How to Get a Graduate Job with No Experience

How to Get a Graduate Job with No Experience The age-old saying goes “you can’t get a job without experience… and you can’t get experience without a job”, and as a fresh graduate out of university this is one of the toughest barriers to face when trying to launch a career. There is hope however, as there are some quick and simple things that a Graduate can do to help them successfully land their first job and set themselves up for a solid career. Below are 5 tips for graduates to help them land their first job when they have no experience: 1) Volunteer or internship: Volunteering is one of the quickest and easiest ways to build up experience. Sure, you don’t get paid for it but remember you’re trying to build your experience. Try calling a few organisations that you would be interested in working for to see if they have any opportunity for you to help out. If you can, try get onto some projects or do some work that is closely aligned to what you want to be doing with a paid job. If it’s available, a better option is to do an internship. An internship will provide you with a more structured approach to getting the experience you need… plus you have the possibility of getting paid. Check out your local job boards or employer websites to see if they offer an internship. On top of the experience you receive, another benefit of doing volunteer work or an internship is the connections you make. Most likely, the people that you are working with will have a broader network and could potentially help you find employment elsewhere or put in a good reference for you. Another huge benefit of volunteering or doing an internship (and also why many people do it and rave about it) is that if you perform well there is a good chance that the Company you are working for will hire you. 2) Extracurricular activities: As a graduate, employers understand that you will be lacking experience. Although work experience is more often preferred, another great way of demonstrating that you have the skills necessary to perform successfully in the role is to do some extracurricular activities. For instance, playing in a sports team can help you learn about teamwork and leadership, and getting involved in a society at University can help you learn about planning, project management and marketing. Make sure that you clearly demonstrate to your hiring manager how what you have learned in your extracurricular activity can translate back to the role you are applying for. 3) Identify accomplishments: Think about what you have accomplished over the past 5 years. When hiring graduates, it’s not just all about relevant work experience. Employers look for well-rounded individuals with the ability to perform and perform well. If you can demonstrate this by showing where you have been successful and accomplished something in other areas of your life, make the hiring manager aware of this. If your grades at University were good, make sure you play to this. If you received an award for being the most-improved or the best in class, make sure you point this out. By demonstrating your accomplishments from other areas of your life, employers will see that you display discipline, commitment and that you’re an agile learner. These are all traits that employers are looking for in a new graduate. 4) Structure the resume: A quick and simple way of tailoring your application to your strengths is to use an appropriate structure for your resume. If you’re lacking the relevant work experience then perhaps a typical chronological resume is not the way to present yourself. Trying opting for a functional style resume where you can clearly and easily demonstrate your skills. 5) Networking: With advancements in technology and social media, networking has never been easier. All it takes now is a simple mention such as @UndercoverRec  and you can instantly be connected with someone over twitter. You can use this to your advantage. By engaging with people over social media it can build your presence and lead to referrals and potentially a job offer! However, don’t forget traditional networking. There is still no substitute for face-to-face communication and it will leave a much stronger impression on the people you are connecting with. Wrapping Up: As a graduate, it’s about playing to your strengths and ensuring you can demonstrate how all of your experiences, be it work, university, extracurricular or your general life can relate back to the job you’re applying for. The key is to get out there, be proactive and have some fun. That’s what it’s all about! Author: Brendan Baker is the Founder of Gradrecruit, a graduate careers portal that provides expert career advice and the ability for graduates to search and apply for roles. Gradrecruit is also a consulting and outsourcing firm for graduate recruitment strategy and delivery.

What to wear for a job interview

What to wear for a job interview What to wear for a job interview You may have heard the age-old advice that you should always dress for your job interview as if you already have the job. Maybe this was the case many years ago when just about everyone would dress formally for work, but these days â€" not so much!These days many workplaces have relaxed dress codes where everyone is seen wearing shorts and t-shirts to work. This can often make an interviewee feel uncomfortable when they wear a smart suit for an interview, but find that the employer is dressed far more casually. You want to create a good first impression, but you also want to project the image that you would fit in well with the workplace culture and be seen as one of the guys.It can be helpful to do a bit of research before your interview on the company dress code. If you cannot find enough information to guide you then it wouldnt seem impolite to ask. You will need to confirm your invitation for interview anyway so why not simply ask about the company dress code in your reply.Pho to credit: unsplash.com/@jeremybeadleYour reply could go something like this: Thank you very much for your message. I am happy to confirm my interview on Thursday, February 9th at 1:00 pm. Can you please advise me on the appropriate dress for an interview with your firm? Thank you very much in advance.Formal or informal?Knowing exactly what to wear for an interview can be a real conundrum, especially when the company you are applying to has a mix of formal and informal dress codes. A front-of-house role may require wearing a more formal suit to work each day, so an interviewer may expect to see this reflected in your choice of interview outfit.But what if the position you are applying for will see you buried deep in the back office of the IT department? Smart but casual may be better for an interview of this sort. Let’s take a closer look at some styles to adopt for a more formal approach.The formal interviewWhen you know that you need to dress formally for your job interview you should be aspiring to dress one level above what you would consider suitable for the job. The general rule of thumb for formal interviews is to wear a smart suit â€" both for men and women.It may help you to observe what people are wearing to work at the company by going past their building at the beginning or end of the day as the workers arrive or leave. This will give you an idea about what is acceptable and then aiming a little bit higher for your interview outfit. While suits never really go out of fashion, it would help to choose a smart suit in a muted shade. Rock stars and celebrities may be able to get away with wearing shiny suits made from material that could coat a frying pan, but you certainly should never wear one for a job interview!Female Suit choicesWomen generally have the choice of wearing skirts or trousers for a formal interview. As a general rule the skirt hemline shouldnt be too short. Most skirt suits you can buy off the peg tend to have the skirt cut to a bout 2 inches above the knee, but you can buy suits with longer skirt lengths too.Depending on the season, it is perfectly acceptable to wear a lighter shade of suit, especially during the spring or summer. However, you cannot go wrong with black or navy blue.For formal interviews it is wise to keep suits plain, but you can add a dash of interest with a patterned scarf. Shoes should also be kept at a sensible height and be quite regular in design. Avoid stacked heels and bejewelled toes â€" leave those for a night out with the girls. Male Suit choicesFor the guys it is more traditional to go for dark and sober shades such as black, navy blue or dark grey. Cotton material is preferable as linen tends to crease too easily leading you to look overly crumpled for your interview.Shoes should be dark, plain and polished. Nothing creates a bad impression like a scuffed and tatty looking pair of shoes â€" no matter how smart your suit is!Try to avoid distracting the interviewer by wearin g a garish tie. Your tie should complement your whole outfit, not stand out from it. A plain white shirt will always look good with a suit. Remember to leave your Batman socks at home. Yes, your interviewer will notice.Featured photo credit: unsplash.com previous article Dark Resume Template Freebie Elegant Dark Grey next article The Artistic Jobseeker â€" A Creative CV Template Freebie you might also likeWhy Do You Want to Work Here? Best Answers to This Interview Question

The Best Education is Self-Education

The Best Education is Self-Education Chapter 9 of The Go-Getter Girls Guide is called The Best Education is Self-Education. Rather than review this chapter in detail, Im going to explain why I strongly agree with the general concept that the best education is self-education. If you want to be a doctor, a psychologist, an attorney, a high-level consultant, or you need to get your masters in education as a job requirement, then my theory about not going back to school doesnt apply to you. Before you consider stopping your life, adding to your pile of debt, and taking on extra degrees, please answer the following questions for yourself: Are you using an additional degree to delay working in the real world for a few more years? If getting a masters is crucial to your career situation, could you save money pursuing an online masters degree  rather than a traditional program? Have you calculated what your monthly student loan payments will be once you graduate? Can you really afford them on that starting salary that will inevitably be lower than you had hoped? Are you using the recession as an excuse and telling yourself well, there are no jobs out there so I might as well go back to school? Are you waiting for Corporate America to save you? If some of these questions left you scratching your head, then its time to get real about self-education. Here are some crucial steps: Step 1: Assess what you want. Do you even know? If not, start searching. It may take 4 years. Accept it and push yourself to keep searching every day. Step 2: Read a LOT of books and blogs about things that interest you. A few of my entrepreneurial MUST READS are Gary Vaynerchuks Crush It and The Millionaire Mind. Study how these people think and experiment with their suggestions. Step 3: Talk to people all the time, find career idols and watch them. What do they like about their career, what do they dislike? What would they have done differently if they were 25 again? Think of yourself as a news reporter, always trying to gather information to build your story. Step 4: Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable. This is my personal motto for 2010. If you keep doing the same things youre going to get the same results, right? Well then you might as well try something different. School is a funny place. Contrary to common belief, school was not designed to make decisions for you. It was not designed to solve your career uncertainty issues. School is meant to give you tools so you can go out and find the information you need on your own. What do YOU think? Is going back to school for graduate degrees crucial to career survival today? Do you think entrepreneurs should go out and get their MBAs before trying their hand at owning a business? Do you feel that Gen Y uses advanced degrees as a career crutch? Do you know successful entrepreneurs who have made it without advanced schooling? Please share your thoughts.

How to Be in Control of Your Finances

How to Be in Control of Your Finances Managing your money doesn’t have to be such a daunting task. Maybe you’re in debt, or maybe you’re just looking for ways to better save and curb spending habits. Either way, you can always learn a few tips and tricks to better manage your finances and feel as if you’re in control. It isn’t always an easy journey, especially if you’re in debt or unemployed, but with the right mindset and dedication to the right systems, you can change your situation. Here is a guide on how to get in control of your finances. Change your mindset  The first step to curbing your poor financial habits is to change how you think about your situation. You don’t necessarily need to rely on conventional spending tips like sacrificing things you love to cut costs, or squeezing every penny, because these tips rely on willpower. Rather, you should just be conscious with your spending. Relying on willpower to get you to save money will often result in a relapse of your spending habits because it’s hard to stick with it and make sacrificial decisions every single day. Eventually, you’ll give in and revert back to your usual habits. As long as you’re conscious with your spending, you don’t need to give up all the frivolities that you love so much. Get out of debt  The biggest barrier to getting in control of your finances is debt. Not only does debt have a financial toll, since debt costs money, but it also takes a toll on you psychologically and can lead to depression and anxiety. If you’re in debt, the obvious step is to try and pay it back. Find out the exact amount of money you owe. A recent study shows that many people don’t know how much money they owe, meaning they just end up paying the minimum payment without thinking. This is not how you get in control of your finances. Once you know how much you owe, you can come up with a plan to pay it off. You can do this by paying the minimum amount on all your debt each month, but throwing more money at the debt with the lowest balance first so you can pay it off quickest. Or, you could pay more money towards the debt that has the highest interest rate first. Whatever method you choose, stick with it. Get your money to work for you  If you’ve got some money that is sitting in a savings account, make sure it’s not just collecting dust. You can put it into a high-yield savings account so it can earn interest while it’s in the account. It’s also a good idea to periodically check if your credit cards are offering enough for you. If you use your card regularly (and are paying back the balance at the end of the month) you could be earning rewards. You can review credit card offers here to see which ones are best for you. Automate your finances  If you want to passively pay down your debt, invest on auto-pilot, and be conscious with your spending habits, the best way to do it is by automating your finances. Setting up automatic payments for your bills or automatically saving a set amount of money per month takes out the step where you have to think about it, making it more likely you will actually do it. The important piece to remember is to first categorize your spending so that you know how much you have after all bills are paid and saving deposits are made. Check out your previous credit card statements and subtract that (plus your rent if applicable) from your paycheck. Now you have an idea of what you can spend guilt-free because you know everything else has been covered.

The Obstacle is the Way - Book Review

The Obstacle is the Way - Book Review https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18668059-the-obstacle-is-the-way“The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way” â€" Marcus AureliusThe essence of this book is summarized with this one quote.When I picked up this book early 2015 â€" I was going through a tough phase. I had taken a beating from the stock marketAnd that’s the moment I needed to listen to the advice and ideas from a book like this. So I picked the book. I read this book at the right time. It changed my perspective on failures and obstacles.Most self-help books are filled with fluffy, kumbaya type of material. They are usually filled with positive thinking, ignore the negative things type of message. No matter how positive or optimistic you are how much you avoid negativity â€" things happen to you. It happens to all of us. Shit happens!!Sometimes, these are things that happen by your own making, and sometimes they happen outside your control.Nevertheless, The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday is a must-read. Pick up the book and read it. It will change the way you think about obstacles.In this post, I will discuss the few nuggets of gold that I have picked up from reading this book.Welcome ObstaclesevalAs mentioned above The best illustration provided is that of Andy Grove, former CEO of Intel.“Bad companies are destroyed by crisis. Good companies survive them. Great companies are improved by them.” â€" Andy GroveSimilarly great individuals find a way to transform weakness failure into strength success. For great men and women, they use obstacles to fuel their ambition.“The obstacle in the path becomes the path. Never forget, within every obstacle is an opportunity to improve our condition.”Change your PerspectiveevalEver heard of the adage ” It is not what happens to you, it is how you react to it”. Today we live in the hyper-connected age fueled with social media. And it seems as if everyone is on a short-fuse. No matter how positive o r forward thinking someone’s message /post/ video is â€" there are always people are not happy. They react with immediate backlash.And if you are the person receiving the criticism- it is hard to cool your nerves and stay calm. Being emotional is a human trait. We are emotional creatures that also have a logical faculty. And then we respond emotionally. In the end, nothing constructive really happens.However, the successful men and women are the ones who were able to see opportunity in every disaster. They see the silver lining in the cloud. When others panic, they stay calm and take advantage of the opportunity.Every situation is learning opportunity for them.If you are faced with a situation that looks bleak â€" here are some things you can do.See the good in the situationplace things in perspectivefocus on what can be controlledcontrol your nerves- keep the emotions outControl Your EmotionsAs discussed above, we are emotional creatures. It is wired into us from millions of year s of evolution. The most common reaction when faced in a crisis situation is the flight or fight response. We either run away from the situation, or we decide to fight back with aggression.This is not easy. If you are new to particular situation, the most common thing to do is panic. One of the reasons that this happens is because of unfamiliarity. The more unfamiliar we are about a current situation , the more uncertain we become.The best cure for unfamiliarity and uncertainity is adequate training. The more trained you are, the more practice you get â€" the less stressed you feel. The more exposure you have to a current situation, the less you panic and the more composed you areAstronauts practice for hours and simulate the life in space â€" with numerous hours of training. The men and women in the military spend countless hours Focus on Taking ActionOnce you get a grip on your emotions and perspectives â€" the next important thing to to do is take action. Get moving. It is paramo unt to turning any obstacles to your advantage.The more time you spend not taking action â€" the bigger your problem becomes, it swells and balloons until it reaches a point where it becomes difficult to even face it.The sooner you take action the sooner the obstacle tends to go away.Another things to consider is that inaction makes us softer, and action “While you’re sleeping,travelling,attending meetings, or messing around online, the same thing is happening to you. You’re going soft. You’re not aggressive enough. You’re not pressing ahead. You’ve got a million reasons why you can’t move at a faster pace. This all makes the obstacles in your life loom very large.”Action creates momentum Practice PersistenceEvery man or woman who has achieved great success, has definitely faced insurmountable odds obstacles. Their paths were never straight-forward or easy, it never always looked rosy for them. To reach where they reached, he/she has faced numerous hurdles. Most imp ortantly, they backed all their actions with sheer persistence.As Napoleon Hill once stated” Persistence is to the character of man, as carbon is to steel. Resistance is futile. It stops us, it makes us doubt ourselves, it breeds inaction, doubt and with it failure. However, with the right action backed by persistence- resistance eventually goes away.Accept the fact that anything worth achieving is supposed to be hard. Your first attempts may not give you the results you envisioned. Chances are you will fail numerous times. Accept this fact. Start looking for weak points. And keep taking action until you reach the coveted goal.“Action and failure are two sides of the same coin. One does not come without the other.What breaks the critical connection down is when people stop acting â€" because they’ve taken failure the wrong way.”The book will change your perspective on life.It reminds us that the path to success is not easy. It is filled with internal doubts, it is sometimes emotionally painful. And there will be numerous times when you feel like quitting.It helps you to change your perspective. It teaches you to fall in love with the process. It encourages you to embrace action. And take continuous action until successfulI strongly recommend you add this book to your 2016 Reading List.

Goal-free living - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Goal-free living - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog At the WorldBlu forum I had the pleasure of talking to Stephen Shapiro who just finished writing a book on goal-free living which is coming out in january 2006. As soon as Stephen mentioned goal-free living a flash-bulb went of in my mind, and I knew what he meant. I also knew that this is what Ive been doing for the last 3 years, I just havent had a name for it. Heres how Stephen introduces goal-free living: We are taught from a young age that in order to achieve great success we must set and achieve our goals. However in doing so, we become focused on where we are going rather than enjoying where we are right now. We sacrifice today in the hope that a better future will emerge, only to discover that achievement rarely leads to true joy. Goal-Free Living presents an alternative philosophy that we can have an extraordinary life now, all without goals and detailed plans. By living for each moment, it?s possible to have a successful life and follow your passions at the same time. YES! 3 years ago I left the IT business with no new plans in mind. I gave my self some time off, and never once though consciously about what I should do next. After about 3 months an inspiration came to me, and The Happy at Work Project grew out of that. Also, for the 3 years weve been running the project, weve been goal-free. Rather than setting strategies, plans, targets, measures and budgets, weve done our best to cultivate every opportunity that came along and to create some ourselves. So while Stephens book focuses on the personal sphere, Im here to tell you that it works just as well in a business setting! His book gives you 8 major tips on how to live goal-free: Use a compass, not a map Trust that you are never lost Remember that opportunity knocks often, but sometimes softly Want what you have Seek out adventure Become a people magnet Embrace your limits Remain detached That is quite simply brilliant thinking. Read more about goal-free living here. One of the high points of the forum was when Stephen took the stage and gave a goal-free presentation about goal-free living. Hed originally intended to talk about a different theme, and had nothing prepared on goal-free living, but a few other conference attendees dared him to do it. Needless to say he nailed it, and the goal-less nature of his presentation underscored and validated the message. Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

The Importance of a Good Resume Writing Descripting Customer Service Skills

The Importance of a Good Resume Writing Descripting Customer Service SkillsEven though you know that a resume can be a very effective tool in landing your dream job, most people do not consider the importance of a good resume writing describing customer service skills. What are customer service skills?A good resume must include a good explanation of what customer service skills mean. They are basically about how you can get along with the people you interact with every day, especially customers. And the most important thing to remember is that customers are looking for solutions to their problems. It's as simple as that.Well, there are a few things that can go wrong. One can forget to mention certain details, which can cost him the opportunity to be hired. And another problem is that a resume may also have certain flaws that leave the customer unsatisfied with his experience. There are several reasons why a client might get angry with the company and give a bad feedback to the employ er. One example is a bad condition report from the customer service.For one, the customer service skills are one of the most important customer service skills you need to learn. A company needs to be present when a customer makes a phone call or even has a visit to their store. A resume should always tell the story of the customer and what he or she did before talking to you. And a good resume writing will always include details about the customer experience to make it more believable and help them understand what you're talking about.The next skill that is one of the most important customer service skills is the ability to communicate well. These are skills that people do in business relationships everyday. So that means you should be able to communicate your feelings and words to your potential employers as if they were your friends. If you don't know how to communicate in English and the language you're going to be learning, you may not be hired. This is something you really need to work on.Remember that all your clients are people, and not machines. They don't just want to hear what you have to say. And since customers know when you're not trying hard to please them, they might turn their backs on you, which is a tragedy.Most importantly, as a resume writer, you should be able to describe the customer service skills in such a way that they will catch the attention of the employer. So the person looking at your resume will have an idea of what you are talking about and what your experience is. So the most important thing is to make sure that your resume uses examples from your experiences in customer service. It should be interesting and vivid to leave the employer with some questions after reading it.A good resume describing customer service skills doesn't require you to write about every tiny detail of your past experience. Instead, it's important to highlight those examples that will help you make your experiences more understandable. And as the resume w riter, it's up to you to come up with good examples that will leave your potential employer asking questions about what you're doing.