For many students, finance is a primary challenge of the university or college experience, and an increasing number are responding to shortfalls with part-time work during term time or holidays. Extra money is the main incentive, taming overdrafts and boosting daily living budgets, while in extreme cases it may even make the difference between being
he holidays can be stressful, but job hunting often compounds the problem. Well-intentioned friends and family can hover with questions such as, “Hey, Harry, did you get a new job yet?” As if the external pressures aren’t enough, your own internal thoughts, beliefs and feelings can drive you to distraction.
The good news is you’ve got a job offer. The bad news is you’re not sure if you should accept. There are interviews you are still waiting to hear back from. There are still more interviews at which you fancy your chances. What should you do? Take the bird in the hand? Wait to see
If, as is claimed, only 30% of the total number of job vacancies are advertised, your best bet could be to job-hunt more creatively. Many job-hunters resort to sending off speculative letters to relevant companies. And many employers would rather turn to their pile of speculative letters than spend thousands of pounds on advertising. The
Any job-hunter can develop a network of useful career contacts without a company director in the family. Networking is easy if you know how, and job-hunters who develop their own employment contacts need never be short of career advice and job offers. Here are five networking opportunities which everyone can take advantage of:
Come on, let’s be honest, most of us love to have a good goss. There is something deeply satisfying about getting the latest lowdown on so-and-so or such-and-such. Much of this tantalising tittle-tattle tends to centre on family, friends and so-called celebs.
Assessment days Preparing for the tests you’re likely to face. Personality tests What does the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator say about you? IQ tests Tips for communicating your intelligence. Psychometric tests Feedback from employers is crucial if you want to understand your score. Faking it There’s no point in trying to outwit psychometric tests. Group tests
Be prepared Interviews can be scary experiences and the only way to quell your fears is to follow the advice of the girl guide movement and ‘be prepared’. The best place to start is by finding out as much about the company as possible. Ring the company’s marketing department and get them to send you
