With the high level of competition amongst students and graduates and the need of companies to recruit the best quality, this has triggered an enhancement in the level of sophistication of the graduate recruitment procedure.
Enterprises now report responses to adverts running in the hundreds where formerly they could have acquired thirty or so. It means that graduate job searchers are up against a wide range of competitors all with the same or similar experience. It is the responsibility of each potential employee to make themselves stay ahead of the crowd.
Each and every single student or graduate job seeker has personal competencies which have been developed over the years not just in university but also before. These need to be identified by undertaking an analysis of your transferable skills.
The step you now require to take is to ensure that you have an understanding of these unique selling points, can mention about them with regards to work and can bring examples forward at the right moment to reinforce your suitability for specified job openings.
Here are ten key selling points that people who run businesses look out for. You owe it to yourself to discover where you are strong in particular areas and determine what evidence you have to support your claims:
Adaptability: How good are you at working with change? We live in an ever changing world - the only certain thing is that things will change. Were there any times in your working career when you confirmed versatility and a drive to adapt? Think clearly about this and build some set answers that concentrate on real examples from your working life.
Commitment: All entrepreneurs are on the lookout for constancy in the people they employ. It's a task to reveal commitment or loyalty if you have only had part time jobs or no jobs at all. A technique around this is to point out a consignment to customer satisfaction or quality. Did you ever go that extra mile to make a difference for the customer?
Communication: But it is thought to a number of of the situations, which happen in organisations, are due to a breakdown in communications. As a student, can you show that you have an awareness of what constitutes good lines of communication, that you realise its importance for success and that you have demonstrated in a practical way your persistence for guaranteeing good communication in all working activities.
Creativity in Problem Solving: Can you show that your way to solving problems does not rely on all the old familiar approaches but that your approach comprises of using not only reasoning but also ingenuity and creativity?
Decision Making: Exhibit that you have a technique. This strategy will be logical and well thought out, show that you can make judgements. Give examples of when confronted with a problem or an opportunity you examined the options and decided where the business planned to be in the future. You then set some objectives and drew up an action plan.
Evaluation: You need to show how you are committed to providing for the evaluation and review of the decisions you have taken. Give examples of your research strategy and how you applied it.
Foresight:A well-considered method of looking into the future and seeing the issues prior to when they occur. How did you make obvious the ability to see the trouble a long way off before it was upon you? This is a worthy skill and one that future employers will appreciate and value.
Independence: How much do you desire to be supervised? Can you work on your own? Can you set your own agenda in line with the needs of the organisation? How did you show this? Give examples of when and under what happenings you took accountability to good effect.
Team Player: Success is a team game! Corporations will want to see that you can lead and be lead - negotiate with others - work collaboratively on concerns and encourage colleagues to give their best. What examples of this do you have from your working life?
Value Added Marketing: You probably will not be a sales person but every member of the organisation is expected to play a part in selling the product even in the care or public sector. Most organisations adopt a market lead approach to business. What ever you think about this it is obvious that there is no business where there are no clients. Your future student or graduate employer will be looking for evidence of your support of the marketing function. How did you forward the image of your company to the customers?