Employment4students is proud to announce the launch of the first episode of our video series on student job hunting. The series will look to provide you with an overview of the process, from how to compose your ideal CV and covering letter; the interview process and enhancing your employability and more.
Video Transcript
Hi everyone, I’m Chris – Co-founder of E4S.
Welcome and thanks for joining me for the first episode of our video series on student job hunting.
Here at Employment4students we have years of experience helping more than 18 million school, college and university students find part time work, holiday jobs, internships, year out opportunities and graduate jobs.
This series is just a way of sharing some tips and insights to help you get a job.
In this first episode, I’m going to take a top level overview of the student job search process, including: where to begin, what you need to prepare in advance, how to succeed, and I’ll also highlight some of the potential pitfalls that are out there.
In subsequent episodes, we’re going to delve into a little more detail on some of these areas to give you the best possible chance of landing a great student job!
Right, let’s get started…
Before looking… Where to start…
Ok, so where do you begin?
Well, start by asking yourself a couple of questions.
Firstly, how much time do you have to do a job?
Your studies should be your first priority so be realistic about how much paid work you can fit in around them. During term time you can probably spare 10-20 hours per week depending on your course, and most colleges and universities don’t advise doing more hours than that.
The holidays are a great time to get stuck into a temporary job, but remember that you also need some time to relax and recuperate.
Second question – what do you bring to the party?
I mean what skills, experience, or attributes do you have that will add value to a business?
It’s time to think about where your passions lie, and what kind of job your skills and experience can help you do.
Are you creative and artistic? Maybe you’d be suited to a design job or marketing role.
Perhaps you are bubbly and enjoy meeting new people, so a customer facing job would suit you, such as charity fundraising or bar work.
Once you have answered those two questions you should have an idea of what type of role you should look for and when you are available to work.
Great, so what’s next
CV Tips
It’s time to create a document that is going to sell you to prospective employers – your CV.
A CV should be a short document – no more than 2 pages – that highlights your academic and work experience achievements, starting with your most recent, and working backwards. It should also contain a couple of people who can be contacted to provide a work or character reference.
We’re going to cover CV’s in more detail in the next episode so I won’t spend too much time on them now, but I’ll give you one quick tip today.
A lot of students struggle to create a compelling CV because they don’t have much work experience to put on there.
So how do you get around that?
Well, try to add things that showcase soft skills like communication, team work, initiative, leadership.
That could be a great presentation you delivered, or collaborating with others on a high scoring project, or leading a successful sports team. Those types of achievements can show an employer that you have the soft workplace skills they want even if you haven’t had a previous job.
Once you’ve created your CV, get it checked by a career advisor or a CV review company. You aren’t an expert CV writer but if your CV isn’t up to scratch you’ll struggle to get a job interview, so get it checked by a pro before you apply for anything.
Right, now that’s done, we’re ready to start searching for jobs!
Student Job Search Process
Finding work can be difficult, but there are loads of useful tools and services you can use to make it easier.
1. First up – your careers service is a great place to start.
They should have a wealth of information about different types of jobs and popular employers. Some even have a vacancy portal featuring a range of local jobs you can apply for online. Careers services also often offer support such as conducting mock interviews and assessing your CV.
2. Your second port of call should be searching online.
Make use of free job boards like E4S, where you can search a database of job vacancies. We currently list over 3,000 jobs across the UK that are ideal for students. Search for jobs from loads of different companies in a range of sectors available in your area and apply online in minutes.
3. Third option – try the traditional offline methods such as ads in your local paper or shop windows.
Bear in mind though that you will typically be competing with a high number of applicants and the position may have already been filled by the time you see the ad.
Also try approaching companies you would like to work for even if they are not actively advertising vacancies. Not only will this show your initiative but may put you in the running for a future position.
4. Finally, the old saying: “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know” remains all too true; so don’t be shy in asking your friends and family whether they know of anyone you could work for.
If you search in those 4 ways – that’s:
- Your careers service
- Online student job boards
- Offline adverts and speculative applications
- Ask friends and family
you will definitely find jobs to apply for.
Cover Letters
OK, great, so you have found a job you want to apply for. What do you do now?
Well, it’s time to send them that polished CV I talked about earlier!
But remember, whenever you send a CV to an employer (online or offline), you should always accompany it with a cover letter, unless specifically asked not to in the job ad. If you don’t bother to write a cover letter there’s a good chance the employer won’t bother to read the CV you spent ages crafting.
Cover letters should be succinct and convincing, sign posting the skills and experience you have that are relevant to the job you’re applying for.
This means you need to tailor a cover letter for each job you apply for.
A good cover letter should compel the employer to read your CV because it shows that you meet all the job requirements!
For example, if a job ad specifies that an employer is looking for a student with 240 UCAS points, studying engineering who speaks english and spanish, and you happen to be an engineering student with 240 UCAS points including an A in english and spanish, then specify that in your cover letter.
Straight away the employer can see that you are a great candidate who fits the bill, so an interview invitation should follow.
The key to a good cover letter is highlighting succinctly the skills and experience that you have which meet the job requirements specified by the employer.
If you can do that, you’ll get the employer’s attention and should be short listed for interview.
Open to interview
So the interview invitation arrives – what happens next?
Firstly, make sure the employer knows your availability. While you want to leave yourself as flexible as possible, make sure that any interview times do not conflict with your studies.
Secondly, take the time to adequately prepare for the interview. Many people walk into interviews having not researched the role or the company and that’s only going to end in rejection. Research the specifications of the role, as well as looking into the company background. This will help you to better prepare for the questions – if you know what they’re looking for, you’ll know what the interviewer will want to hear from your answers.
Thirdly, you’ve showcased your skills in your CV but be prepared to give specific examples at interview to back up what’s in your CV.
Lastly, you should not finish an interview without having asked some questions of your own. Preparing a number of questions to ask your interviewer shows your enthusiasm and interest in the role.
Ask when the employer is likely to make a decision on who they are going to hire.
If you do not hear back by then, don’t be afraid to get in touch with them for an update.
It’s also an opportunity to ask for feedback from the interviewers to help you improve your technique for the future.
We’ve got more interview tips later in the series, so that’s just a quick overview for you for now.
Summary
So, the key takeaways from today are as follows:
- Work out how much time you can spare for a job and think about what kind of work you are best suited to.
- Create a CV and get it checked by a professional to make sure it’s great!
- Be proactive in your job hunt and leverage your contacts, because despite what you hear, there are lots of jobs out there for students.
- Write a tailored cover letter for each job you apply for to ensure you don’t fall at the first hurdle.
- Prepare thoroughly for each interview and use specific examples to answer questions.
Well that’s it for today.
Thanks for watching this first video in our student job hunting series and be sure to join us next week for some great CV tips.
If you have any questions about job hunting in the meantime, send them over to us and we’ll put them in the hat for a Q&A session in our final episode of the series.
Post your questions below or via Twitter @e4scouk , on our Facebook page – www.facebook.com/Employment4students, or email them to [email protected].
In the meantime, check out our website www.e4s.co.uk for loads of job hunting tips and a great selection of student jobs.
Thanks again for tuning in, and we look forward to seeing you next week!
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