Kick Start Your Career, The Right Way 

Are you just graduating after years of study? Are you looking to break into the job market and get your career off of the ground? To help you on your way here are some top tried and tested techniques to help kick start your career. 

Recruitment agencies 

A great way to get your name out there and to put yourself in front of as many opportunities as possible is to sign yourself up for a recruitment agency. Recruitment agencies often have the inside track to employers and can help you with your interview technique and any assessments your prospective employer may require. A recruitment consultant will help scan the market for you and find some of the best matches for your skills, ambitions and interests. You can also choose to opt for specialist agencies who only operate within particular industries, often giving them and ergo, you, a professional advantage. Whether you are looking for graduate recruitment, legal industry recruiters or engineering recruitment specialists, calling on a third party to help kick start your career is a great way to get ahead. 

Your CV and covering letter

Before you are even considered for an interview and given the chance to sell yourself in person you have to be able to showcase your skills and attributes on paper. Being able to write a killer CV and covering letter that stands out from the crowd is the only way to ensure you are invited for an interview. Here are some top tips for drafting the best CV and covering letter.

• Do your research. When writing your covering letter or CV it needs to be tailored to the job spec and employer. You want to ensure you have fully researched the role and employer and aligned your skills and interests. Research their websites, industry-related and relevant websites, relevant news articles, and press releases. You could even research members of staff and their achievements, networking sites such as Linked In is great for getting your research started. 
• Send everything to the right person and avoid addressing correspondence as ‘Dear Sirs’ or ‘To whom it may concern’. Where you can find the name of the recruiter who will be receiving your application. 
• Show that you are right for the job. Highlight how your skills, strengths, experience and expertise relate to the job description and detail why you are the right person for this role. 
• Keep it concise. While detailing as much information about your experience as possible is key, you want to ensure that it is relevant. Furthermore, this information needs to be clear and concise as employers will not read reams of pages. Keep your cover letter to one to one and a half pages and your CV to a maximum of two. 
• Keep it consistent. Ensure fonts, text style and tone is consistent throughout your CV and cover letter.
  
• Proofread your application multiple times. For a competitive role, a spelling error could be enough to put your application at the bottom of the pile.