It’s no secret that the current job market is highly competitive – especially for graduates.
According to the University of Lincoln’s Careers & Employability department (at the time of writing), the dip in job advertisements triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic is still prevalent, and the Office for National Statistics has found that the unemployment rate for graduates has increased substantially.
This means that, for anyone who is about to graduate or has recently graduated, there’s going to be some stiff competition out there for graduate jobs in Cheltenham and other areas.
In a nutshell, even if you tick all the boxes for the qualifications and experience required for a role, it, unfortunately, may still not be enough for you to get hired.
The solution? You need to stand out from the crowd.
But what does this actually mean, and how do you go about it?
Standing out from the crowd is all about going the extra mile to prove that you will not only meet all the expectations required of you in a role, but exceed them, with a unique set of skills and attributes that an employer won’t find in anyone else.
Here are 3 ways to stand out from the crowd in today’s competitive job market:
1. Invest time in your hobbies and interests
Sadly, research has found that many graduates and other young people have few, if any, hobbies or interests, due in part to their increased use of social media and streaming services.
Of course, it’s really important that graduates are able to switch off and enjoy some rest after an intense three plus years of study. When applying for a job or sitting in at an interview however, demonstrating a passion for a hobby or two, or even volunteering can be a fantastic way to stand out from the crowd!
This is because many hobbies and interests can help you to master a wide variety of skills that you might not otherwise gain, which employers will find truly valuable for their business.
For example, taking part in amateur dramatics can strengthen communication, creativity and presentation skills, as well as confidence and resilience – all of which are very desirable to an employer.
If you don’t have any hobbies or interests, think about the kind of graduate jobs in Cheltenham or the local areas you want to pursue and investigate different activities that you’ll enjoy that will also help you gain the skills you need.
If you want to work in marketing, for example, you could start your own blog on a topic that interests you!
2. Adopt a growth mindset
With advances in technology, communications and research, businesses are looking for innovation and opportunities to grow, as opposed to sticking to the same ways of working as they have done before – and they want the fresh perspective and ideas of graduates to help them get there!
If you can demonstrate that you have the same attitude towards business growth as the companies that you are hoping to work with when applying to jobs, this will also help you stand out from other graduates applying for the same roles.
Some of the ways that you can do this include:
- researching the companies and sectors that you’re applying to work for and think of ways that you can help them grow
- signing up for training, courses and webinars related to your chosen sector to gather fresh, innovative ideas or inspire your own
- outlining your goals for the future – personal and career-related – and how you plan to achieve them
- reviewing your previous failures and demonstrating how you’ve learned from them
This list isn’t exhaustive, so whatever you can do to harness and develop an outstanding growth mindset, take it and push it to the next level so employers can’t help but notice you!
3. Endorse a positive attitude
Interestingly, as humans, we are hard-wired towards adopting a negative mindset over a positive one in most situations. This (combined with the difficult year we’ve had due to the pandemic) means that having a positive attitude can truly help graduates to stand out from the crowd.
For a prospective employer advertising graduate jobs in Cheltenham, a positive attitude – particularly the ability to turn a negative into a positive – is truly refreshing, and creates an unspoken message of great things to come when they hire you. In fact, according to this Forbes article, positive thinking is more important to employers than your job history!
So, even if you don’t have the same skills required that another candidate may have, but you have a positive attitude compared to their less positive or negative one, chances are employers will look upon your application far more favourably.
There are lots of things you can do to adopt a positive attitude and mindset if you’re worried that you don’t have one already, such as:
- keeping a bullet journal of positive things that have happened to you each day
- taking the time to focus on self-care
- practicing mindfulness and meditation
- reading self-help books. “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne and “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle are a couple of great ones to start with!
- ensure you always have something to look forward to
- take pleasure in even the smallest of things
By investing some time and effort into these three practices, your job prospects are sure to increase tenfold and truly help you stand out from the competition!
How we can help you even further…
At i2i Recruitment, we’re all about the individual behind the CV, and never just the CV itself.
When you register with us, we’ll meet you face to face (or at least via video call in light of coronavirus restrictions) to help you uncover not just your skills and experience, but your passions, interests and ideas to ensure we find the perfect graduate jobs in Cheltenham for you.
Simply follow this link below to register with us today!
