As a recruiter for 17 years, founder of an initiative to help graduates from black and minority ethnic backgrounds get good first jobs, writer of a career guide for women, and currently professor to 15,000 students, I have developed a keen sense of some dos and don’ts for the best chances of being hired for a job you want. Here are some that you should consider.
No idea what you want to do?
Try out different things. Take your time. You are likely to be working a long time as life expectancy for most people extends — some of you will live to be over 100, while the age at which you might receive a pension will recede. Register with a temp agency and do a few short-term contracts in different companies to get a sense of what you enjoy — and what you don’t.
Didn’t get the job you went for?
If you do know what you want, there is no need to despair when you don’t get in through the front door. You didn’t make the graduate training scheme at Goldman Sachs? Or the BBC? Or McKinsey? It can be soul-destroying applying for grad scheme after grad scheme, only to get nowhere.