalism, specifically music journalism and I’m a budding review writer. So instead of letting my reviews clog up my hard drive, I decided to let them run free in the big wide world for all to see. This may seem daunting and you may be conscious of people judging you, but from experience, it really isn’t worth worrying over. My reviews may not be ready to grace the pages of NME magazine, but people are reading them from all over the world - and that is the most important thing.

Most of the jobs I’ve been involved with have been in retail, just something to fund my gig habit and a student lifestyle of super noodles and beans. I am currently working as a security steward at Twickenham Rugby Stadium and although it means free pitch-side rugby, it doesn’t sound like the best stepping stone for a career in media. However, I feel all experience is good experience and even if there is one, tiny thing that you can take from a job like this, then you’re doing beneficial with your time. 

Recently, I’ve decided that music journalism may not be the best route for me. I have been looking at heading down a more PR/Marketing-related path and in this field, work experience is even more valuable. So, naturally, I’ve been sending out email after email, begging various PR and Marketing houses to let me make tea for them on a work experience placement. My search is going well, with a number of companies replying in a positive manner so fingers crossed, I’ll be getting some hands-on experience in the near future. I think it’s important not to become disheartened if you are rejected. It can be very demoralising if you feel you are put down at the first hurdle, but there is no substitute for being hard-working and committed. So keep plugging away and eventually, things will click into place. 

And that is just about it. Determination and a pro-active, can-do attitude are key in my opinion; it’s crucial that you throw yourself into every opportunity, offer and experience available as you never know when you might find the missing piece of your puzzle. 

If you have any questions at all, get in touch via Twitter : @simonjeleggett  or through my blog. http://simonleggett92.blogspot.com/