If you have recently graduated, you may be wondering, “How long does it take to find a job after graduation?”
The truth is, this will vary from person to person and will depend on a number of factors.
In this post, we will outline some of the factors that can shorten the amount of time it will take you to find your first graduate job.
How long it takes to get a graduate job?
The short answer is how long is a piece of string?
Whilst some people graduate and seemingly walk straight into a graduate job, it takes others much longer sometimes up to a year or even longer to find employment.
If you are concerned about the amount of time it is taking you to find a graduate job, do not hesitate to contact us for help. There are many ways in which we can help you to become gainfully employed.
Here are some factors that will shorten the amount of time that it takes you to find a job after graduation:
#1: Getting professional career advice
Getting graduate career coaching can significantly reduce the amount of time that it takes you to find a job after graduation.
A key reason for this is that many graduates spend a lot of time merely applying for the wrong jobs. This is common behaviour for graduates who have no clue of what they want to do after university.
This approach is not effective as employers are actively seeking graduates who can clearly articulate their passion and skills for the roles they have applied for.
A graduate career coach can help you to assess your skills and interests in just an hour and suggest graduate job roles that will be suitable for you.
Once you know the job titles to search and apply for, you will find that the time it takes you to find a job after university will be greatly reduced.
There are many other benefits of graduate career coaching that will significantly reduce the amount of time it takes to get a good graduate job. We will touch upon these throughout this post.
Tip to get a graduate job quicker: Contact us here at Graduate Coach, and we will tell you how we can help you to not only get a job, but to get a good job that is right for you.
#2: Having work experience
If you are a graduate who has already gained work experience via internships, industrial placements, paid work during a gap year or volunteer work, you will probably find a graduate job quicker than your counterparts who do not have any work experience under their belt.
This is because once you have met the minimum academic requirements of a job, you will be assessed on your skills. The best way to showcase your skills in your job applications and interviews is to reference your work experience.
Graduate employers are looking for the most workplace-ready candidates. They want to be confident that the graduates that they hire will thrive within the role and company. If you do not have any work experience, you may consider taking a part-time job whilst searching for your full-time job in a graduate role.
Tip to get a graduate job quicker: Gain more work experience and showcase the skills that you have gained from it throughout the entire graduate recruitment process.
Here at Graduate Coach, we offer internships in both Digital Marketing and Digital Analytics.
#3: Creating an achievement-based CV
Putting together your graduate CV straight out of university can be very difficult. Many graduates make the mistake of focusing too much on their academics rather than their skills.
It is vital that you not only emphasise your skills but that you highlight the achievements that you have made. Doing this will give the recruiter a sense of the value that you would be able to bring to their company.
If you are a graduate who boosted your employability skills during university, and you are able to articulate your skills, experiences and interests throughout the application process, you are likely to be invited to more job interviews which could help you to land a graduate job much sooner.
If you have been applying for several jobs for a long time, but haven’t been invited to many interviews, it is a good sign that you need to review and improve your CV and or online applications.
Tip to get a graduate job quicker: Invest time into creating an achievement-based CV. If you would like to see some examples of good graduate CVs, get yourself a copy of The Student Book, written by the founder of Graduate Coach, Chris Davies.
#4: Being interview confident
If you know the art and the science to perform highly in interviews, you will find a job after graduation.
Interview skills are not widely taught during school or university. You may have had a few career workshops where you have learnt about the STAR technique, but may not have covered interviews in much detail, or you may not have practised interviewing much.
On average, graduates spend only 37 minutes preparing for their interviews. This is not enough time to adequately prepare. If you do not prepare for interviews or invest time into getting really good at them, you will improve your interview technique over time, from feedback and trial and error, however, taking this route may significantly increase the time it takes you to get a job.
Tip to get a graduate job quicker: Get an interview coach. Interview coaching will teach you everything you need to know to excel in interviews, whilst giving you the opportunity to practise interviewing and to get detailed feedback until you improve your skills.
#5: Being well connected
Having an extensive professional network is beneficial at every stage of your career, but can also help you to get your foot on the job ladder.
This is because people in your network can put in a referral for you, which greatly increases the chances of you being invited to an interview.
If you have a lot of connections, you are likely to get a graduate job sooner, if you are proactive in building and maintaining professional relationships.
If you do not know a lot of people who will be able to help you, you should work on building your network as soon as possible. You can do this through attending networking events, and reaching out to mentors in the industry that you are interested in.
Tip to get a graduate job quicker: If you haven’t already, sign up for LinkedIn and complete your profile. Connect with recruiters who are likely to share open job vacancies.
#6: Having a proactive attitude
The more proactive you are, the more likely you are to find a graduate job after university.
Proactive job seekers will treat applying for jobs like a job and dedicate several hours per day to activities such as:
- Sending out applications
- Building up their network
- Tailoring their CV
- Writing cover letters
- Taking online courses
- Practising interviews
- Dissecting job descriptions
- Connecting with prospective employers on social media
- Researching companies
- Sending out speculative job applications
- Tracking their job applications
Tip to get a graduate job quicker: Be proactive in your job search. Being proactive will help you to stay motivated during your search because you will see more progress much quicker.
#8: Understanding the graduate job market
The graduate job market is competitive. You won’t just be up against the hundreds of thousands of people who graduated the same year as you but also with the people who graduated in previous years, who are still searching for a graduate job. Therefore, it is a good idea to learn about the graduate job market.
The calibre of graduates entering the graduate job market every year is high. Graduating with a 2:1 or 1st-class degree is not enough to differentiate yourself from other graduates with the same grades. Furthermore, the majority of graduate jobs and graduate schemes do not ask candidates to have a degree in a specific subject.
Summary: How long does it take to find a job after graduation
In this post, we highlighted the things that you can do to reduce how long it takes you to find a graduate job. Be sure to incorporate these tips into your graduate job search strategy to land your graduate job faster.
Applying for jobs straight out of university can be extremely difficult, so we hope that you have found this useful and that it helps you with your graduate job hunt. If you need help landing your dream job, we can help you. We offer a wide range of products and services.
Before you go, if you need extra advice, check out the all-in-one hiring platform, Tempo’s, Ultimate guide to Getting a job!
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