There is nothing quite like the experiences that you get to enjoy during your university days – sure they might be hectic what with the studying, part-time working and trying to have a successful social life, but they are amongst the most carefree moments of our lives. However, as you draw ever closer to graduation and therefore the scary ‘real world’, along with cramming for exams and pulling all-nighters on last minute essays, you should also be looking ahead to the future.
The whole point of getting a degree is after all to later find a job in a field in which you’re interested in – so check out these 3 things you should do before graduating to make sure that you get ahead when it comes to finding a job.
1. Visit your university career centre
Especially if you are still unsure about exactly what it is that you want to do, or are on the fence about whether you want to go into further study yet, a visit to your university career centre could help clarify things for you. They’re highly experienced in these sorts of things, so before you graduate, book in with a careers advisor to glean any precious gems of knowledge that’ll help you hit the ground running on the other side of university.
In addition to this, they’ll also be able to let you know of any companies and businesses that have affiliations with your place of study, meaning that you could start applying for positions before you even graduate, especially if you manage to get a recommendation from one of your advisors.
2. Start signing up for websites in your chosen area
With the internet, it is so simple to stay on top of the latest industry news, and for any future interviews that you may have, doing your homework in this way is bound to be a bonus. For example, if you study law in Africa, you can sign up for a site like Africa Legal to find out the newest developments, and also to start getting involved in the area.
There are lots of niche career sites out there, so whatever your field, have a quick search on the internet and sign up for one or two sites of interest.
3. Check out job hunting sites
Especially if you are looking to go into a post-graduate scheme, or have a firm idea of where you’d like to be working and what you’d like to be doing, get job hunting now. It could be as simple as uploading your CV to one of these sites so that prospective employers are able to find it. It will also give you a better idea of what kind of entry-level positions into your field are available.
Checking out a big job search site like Monster, and signing up for alerts will help to get you in the right mind-set for job hunting too once you’ve fully completed your studies.
Conclusion
None of these tips are time-consuming, but they can really help you get ahead and start planning for the future even before you get your diploma.
