Graduate jobs ... for experienced graduates
But not everyone gets the first graduate job they apply for, or even the first graduate job that they interview for. For these this extended period of tension can be quite frustrating, and it doesn't help at all when they see graduate jobs advertised for graduates "with experience".
Graduate jobs recruiters sometimes use these words, "with experience", when an employer is seeking immediate cover for a critical skills deficit. But it would be wise for the newly qualified graduate job-seeker to consider that this might not always be the case.
But on the other hand the prospective employer may simply be wanting to scrutinise previous graduate jobs "experience" in order to better assess suitability for the current vacancy. In which case, even though they would usually have "work experience" in mind, there may be circumstances where alternative kinds of "experience" could serve the same purpose.
In such cases, by analysing a candidates previous work experience in previous graduate jobs, a recruiter will be not only be looking to see whether the candidate has done "similar" work before, but also to see whether they have done it successfully, consistently, conscientiously, etc, etc. The general idea being that past behaviour is a good predictor of future behaviour.
Indeed, if a candidate is seeking to move from one graduate job to another similar graduate job, this may raise questions in the recruiter's mind. Why does he/she want to move? Were there secondary problems, such as failing to get on with previous colleagues, and so on.
With this in mind there may be occasions when new graduate without previous graduate jobs work experience might still find it worthwhile applying. The "alternative experience" challenge would be to identify skills and traits, through previous achievements and experiences, which would be beneficial if they were carried through into future graduate jobs.
So, to be practical, what sort of "alternative experience" could be brought into consideration to suggest useful personal traits and /or skills that might be transferable into new graduate jobs appointments. A couple of examples should suffice to give the general idea, but this list is certainly not exhaustive.
Charity fund-raising. Apart from the charitable aspect of such work any activity that involved talking to people, and persuading them to part with their money, could be considered to be akin to sales/marketing work
Helping to run any university club or association, particularly as chairman, secretary or treasurer, or in organising particular events. Quite apart from any clerical or numerical skills, it will have involved working with people.
Indeed, all sorts of experiences can provide evidence of traits and skills that might be attractive to a recruiter for graduate jobs. Think carefully about any temporary jobs you may have had, and experiences that would demonstrate such qualities as "resourcefulness".
You may be surprised by the value that a graduate jobs recruiter may place on some experiences. I can recollect an occasion where two candidates were interviewed for a job as a college Maths lecturer. The one seemed better qualified in every respect, but the other got the job. It turned out that he had just spent some time working in an Ant-Arctic research station.
About the Author: John Bult runs internet job boards for people in graduate jobs in the UK
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