How to Get a Graduate Job in London

Graduation’s over.  Your friends are starting their graduate job and grad schemes on Monday. At this point, you’re still left wondering where on earth to start.

Believe us, you have nothing to worry about.

We have placed over 700 candidates into a job in London from March 1st 2020, up until now. The capital is the place to be if you want to land your first entry-level role.

What’s more, there are thousands of small businesses and start-ups in London currently looking to bolster their team with talented young people to start graduate jobs.

With that in mind, here’s our guide to landing your ideal dream graduate job or internship in the capital.

What should you do?

1) Look at all the options (e.g graduate job, internship or a grad scheme)

If you really don’t know where to start with the career hunt, you’re not alone. Many people leave university without much idea of what they want to do, or a concept of how their skills can be applied to a job.

The job-hunting process begins with educating yourself about the options.

Talk to as many people as possible about their careers and you’ll find jobs that exist in areas you never even knew about. Use Google to find out about as many different graduate jobs as you can. Many of them won’t be for you, but in time, you’ll get closer to the kind of sector or job that you are passionate about.

Also, don’t forget that you’re not committing to a career for the next 45 years of your life. When you’re young, you have the opportunity to test drive different careers and if you don’t like them, you have nothing to lose.

Think about your passions and don’t be afraid to pursue them while you’re young; it might not be so easy to chase your dream job when you’re older, with many other responsibilities.

2) We need to mention your graduate job CV…

Now that you have some idea of the kind of job you want to do, you need to think about your CV.

The most difficult thing to grasp with a CV is that you’ll be your biggest critic.

A good CV can take hours of work and constant revision.

Studies suggest that the average hiring manager spends only 6 seconds looking at each one. When you think about the stack of CVs they’ll be facing, it’s easy to understand why.

This doesn’t mean all hope is lost, however, you do need to make the information as accessible as possible and cut out anything that might get yours immediately thrown away.

Think of it like CV real estate. The stuff at the top is really valuable, as it’s where people will instantly be drawn to. There’s nothing wrong with including a personal statement, but it should only give context to your experience, sum up your degree and what exactly it is you’re looking for. Lengthy prose about how motivated and innovative you are is unlikely to be much use.

Try to keep describe your experience in terms of your achievements and skills and keep the format clear, with headings and enough white space to make the good stuff stand out. The more the reader can take in those precious 6 seconds, the better.

It’s been found that in the UK  any spelling or grammar errors on CVs will end the process in a flash. Alongside this, it’s also important to Google yourself and see what you can do to clean up your online image as well. Most hiring managers will do exactly the same thing…

3) Take the initiative!

One thing that will always stand out on a graduate CV is someone who has taken their career into their own hands.

This may involve getting in touch with businesses, setting up a blog to show your writing ability, building your own website or even starting up your own small company. Any kind of proactive approach is likely to go down well with a whole range of graduate job employers.

It’s a particularly good approach if you feel like your CV has a bit too much blank space. This way, you make your own experience.

4) Consider a graduate job at a start-up

One thing many graduates fail to consider is the attractiveness of small businesses or start-ups. In fact, as an inexperienced graduate, working somewhere like this might just be the best career move you’ll make.

For one, you’ll assume control quickly.

Graduates on a training scheme may find that it takes years before they start making any real decisions, but at a start-up, you may find yourself in charge of budgets and advising on strategy almost immediately.

What’s more, the diverse and often in-at-the-deep-end style of training you’ll receive at a start-up can actually better prep you if you ever want to go it alone and set up your own business in the future.

5) Quantity and quality

Next, it’s time to look at your approach to your graduate job hunt. Yes you may need to fire off a number of applications before you get a response, but applying a scattergun style is unlikely to work. It may feel like you’re increasing your chances, but copying and pasting applications is not going to represent yourself as well as you deserve.

Don’t be afraid to stand out either. Let your personality come across in your application, or maybe even consider filming a video CV or video cover letter. It works for us!

Having said that, do be aware that it’s all good practice and applying to lots of different jobs will help you when that perfect role comes along. You need to stay resilient too, and use any rejection as a chance to learn and improve. Make sure you also organise some fun things to do around your time job-hunting, so you don’t burn out or start suffering from cabin fever.

6) Research your company thoroughly 

Once you’ve identified the right companies for you, it’s time to do some research. Whether it’s your application or the interview, tailoring the process to the company is crucial to impressing them. They’ll want to know that you’ve actively engaged with them and understand how they operate, as well as know what they’re looking for in a candidate.

Start by browsing their website, social media and company blog. All of this will give you a good idea of how the company operates, as well as exactly what they do and the kind of culture that they have. Afterwards, you should be able to easily and concisely describe what the company does. Be prepared – this is an interview question that pops up regularly.

From here, consider looking at any news stories relating to the company, and reviews left by employees on websites like Glassdoor to get an in-depth insight into what the company is actually like beyond the image they are trying to project.

7) The big day…

OK, so you’ve landed the dream graduate job interview and you’ve researched the company to death.

It’s time to show them what you’ve got!

Preparation is again key here.

Take a look at the information you have on the role and see what kind of skills and competencies they expect from their ideal candidate. The chances are that they’re going to ask you to tell them a time that you displayed some of these skills so it’s worth having a good example to demonstrate each of them.

Don’t forget to rehearse some standard questions too, and pay attention to your body language. Many studies have shown that retaining eye contact is essential to building trust, and a relaxed, upright posture is most effective to help you look approachable and confident. Presenting yourself well requires you to be dressed appropriately for the company vibe. If they’re a start-up where the founder wears t-shirts and flip-flops, aim to dress a bit more formally, but steer clear of a full suit and tie.

Other than that, just be yourself.

Cultural fit is one of the biggest buzzwords in recruitment nowadays and it means that ensuring that a candidate fits into their company environment is a number one priority for interviewers. So don’t be afraid of showing your personality.

If you are interested in making a start in your career, we’re here to help too! With over 200 live graduate jobs in London, let us connect you with the job of your dreams.