Written by Jamie Murphy.
With the swelling ranks of graduate job seekers being increased by 312,937 university leavers this year and the Association of Graduate Recruiters predicting a drop in the number of job vacancies of around 7%, the competition for graduate jobs is hotting up for the summer months. Whilst unemployment amongst graduates remains low long-term (2.7% based on the figures from May last year), many industries are reporting more applications for posts than last year. Business services such as IT and consultancy are averaging 58.8 per vacancy, compared to 30 last year. And more interest is being shown in public services, which received 10 applications per vacancy 18 months ago, 22.5 applications 12 months ago and more recently 25.5 applications per vacancy. Making sure your job application reaches the top of the pile means researching companies and roles, self awareness of your own skills and attributes and targeting your applications and CVs to match your capabilities to the requirements of the job. On application forms, Sarah Longwell careers adviser at Keele University says: 'When asked questions about yourself, analyse carefully what they’re seeking and outline your relevant skills and qualities with examples.' Sarah’s general tips when filling out applications either on paper or on the web are; - make sure you understand and follow instructions;
- prepare a rough draft;
- be accurate and pay attention to presentation;
- keep a copy for the interview
Likewise for CVs and covering letters, careers professional for Prospects.ac.uk, Mike Cox, advises targeting a specific occupation, employer or post. ‘In the CV layout put your main selling points on the first page and give highest priority to the best and most relevant examples of your ability to do that specific job.’ But he adds that the CV is only a skills summary, ‘a covering letter is needed to focus on your effective selling points and allow your personality and individuality to show. Related Topics
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