It’s a tough economy and whether you are looking for work experience or a full time job after university, you need to have a strong online presence.
The internet is the stage for self-promotion, and it’s free, so be sure to grab the low-hanging fruit.
Once you have sent a few applications, the HR departments are going to look at your application and they are going to type your name into Google.
As a university student looking for work, it is absolutely essential that you have a Linkedin account. Linkedin is like Facebook for the business world. You create a profile, list your work experience, upload your CV and connect with other business people that you know.
Linkedin allows you to list more than one field in your current employment. I recommend writing what you are studying and what type of job you are looking for.
For example: “Student at the University of Nottingham and looking for a job in at an accountancy firm.”
This shows that you are determined to find employment and people know exactly what you are interested in and what you are looking for.
The best thing about Linkedin is that you can search for jobs that recruiters have posted. You can be very specific with the search - selecting location, industry and experience level.
As a student you will want to go for entry level. What’s great is that you can click on a job offer and send your CV right away. In theory you can submit over 100 applications in just one morning.
To get my name to rank on Google, I started a personal blog using sites like Wordpress, Blogspot and Tumblr. I uploaded my CV on to the site and some pictures of my hobbies and achievements.
When recruiters searched for me, my webpage would appear and they would feel like they could get to know me a little better. I will never forget when I was at a networking event when a guy asked about my background and I whipped out my phone, went to my website and showed him my CV in only a few seconds.
Lastly, trying being a bit creative. I’ve heard some crazy stories about the things guys have done on the job hunt.
I saw one who created a Facebook page where he listed his qualifications and went on a hunger strike until he got offered a job interview. The page went viral and the interviews flooded in.
But if you’re one who likes to eat, like most people, then there are other things you can do. I was very impressed by a guy who wanted to work for Shopify, a web-building platform.
He created a site using Shopify and it explained that he “wanted to work for Shopify”. The tabs on the site included a CV and a button that said “click here to arrange a meeting with me”.
This type of outside-the-box thinking is really going to make you stand out to an employer.
