Monster's Graduate Starter Kit
As a novice, your best bet is to conduct an extensive campaign in order to advertise the fact that you're looking for a job as widely as possible. Make contact with your family, friends, acquaintances, clubs and societies, alumni representatives and so on. Let them know what sort of job you're looking for and ask them for any tips or information they may have.
First decide what direction you want to take or what kind of jobs you definitely will or won't do. Think about how far you're prepared to commute, the minimum amount you want to earn, whether you'd like to work for an international firm, and so on. On Monster you can translate these preferences into "search criteria" which you can then also save in a "Job Agent". This means that the most recent jobs that match your requirements will be sent to you by e-mail.
TIP: You can also look through a list of businesses, so you can see which employers are offering jobs on Monster.
You won't get a job without a CV, of course. If you've no idea what's supposed to go in a CV, it would be a good idea to create your CV on Monster. What's more, in this digital age it's very handy to immediately save your CV online. Once you've created a My Monster account, you'll find three different ways in the account of creating a CV. If you don't know where to start, the "online CV builder" is the best option. With this, you fill in the key elements of a CV step by step. If you've already created and saved a CV on your computer, you can easily add this to your My Monster account using copy and paste or via the "Word upload" option.
TIP: Even if your main experience is of ploughing through courses and going to student parties, it's still important to mention relevant work experience in your CV. For instance, describe any jobs you've done at your youth club, or mention any voluntary work or relevant holiday jobs. Any periods of practical experience you've had during your studies are also very important.
At the bottom of the job ad, you'll find the "Apply Online" link. If you click on it, you'll be asked which CV you want to sent and which letter you wish to attach, if any. In other words, you'll be given an overview of your CVs and letters, from which you can make a selection. When applications are made online, some employers also want to make an initial selection. So after clicking on "Apply Online" you may first be required to fill in a questionnaire before you can send off your CV. This is known as "screening". After you have applied, you will be sent another e-mail to confirm that everything has been sent off OK to the employer in question.
Tip: You can also save covering letters in your My Monster account. Adding a letter to your CV can give you an extra advantage!
You lay the foundations for successful presentation and a smooth job interview by preparing properly and by being self-confident. And showing it. Often, the one is tied up closely with the other. So do some advance practice by answering a list of frequently asked questions to yourself. Bear in mind that the business where you will be attending for interview hardly knows anything about you. Usually, they have only seen your CV and letter, and want to gain the best possible impression of you in the shortest possible time.
Tip: Before you go to the interview, you should gather as much information as possible about the employer in question. Look on the Internet, check out the business profile on Monster, inspect the business results and if possible look for somebody in your network who can tell you more about the business culture.
Once the interview is behind you, there follows the wait, which in some cases can be agonisingly long. Don't be afraid to send an e-mail after the interview to say thank you. It demonstrates your enthusiasm and motivation, and is a way of reminding the recruiter of your application one more time.
Tip: What if you have applied for a number of jobs at the same time, but you're not the greatest at keeping your administrative affairs sorted out? If you're in this situation, you can always go to your My Monster account for an application overview. It will show you when you applied for which job.
Keeping your eyes open is as important as ever! Subscribe to the Monster Newsletter, and you'll receive handy tips, interesting facts and, of course, details of new vacancies in your mailbox every month. On the Monster website, as well as jobs you'll also find extra tips and advice, you can communicate online with other job-seekers on one of the interactive forums, the possibilities are endless. Good luck!
