First Job

First time job seekers have the hardest time in finding their first job. In the case of graduates, many universities will have dedicated placement personnel who will assist students in finding their first job.

Specialist tutors are also likely to have a network of individuals in the commercial world who might occasionally take on recent graduates, so never underestimate the help that you can get from this angle.

It's always worth asking your fellow students where they spent any job placement years and see if it's worth approaching any of those companies.

This really all comes down to networking well with other students and with your tutors. People generally like to help others, so don't be afraid to ask for any assistance that you can get freely like this.

Similarly with school and college leavers. If you have an interest in a particular subject, talk to your teacher or lecturer in that subject and discuss career options.

It could be that they could point you in the right direction by at least identifying companies that could use your particular skills.

The problem that many younger people have is that they simply don't know what they want to do once they have finished their education.

Therefore, it's important for anyone leaving education, to understand their own strengths and to determine what their particular skills are.

This is particularly easy for the technically oriented, since the chances are that they will have followed a technical syllabus and will already have some kind of an idea as to where to apply for positions.

The problems come with those who took a more general approach to their education and perhaps studied English, Art or Religious Education.

Does studying RE automatically mean that you should become a preacher? No, of course not, you can do just about anything you set your mind to.

The first step is to think of yourself as a person, rather than as the qualifications you got (or didn't).

Companies usually employ younger people and students because they bring youth to the table.

They'll do the jobs that experienced people don't want. they'll be keen to learn and will be mouldable into the type of employee they want.

In short, employing somebody out of education is often a great bet and the person is likely to be a longer serving employee than somebody with experience being recruited from another employer.

The student job seeker should therefore be putting a CV or resume together based on what they'd like the employer to consider.

Highlight your education, but instead of focusing on the actual qualifications, talk about the amount of learning that was involved. Do you have an eye for detail? Say so!

What sort of work would you like to do? Do you like working in one place, say in an office environment? Do you get along with others and enjoy working as part of a team? How can you demonstrate this? (think in terms of group project work - what role did you play?)

Once you start thinking like this, it's fairly easy to come up with a CV or resume that is interesting to potential employers.

If you have completed any kind of work (even volunteer work) during your student work, be certain to mention it and what you gained from it.

Although a CV isn't the only factor in helping you find your first job, it's still a potential door-opener, so you should make it a document that becomes a compelling sales tool for you.

This is no time to be shy and retiring.