The summer holidays are a great time to relax as a graduate – especially when you’ve worked so hard completing your degree!
However, once you’ve taken the opportunity to rest up, the summer break is also the perfect opportunity to increase your graduate employability. Even better, there are loads of awesome ways to go about it!
In fact, we had a chat with some of the graduates who are registered with us here at i2i Recruitment about what they plan to get up to during the holidays. Here are some of their ideas which we’re positive will truly help them stand out from the crowd in their job applications – and will do the same for you, too!
Here are 7 great ways to boost your graduate employability this summer:
1. Become a volunteer or take on a summer internship
The benefits of volunteering and summer internships are aplenty; from giving you the chance to explore the industry you’re hoping to work in first hand to gaining valuable, transferable new skills and experience, introducing you to new people and boosting your confidence, all the way to having the chance to give something back to your community.
All of this will look amazing on your CV, demonstrate your work ethic, and give you lots of great things to talk about in an interview!
2. Invest in your hobbies (or start a new one)
Hobbies have a huge role to play in graduate employability. They not only expose you to skills that perhaps university, internships or volunteering might not have, but will position you as a well-rounded and interesting individual to prospective employers. They’ll also help you stand out from other candidates applying for the same roles as you.
What’s more, having a hobby is fantastic for your mental health, and will give you something to enjoy in between working hard to find a job. Which leads us nicely on to our next point…
3. Become a mental health first aider
Self-reported work-related stress, depression and anxiety have seen a big increase over the last couple of years, and lots of employers are subsequently running mental health first aider initiatives as part of their business in order to support their employees.
By completing a mental health first aid course (such as the course offered by St. John Ambulance), you’ll not only increase your employability by being able to offer this skill to the business, but you’ll present yourself as an empathetic and people-first individual, which is hugely desirable in an office environment.
What’s more, you’ll have the skills in place to manage your own mental wellbeing in the workplace as well as that of others, which holds great prospects for yours, your colleagues’ and the business’s overall productivity – an absolute must for increasing your graduate employability!
In a similar vein, you could…
4. Take an industry-relevant online course
This is a great one, especially if you’re struggling to find a volunteering or internship opportunity in your chosen sector.
Websites like Udemy, The Open University and the government’s National Careers Service have shared a plethora of amazing courses (some free and some paid-for) that you can enrol in to bolster your knowledge and skills around the industry you’re hoping to work in.
For example, if you want to work in computer games development, you could take courses on coding; or, if you want to work in human resources, you could take on courses in human resource management.
The possibilities are endless, and will boost your employability significantly by giving you additional accreditations whilst demonstrating your commitment to/passion for your chosen career and industry!
5. Stay in-the-know on the industry you’re hoping to work in
If you want to boost your employability in a particular industry, it’s a great idea to be in-the-know about what’s actually going on in that industry! This will give you lots of great, relevant material to talk about in interviews, which will look truly impressive.
Make it a part of your daily routine to read up on the news in your sector over a cuppa in the morning, or subscribe to digital newsletters from top industry websites. For example, if you want to work in technology, take a look at sites like WIRED, or attend a webinar hosted by Computer World.
Every day really is a school day!
6. Start writing or update your CV
If you haven’t already, the summer holidays offer the perfect opportunity to really hunker down on your CV – especially if you’ve pursued any of the above activities!
If you’ve not started writing your CV yet, be sure to read our blog on writing the perfect CV, and if you’ve already got one, check out our advice article on CV updates for all the info you need to get cracking!
7. Create or update your LinkedIn profile
Lots of employers now use LinkedIn to find out more about the candidates who apply for roles at their company – so much so that our recruitment consultants here at i2i Recruitment even recommend adding a link to your LinkedIn profile on your CV!
So, if you haven’t got a LinkedIn profile yet, be sure to take a day or so to create a really good one, or make sure your current one is up-to-date and looking smart. You can find out how to do this with LinkedIn’s own guide!
Bonus tip: Signing up with a recruitment agency can also boost graduate employability!
Many reputable and exciting businesses now use recruitment agencies to find their ideal job candidates, so signing up to a recruitment agency like i2i Recruitment can help you get to the front of the queue for lots of different employment options.
What’s more, they can help and advise you on all the above activities, such as helping you to perfect your CV, improving your LinkedIn profile, and pointing you in the direction of additional skill- and experience-boosting opportunities. In fact, this is what we’re all about here at i2i!
Sound good? Register with us now and we’ll arrange your one-to-one with one of our consultants to help you get your career underway…
