Maddie's storyHey, I'm Maddie, a 22-year-old Criminology graduate from the University of Leicester. I now work as an Account Executive within Public Relations. It's been a bit of a weird year since graduating, which is why I've started my own blog about the highs and lows of graduate life (@mindthegapgraduates) and also love sharing my story on sites like The Blue Graduate. Q: What are your top 3 tips for graduates who are currently job hunting?A: My top 3 tips are: 1. Make a spreadsheet to keep up with where you've got to with jobs and which ones you've applied to. Have column headers that state the job title, company, stages of the application and when things have to be done by. This is not only a great way to stay organised but also a good way to track what you're doing well or not so well - if you're never getting to an interview or perhaps never passing a psychometric test, you can see a pattern and try to resolve any shortfalls with that. 2. Don't give up - it might take a week, a month or even a year to land any job after university. It's really difficult to get rejected from jobs, and I so wish we were taught how to handle that. Just keep your head up and know that one day something amazing will come to you. Keep on going and don't lose any faith in yourself. 3. Don't compare your timing and journey to others. Comparison, especially in careers, is so damaging. Someone might have got a job before you and it might make you feel worse about yourself, but you don't actually know if it's making them happy or if there's something that makes it less than ideal. Similarly, job titles don't really mean a thing, so if your friend has got a swanky Director role after a year, don't panic - that might just mean they're the only person in that department. You never know so don't compare, it's a terrible (but easy, I know) habit to get into. Q: How did you secure your current job? What was the interview process like, and what did you do to stand out?A: I actually got my job though family connections (I won't lie), but with previous jobs I did identify a few reasons why I got the job or passed interview stages. While at University and during the first year of being a graduate, I started a small business and a blog in my spare time. These were amazing ways for me to learn new skills and demonstrate to an employer that I'm committed, always going above and beyond and had good time management skills. It's often not enough to just have a degree, as so many people do, so you have to go above and beyond with things. My advice to anyone that's struggling to find a job or doesn't really have that key selling point, try and start something in your spare time and learn new skills. Whether that's a blog, a freelance business, tutoring or just proofreading other students work, it all counts and shows that you're hard working. Q: How did you feel when you started your job vs now?A: When I started my job, I felt really excited and got caught up in the whole wow look at me I'm working and get paid for it but that has recently worn off. Whether that's due to the pandemic or not, I'll never know. I've had my fair share of imposter syndorme, and still do. I go through bouts of feeling not good enough to be doing my job, wondering why I got the job (which I think about a lot more considering the family connection) and generally feeling inadequate. As the year has gone on, I've definitely developed a lot more confidence and skills in my role. So the doubting thoughts come less frequently but they're definitely there. In my day to day role, I do a range of tasks, from managing the company's social media to writing press releases and blog posts for clients. I really like the fact that no two days are the same, as this gives me a lot of practice across a range of things and lets me see what my favourite things are to take into future roles. Q: What do you miss most about university?A: I think I miss the validation of grades and assignments the most. Always working towards a deadline and knowing that I'd be given a number to reflect the effort I put in, there's nothing quite like it at work.
It's all we've ever known really - working towards GCSEs, then A Levels, then wanting to get our desired grade in our degree. So when I produce a good piece of work in my job, the 'Great, cheers for that' email doesn't quite cut it. If you would like to feature on the blog and share how you beat the blues please contact me, or read more of our Graduate Q&As here.
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Tairan's storyHi everyone! My name is Tairan Joyner and I am 22 years old. I graduated in May from Barry University in Miami, FL with a degree in Marketing. I am currently working as a marketing intern at Inspire Brands while looking for a full-time job. I have a passion for digital marketing and media. Q: What are your top 3 tips for graduates who are currently job hunting?A: 1. Stay positive and hopeful. Job hunting can take a toll on your mental health and there's that feeling of not finding the right job. You must stay positive and hopeful that the right job is out there for you! Make sure you have supportive people around you to help lift you up during this challenging time. 2. Be consistent - job hunting is a job itself! Block some time out every day to apply to jobs. Set alerts on LinkedIn and Indeed. Reach out and make new connections. 3. Don't be afraid to try something new - be open to new industries, companies and locations especially during a pandemic where many companies aren't hiring. Also, if you can't find a job right now consider freelancing! Use your skills and your passion to help others. During my last semester of college, I decided to offer my help for free and work with a nonprofit organisation in Miami to manage their Google Ads account and create ads to increase awareness and membership. That experience allowed me to build my skills as a new digital marketer. Q: How did you secure your current job?A: I secured my current role by applying during my last few months of undergrad. Honestly, after I heard about the coronavirus and having to leave school, I knew that searching for a full-time job or internship would be 10x harder. After hearing a lot of companies cancel their summer internship programme also made me weary. A few days after graduation I interviewed for the internship position and secured an internship role. Q: How did you feel when you started your job vs now? What is your day to day like?A: When I first started my job, I was nervous and anxious just like any other intern. I didn't know what to expect but I was excited to learn new things and work on different projects. My day to day consists of sitting in on meetings for different brands, pulling and creating reports, meeting other people on different teams and analysing media trends. Q: What do you miss most about university?A: I miss being around my friends and having the opportunity to explore Miami. I'm glad I have great memories to look back on.
If you would like to feature on the blog and share how you beat the blues, please contact me! Read more of our Graduate Q&A's here. Katie's storyMy name is Katie, I'm 21 and I have just graduated from Cardiff University with a degree in Media, Journalism and Communications. Whilst at university, I delved into a range of creative projects - including running Cardiff's lifestyle publication as Editor-in-Chief in my final year. When degree and work at Quench Magazine came to an end I felt particularly lost and unsure about my future. I needed a creative outlet to express these uncertainties and thus The Graduate Club was born (@graduateclub). It was a way for me to create content and keep my mind busy, whilst also finding like minded people who were going through the same life changes that I was attempting to navigate. Q: What were your reasons behind starting your Instagram page The Graduate Club?A: I always like to have everything planned and structured so I know what to expect. I'm the kind of person who will Wikipedia the ending of a film I'm watching just ten minutes in (criminal, I know) so I don't have to deal with the stress of not knowing what will happen. In the weeks leading up to finishing my degree, my mind was so occupied by thoughts of meeting word counts and submitted assignments that the emptiness that followed really caught me by surprise. Unlike the previous 21 years of my life, where education was neatly followed by further years in education, I had nothing lined up and this terrified me. Eventually, I stepped back from this constant feeling of panic and realised that it wasn't really helping me in any way. After speaking to some of my friends and putting a tweet out on Twitter, I quickly realised that I wasn't alone in these emotions and this provided a huge wave of relief. I thought that if I made my emotions public, those dealing with the same experience in silence might find the same sense of relief that I did. Soon, the page grew from sharing my own story to sharing the stories of other people. I think that's what makes it so special as it really does demonstrate that there isn't one set route after graduation and you are free to navigate these murky waters in whichever way you choose. Q: What are your top 3 tips for graduates who are thinking of starting an Instagram page?A: For one, I'd say there definitely has to be something in it for you. For me, The Graduate Club has helped me conquer my emotional struggles and allows me to channel my feelings into something productive rather than let them run free around my brain - that's what makes getting up and working on it so enjoyable. Secondly, remember to take time off! It's easy to get caught up in the Instagram whirlwind and want to spend every hour of every day creating content to the point where it becomes an obligation. Time away from a screen is just as important and can help you come up with more ideas in the long run. Finally, interact with other accounts! There are so many amazing people with such creative ideas online. Rather than see it as a competition, I think it's best to view it as a collaboration. Help others, share their content and even work together on something between you. Q: How do you deal with job anxiety?A: I think it's important to have faith in yourself and your own abilities. Sometimes it's easier said than done but remembering what I've achieved in the past allows me to keep pushing through! Also, like I said before, having a creative outlet is a great way to get things out or channel any anxious emotions. Q: What will you miss most about university?A: Definitely the people. I am from a small village in Devon so having friends living within walking distance was new to me and I loved that social aspect of being able to see anyone or plan anything with ease. I feel like at university there was always something good to look forward to.
Rosa's storyHi everyone, my name is Rosa and I am 22 years old. I graduated in 2019 from the University of Kent with a BA in English Language and Linguistics. Since leaving, I have gone backpacking (shock) and am now a blogger alongside job hunting! Q: What are your top 3 tips for a graduate looking to start a blog?A: My top 3 tips would be: 1) Do your research. It can really feel like a bit of a minefield at first. There are so many blogging platforms, niches, hosting sites etc and it can get a bit overwhelming when you're a novice to the industry like I was! I would suggest starting by grabbing a cuppa and watching some YouTube videos for general blog setup advice. I'd then move on to more focused research regarding creating a blog that is specific to your needs! 2) Start as you mean to go on. If this is something you see longevity in, then it's best to avoid taking shortcuts! There are bundles of free, quick fixes available if you want to get your blog up and running rapidly - however I do feel that these might not stand the test of time. I would have a long think about the appearance, features and content you'd like on your blog. This way may take time, research and even money, but will definitely save you lots of effort in the long run. If you do rush the creation of your blog, it may be a lot harder to swap everything over and change it if you do decide you want to redo it further down the line. 3) Try not to be afraid to put yourself out there! Admittedly, this is a lot easier said than done. I waited for years to have the courage to do it, I gave in when the fear became massively outweighed by my excitement to do it! Your loved ones will (hopefully) support you and any extra support and praise is a bonus, especially if you love doing it anyway! Q: How did you start blogging? How did you come up with the name? What does your day to day look like?A: I started it not too long ago actually! The idea was in the pipeline for years, so I had a fair bit of time to think about how I'd like it to be. Initially, I started reading other blogs for inspiration and then brainstormed everything (and I mean everything) that I wanted my blog to have. Coming up with the name was definitely not as smooth sailing though. As they say, "you've got to kiss a few frogs to find your prince" - in this case it was about a million frogs i.e. laughable blog name ideas. It's very hard to get the right balance between pinning yourself to a niche but not limiting yourself. I eventually thought I'd quite like a bit of alliteration and from there, @therosaroom was born. I like how it's quite broad and gives me the space to chat about anything and everything. My day-to-day at the moment is more similar to that of my two bulldogs that I'd probably care to admit. In lockdown, there really isn't much variety in what I'm doing! I do, however, spend a huge portion of my day typing out blog post drafts, getting pics for Instagram and carrying out general research on how to develop my blog. I absolutely love doing it! Q: How did you feel about blogging when you first started in comparison to now?A: I think the main difference is my confidence! When I first launched it, I was very apprehensive about what the reaction was going to be. Now I've got the hard bit out of the way, I really do feel so inspired to just be creative and not worry (as much) about the reception it's going to get! Q: What do you miss the most about university?A: Where do I begin? What a three years it was. I do miss the little bubble that University provides - friends around the corner, independence and not to mention the nights out. I'm glad to have left it on a high and have great memories to look back on though.
If you would like to feature on the blog and share how you beat the blues, please contact me! Maddie's storyI am Maddie, I'm 22 years old and I graduated a year ago from the University of Leeds (I can't believe it's been a year already!) with a BA in International Relations. My aim is to become a solicitor at a city law firm so in September I am starting a law conversion at BPP in London. I'm really looking forward to starting my journey into law, although it feels like a long-way off at the moment! Q: What are your top tips for graduates who are currently job hunting?A: My top tips would be: 1) Learn from your mistakes and rejections and keep moving forward. It can be hard to stay positive but it's a good test of your resilience and you'll only come out stronger in the end 2) Remember to have fun and look after yourself! 3) Don't feel like you have to rush into anything. Take your time, since time is on your side; go travelling, find a new hobby or start a little side hustle - you'll learn a lot along the way! Q: What advice can you give someone who is trying to make themselves stand out against other applicants in a job interview?A: The legal application cycle starts properly again in September, so until then I'm trying to make the most of all the online initiatives that have popped up during lockdown. InsideSherpa and Bright Network are good websites to check out if you're not sure where to start! I think by using this time productively and demonstrating that you're eager to learn will help you to have an advantage over many other applicants. Q: What is your day to day like now? How are you going to manage it when you start the law conversion?A: I have also used this time to set up my Instagram page @_gradutling, as I had felt pretty lost after graduating and thought others must feel the same way too. It's pushed me to be more creative and given me something to concentrate on every day, and I've really enjoyed doing it! Currently my days are pretty chilled. I try to divide my time between exercise, law stuff, and gradulting stuff, so every day I'll try to do a few hours of each. Sometimes it can feel like I'm not really getting anywhere, as I don't really have an end goal in sight, but knowing that everything I do is helping me to make progress motivates me to keep going. When I start my law conversion I am worried that it will be a lot to juggle as I'll be commuting into London as well and will have to focus on applications and getting work experience, but I think once I have a good routine, that will keep me going. I'm also aware that some things might have to give a little bit but that's alright, I'm just going to have to play it by ear and see how it goes!
Sam's storyI studied BSc (Hons) Equine Science and Thoroughbred Management at Oxford Brookes University, specialised I know. Upon completion of my degree in 2018 I gained a place on Eurostar's General Management graduate scheme and have been rotating around the business ever since. My top tips for graduates are: 1. Don't feel pressured by others to find a graduate scheme or perfect job post-graduation 2. Make sure that you prepare for video interviews - trust me, I'm speaking from experience 3. Don't be afraid to relocate. You learn heaps when living away from home Q: How did you secure your current job? What was the interview process like, and what did you do to make you stood out against other participants?A: During my final year of university, I signed up to Target Jobs and began to recieve their email alerts, which I would highly recommend. I knew that I wanted to work for a large organisation therefore I applied to a variety of companies and completed many video interviews. I specifically remember the assessment day at Eurostar because it was daunting. Each candidate had completed a language degree, except me. Therefore, I definitely stood out from the crowd! We had to prepare a formal presentation alongside our interview, and I believe having previous international experience really enhanced my application. Q: How did you feel when you started your job vs now? What is your day to day like?A: I had impressed myself; I didn't think I would have gained a position for an international company with an Equine Science degree. Therefore, in the first few months I worked hard and networked around the business to understand each area and their specialities. Each day is different, and I have the luxury of travelling between France and England on a regular basis. I even managed to secure a trip to Amsterdam to learn about railway signalling systems. Whilst this was enjoyable, I prefer working on projects that improve the customer and colleague experience alike. For instance, we recently reviewed the group's strategy to discover how we can better serve individuals travelling with friends and family. This involves spending a lot of time researching our current internal practises as well as other companies in both the rail and airline industries. On a rotational graduate scheme, the requirements differ dependent upon the department. I remember my rotation with Fleet Planning was highly specialised and I spent most of my day on Microsoft Excel. Whereas, now I'm using Salesforce to respond to customer enquiries. If you're not sure which career path you would like to follow a rotational scheme can certainly help you to refine your interests and understand what permanent position you would like upon completion. The main challenge for me is balancing my work alongside training requirements. Plus, I always feel low-spirited when moving on from a department. I've always made great friends and been mentored by a fantastic manager. Q: What do you miss most about university?A: I wish I still lived close to all of my friends. I enjoyed walking round to their house for lunch or going for a few drinks. I definitely took it for granted and now we have to plan everything in advance.
If you would like to feature on the blog and share how you beat the blues, please contact me! For the second instalment in the graduate Q&A blog series, Alex from @brainybabescommunity kindly shared her journey after graduating and how she secured her job in research in Washington DC! Alex's storyMy name is Alex, I'm 22 (23 in a few days!) and I graduated last year with a bachelor's degree in Psychology. I went to the University at Buffalo in New York, my local university. I got a job doing research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the Washington DC area right out of university. Q: How did you secure your current job? What was the interview process like and how did you make yourself stand out against other applicants?A: While working in a research lab at my school, my advisor mentioned this great opportunity to apply for a paid position doing research at the NIH. At first, I didn't apply because I was afraid I wouldn't get accepted to such a selective position and I was afraid of failing. However, my advisor believed in me and taught me that you should never shy away from a job opportunity you're interested in, even if you're afraid you might not be qualified or be selected - it's always worth a shot! I applied in the winter of my senior year, had the interviews, and was selected for the position by January! My video interview was well over an hour long, and it involved two of my future bosses asking me questions about my research, how I would respond to certain situations, and why I was interested in their lab and research. I wasn't sure if a long interview was a good or a bad sign, but I felt like I was true to myself and tried to be honest with all my answers. Later, when I started working with them, my interviewers told me my personality was exactly how I came across in the interview. My advice to anyone in an interview situation is try to be your genuine self as much as possible. Don't try to change yourself. If they don't like your genuine self, the job position probably isn't the right fit anyway! And most of the time, being yourself pays off and helps the interview flow more naturally. I think the most important ways to make yourself stand out in an interview are: 1. Be yourself 2. Dress professionally - it's always better to overdress for an interview than underdress 3. Research your interviews or the company, and have questions ready to ask that show you did your research and are truly interested in the position Q: How did you feel when you started your job vs now? What does you day to day look like?A: When I first started my job, I was extremely nervous. Just a couple weeks after my graduation I was starting a new job in a new city hundreds of miles from home! At first, I wasn't even sure I'd like my coworker, but she's since turned out to be one of my best friends. My advice is expect the first day - or first week - of a new job to be scary and overwhelming. Don't expect first impressions of your coworkers or bosses to be accurate - give yourself time to get to know people. A typical day at my job would involve me waking up at 6am, starting work at the NIH Clinical Center at 7am, where I would check-in with our patient volunteers (people who had signed up to stay in the hospital for 1-4 weeks to participate in clinical research on obesity/nutrition) and start any patient procedures/tests that needed to be done. Some of the procedures were simple surveys or bringing the patients to a different department for a blood draw or MRI scan, while other procedures I complete myself, such as DXA body scans or resting energy expenditure tests using a metabolic cart (if you're interested, look these up!). I would typically have 1-2 meetings per day, but the majority of my day to day was completed independently and with my co-workers, with minimal supervision. This was scary at first but I had months of training, and now I love the independence of my job and the comradery of my coworkers! Due to the pandemic and stay at home orders in the US right now, my day to day involves working remotely, attending virtual meetings, and conducting data analysis. However, this has given me the time to develop a project with my friend, Ari, called Brainy Babes! Brainy Babes is a community of women in university or recent graduates who have come together to learn from each other and discuss a wide range of topics in a supportive, online community. We currently have members from all over the world - including the US, France, UK, and the Netherlands - and we have groups dedicated to science, psychology, self-development, business, design, and more! We are always looking to expand our community, so please check out our instagram page @brainyblossomscommunity for more information if you'd like to join! Q: What do you miss most about university?A: The thing I miss most about university is my friends! I have great coworkers and new friends at my job, but I miss living close to all my best friends from college and being able to go to different school events together, staying up late either studying or... not studying, and seeing each other every day. I would say I miss taking classes and learning new things, but I'm still taking night classes after work to prepare for medical school!
If you would like to feature on the blog and share how you beat the blues, please contact me! I am so pleased to write that @thebluegraduate now has over 100 Instagram followers and it is time to launch 'Beating the blues', a new mini series where I chat to graduates from across the UK to learn about how they beat the blues within their chosen industry and secured a job related to their field of study. I hope to gain valuable information from each graduate I get the opportunity to speak to, learning more about how they made themselves stand out throughout the interview process and what a day in their life looks like to give you a better insight into how you can go about securing your dream job. A little bit about meI graduated from Leeds Beckett University in 2018 with a BA (Hons) Marketing and Advertising Management qualification with the desire to work in the marketing industry, specifically social media marketing. I am currently working as a Marketing Communications Assistant within a facilities management company and have been there for just over a year. Q. What are your top 3 tips for graduates who are currently job hunting?A: 1. Always stay organised. This can help to reduce stress levels 2. Don't be too hard on yourself if you don't get the job. Everything really does work out in the end and adopting the mindset 'it is what it is' will help you to become more resilient 3. If a job isn't right for you and doesn't make you happy, leave. Don't be afraid to take risks - they will pay off Q. How did you secure your current job? What was the interview process like and how did you make sure that you stood out? A: I was working in my first full-time job post uni which was unrelated to my degree and wasn't what I expected it to be. I knew that I wanted to leave, and decided to take a leap of faith. I rewrote my CV and applied for as many marketing roles as I could. I was lucky enough to find the vacancy I am working in now through Monster.co.uk. To help myself stand out in my interview I made sure that I took visual aids along with me as it can be hard to showcase your creative skills without them. I had two interviews, one of which involved a grammar test, before I was offered the role. Q. How did you feel when you started your job vs now? What is your day to day like?A: When I first started my current job, I felt very overwhelmed. Having spent time away from the marketing industry, I was worried that I was a little rusty. Working in such a fast paced, high pressured environment took some time to get used to, but I found my feet. Now, I go into work every day knowing exactly what I am working on and what deadlines I need to meet. My day to day is quite busy. I work on multiple different aspects of marketing within my organisation including newsletters, social media, internal employee portal and email communications, web stories, events and case studies. My managers work from home so I sit with another team in the office. In the morning, I will open my notebook to view my to do list (I usually write this at the end of the working day ready for the morning) of all the tasks I need to complete that day. I check my inbox, then I check all our social media channels for any notifications from the evening before. Then I will set to work on my tasks for the day - this is usually writing a story for the employee portal or creating an email to send to internal employees. I break for lunch for 1 hour and then return to work and check social media again for any notifications that may have come in throughout the morning. In the afternoon, I will usually plan campaigns for social media, review feedback from work or draft the monthly newsletter. I chase leads to create new stories on the employee portal, so I may also have calls or meetings scheduled in. Q. What do you miss most about university?A: I miss the busy city life of Leeds the most, as well as living with my housemate. I love all the unique bars and the huge shopping centre too, and I'm hoping to go back soon to visit!
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AuthorThe Blue Graduate is a career and wellbeing advice and guidance blog for students and graduates experiencing post-uni 'blues'. Archives
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