Graduate Guide
almost 4 years ago by BLACKROC
Whether you’re about to graduate, or looking to break into the industry full-time, here are our tips to help you stand out in a competitive market.
Attend networking events. These could be meetups, events, hackathons – just show up, meet people and build your network. You'll talk and be IN FRONT of people who work at companies who may need your talents.
Go ALL in. Pick an area of specialty you love and are genuinely passionate about and go ALL in. Focus on those roles/ build a GitHub or create a portfolio that shows you've completed projects and builds using specific language, technology, tools, or platforms.
Choose opportunity over salary. Be okay to drop salary if it means working with a company where you can learn and be mentored. Your first 18 months are critical. Secure a role, work hard and learn everything you can.
Be punctual. Always be on time. Period.
Intern. If you can during your study, create a LinkedIn and reach out to companies or agencies and offer your services as part of an internship. If you do great work, your internship can often turn into a full-time position, and if it doesn’t, at least you have some valuable work experience.
Be clear about the kind of work that excites and interests you, then find companies that'll allow you to do that work.
Only apply for roles where you bring (some) previous experience. When doing this, build out a polished CV and demonstrate how you stand out from others. For Developers use links to active projects, for Designers and Marketers, use your portfolios etc.
Always follow up. Hiring Managers and Recruiters are usually on top of their work, but occasionally things slip through. If you have talked with someone about a role and haven't heard back, send a friendly message to refresh their memory.
Call instead of email. Want to stand out? If you see a number attached to the job description, call them. 9 times out of 10 this will show the hiring manager/recruiter you have tenacity. Plus, you become more memorable than a sheet of paper.