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You may be surprised to hear that the vast majority of graduates don’t join graduate schemes. They join organisations directly into a job, that can be in any size of organisation and across all sectors; very many work for small or medium-sized employers (SMEs) which recruit very few recent graduates every year or so. These organisations tend to use mass market job boards such as Indeed or LinkedIn or may prefer more cost-effective recruitment through their local university, social media and networking events. Speculative applications and word-of-mouth recommendations are also regular sources of recruits for these organisations, especially in sort-after sectors e.g. arts, media.

Some employers will advertise via their industry-relevant professional body and/or journal, e.g. the Chartered Institute of Marketing for jobs in marketing. See if there is a related professional body for the career area you’d like to get into to find out where and how companies in this sector advertise their vacancies.

Recruitment agencies operate as “middlemen” between the recruiter (the employer) and the job applicant, with the agency being paid by the recruiting organisation to find them good candidates, so there’s no charge to you as the applicant. Indeed, if an agency wants you to pay a fee, walk away as they are not a professional organisation.

Agencies are typically used for jobs that are difficult to fill, either because the skills and experience required are hard to find, or the jobs aren’t particularly attractive.  As a result, agencies tend to specialise in sectors or functions and work with candidates who are experienced, have very specific skill sets or with people who want a career as an interim, taking short-term contracts that can pay higher rates.

Bear in mind that most recruitment agencies are there to find candidates for their client (the employer), not to find a job that best fits you or provide you with objective careers advice. However, there are a few agencies that are tailored to the graduate entry or early career roles specifically that will be more supportive.

Many recruitment agencies deal with specific career areas; to find ones relevant to you and registered with their professional body carry out a search on .

Who do you know already, and how can they help you? For example, many graduates secure their first post-degree job by turning a part-time job, graduate internship or summer job into something longer-term, because the organisation already knows how good you are.

Alternatively apply for an entry level role, even if it doesn’t require a degree - it is quite common for some industries to initially take graduates into jobs that don’t require a degree e.g. marketing assistant, arts administrator and runner (media), as these are great, and often essential, first steps on the career ladder.

Build connections to find jobs that aren’t advertised. It’s easy to build a network with a little work and persistence. LinkedIn was designed for this, but don’t stop there – other social media sites, especially Instagram, Eventbrite communities and Facebook groups are great for starting conversations. You can also go to events, such as conferences (online or in person) and get talking to people that way. We even know of someone who got their dream job by chatting to someone in a bus queue.

It’s never too early to start researching and finding out about careers. 
 
• Autumn term of your final year: apply for graduate schemes. Be aware many closing dates have passed by the end of September, so start your research at the end of your penultimate year.  Most large companies have closing dates between December and the end of February. Most large organisations will put you through the whole recruitment process within two months of applying, which means you could have a job offer in hand before the start of Semester 2. You can also start the process of building connections and doing research.

• 3 months before your course ends: once you have less that 3 months left in your degree you can start to apply for direct entry (normal) jobs, and any graduate schemes that are still open .A great place to start your job search for these roles is , the university’s own student job site. Come and talk to a Careers Consultant to work of a job- hunting approach that works for you and the sector.

• After graduation: don’t panic as you now have the added advantage of being immediately available to work, and you can still apply for all the types of vacancy described in the paragraph above.

This means proactively contacting companies to see if they have any suitable opportunities. Speculative applications have a very, very low success rate, so is advisable as a last resort. To find an employer to approach speculatively, use a business directory, such as  or professional directories on professional body websites. Identify companies that you might like to work for, research them, and then write to or email them with a CV asking for a meeting to discuss possible employment opportunities.

Two good tips: 
Try to find the name of a person to write to (phone if necessary). The company website or LinkedIn may help here. 

Follow up with a phone call two weeks after you have sent your CV. Other options are to network or use work experience to create opportunities. LinkedIn can provide useful contacts and is a good source of local, national and global vacancies.

General graduate recruitment