This is a guest post written by Graduate Coach, a company that helps graduates turn their degrees into a career. You can find out more about them by visiting their website.

With Covid-19 vaccines starting to be rolled out, there is room for optimism that the world may just be taking its first steps back towards normality.

However, whilst this news will raise everyone’s spirits, it is likely that life as we knew it will still not be back for at least a few months yet.

So until then, here are some top tips on how graduates can best use their time until regularity hopefully returns and it becomes much easier to find a graduate job.

 

Online Internships

With the world as it is, internships, where you are constantly in the office, are currently scarce. But fear not, there are always alternatives.

One of the alternatives is online internships. These give you all the benefits of regular internships, such as learning new skills and experience to put on your CV, but the only difference is that they are entirely online. 

You will still be able to form new relationships but this will just be through the mediums of Zoom or Google Hangouts, rather than in person. 

An added benefit of this type of internship for graduates is that you will not have to pay for travel, which is always a plus.

An example of a company that offers online internships is The Intern Group. Providing your application is successful, you are not only provided with a remote internship placement but also career advancement training and access to online talks from keynote speakers.

If you would like to find out more about The Intern Group’s online internships then you can visit their website here.

 

Acquire New Skills

Your degree is an exceptional achievement but it will only take you so far.

When you apply for graduate jobs and are fortunate enough to get an interview, it is likely that your interviewer will ask what you have been up to since your (virtual) graduation.

Being able to give the answer of acquiring new skills, especially if they are ones that are relevant to the role, will be very impressive.

One of the best ways that new skills can be acquired during this current period is through online courses. For example, if you are interested in a career in digital marketing, Google offers a great online course on the fundamentals of digital marketing.

These types of online courses will help to expand your knowledge on your chosen industry, which could be really helpful in the future if you manage to get a graduate job within that industry.

 

Network

It has always been extremely important to network but during these unusual times, the importance of it has only increased.

If you are able to get your name out there, form rapports and build relationships with new people, then you are only going to come across favourably.

Ideally, the people that you want to network with are individuals that are in recruitment roles at companies that you would like to work at. The hope is that, if you come across well, you may be at the forefront of their mind when they start a new hiring process.

Obviously, there are very few, if any, events such as career fairs where you can network in person at the moment so the majority of your networking will have to be done online. LinkedIn is a great website for this.

One way that you can start networking on LinkedIn is by sending your chosen individuals a polite message that explains your interest in their company. This will hopefully get the ball rolling, which will allow you to engage with them in a way that leaves a positive impression.

 

Volunteering

Volunteering is a great experience. It allows you to give back to the community and fuel your personal development.

During these tough times where people have lost so much, being able to help those in need is an extremely worthwhile experience.

Not only will it give you a sense of pride but volunteering can also improve your future career prospects. Nowadays, employers place an increased amount of importance on whether the candidate meets their ‘person’ specification. 

So, by volunteering within your community, you are going to show potential employers that, as a person, you would fit nicely into their business culture.

If you would like to find out more about how you can volunteer, the Government has provided some information on it here. 

 

Keep Applying

Whilst it may feel like a pointless exercise applying for graduate jobs at the moment, there are still reasons to do so. 

The pandemic has obviously caused many businesses to freeze their hiring processes, meaning that there are far fewer graduate jobs available than there were this time last year. However, some businesses have actually thrived during this pandemic, most notably online businesses.

These businesses are still hiring, so you need to ensure that you continue to apply for graduate jobs as they may be actively searching for graduates like you.

 

Summary

We hope that you have found these tips useful and that they will help you to land your dream graduate job as the economy continues to recover.

Once again, if you would like to find out more about Graduate Coach and the services that they offer to graduates, then please be sure to visit their website.