How to maximise college time to impress future employers
MAIRÉAD O’LEARY interviews hundreds of graduates every year in her role with the Global Graduates programme run by the business and employers organisation, Ibec. The programme selects graduates for paid work placements around the world with leading companies.
Her job gives Mairéad a keen insight into the skills companies are seeking in graduates and how, from their earliest college days, students can develop the sort of qualities that will make them stand out in an interview.
IRRESPECTIVE of the career they wish to pursue, students should understand the importance of employability skills alongside their qualification, and aim to foster and develop them throughout their college years.
Most prospective employers will have a similar list of competencies and skills they are looking for when conducting an interview. They will want to see evidence of teamwork, reliability and commercial awareness, along with a good attitude, independence, communication, leadership and organisational skills.
So how can you develop these skills throughout college?
GET INVOLVED
Getting involved or, even better, being part of the organising committee of a club, society or volunteering group can add serious weight to your CV. The skills you gain in time management, budgeting, multi-tasking and working as part of a team can really showcase your capabilities to a future employer. Employers are interested not only in what course you did but what you did with your time, and this can be a great talking point in any interview.
ENGAGE WITH YOUR CAREERS DEPARTMENT
The careers service in your college is a fantastic resource, so don’t wait until your final semester to visit
them! Engage with the services and career initiatives they provide throughout your time in college; they organise employer presentations on campus, hold careers fairs, can advise on cover letter and CV preparation, and can hold mock interviews to help you prepare for the real thing. If you are really interested in a certain company, visit them at a careers fair in your first or second year of college. Ask them what they are looking for and what skills and competencies they look for in their most successful employees. Then use your college years to work on these areas.
SELF-REFLECTION ON SUCCESSES AND FAILURES
Self-reflection is a critical part learning. During your college years, it’s vital that you reflect on what works and does not work for you. Did you find it hard in your first semester to juggle your time with college assignments and a part-time job? What did you do to overcome this time management
of
issue? Were you part of a society event that was very successful? What happened that made it go so well? It’s very beneficial to reflect on different situations and see what you learned or how you might improve next time around. Better still, write it down and you will be able to look back and learn from your own personal experiences.
COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Communication skills are hugely important for any graduate to work on in college. Put yourself forward to make presentations, and listen to the feedback and learn from it. Get involved in group projects. Every team needs a team leader, communicator and facilitator. Use the experience of working in groups to find out which you are best at and to work on improving the others. Practise your research and writing skills. At a time where technology is at the forefront of learning, basic writing skills are still critical. Every graduate will have to fill in an application, write a cover letter and CV, so careless and consistent spelling and grammar mistakes can mean your application is quickly disregarded in a recruitment process.
USE YOUR TIME WISELY
Make the most of your summers and holidays. Sample different types of work experience in sectors that you think you may be interested in. Working abroad for a few months shows a future employer that you are independent, adaptable and organised enough to live away from home in a new country. If you want to develop foreign language skills, travel and use your summer to practise them.
Employers don’t expect college graduates to have the same experience as someone who is five years older. They do, however, want to see potential and an interest and understanding that progression, adaptability and lifelong learning are now an essential part of all our working lives.