The summer holidays are finally upon us, and for those of you that are graduating this year, that means it’s time to start the dreaded job hunt! To help you kick things off, we’ve got a guest blog from Rachel Summers, who’s sharing her top tips for a successful job hunt.

Finding a job can be difficult at the best of times. So, you’ve put in all the hard work over the last few years, you’ve done your time and achieved the best grades you possibly can. Now is the time to find that ideal job that made you want to take up the course in the first place. But how do you go about it? Where do you look and what kind of positions are you looking for? Nine times out of ten you can be sure you won’t find your dream job advertised in a shop window, but then where else is there to look?

To give you a helping hand, here is a list of pro tips you can use to securing that job of your dreams.

Getting Prepared        

First things first. You’ve got to get everything set up ready for your job hunt. This means taking to the Internet to sort out and organise your social media profiles and professional pages. You can be sure that your potential employers will be looking through your social media pages to ensure you’re the right person for the job. If your Facebook page is full of pictures and videos of you acting crazy and irresponsible, you can be sure that any chance of you securing that job will be gone. Photos of nights out here and there are fine but it’s recommended that the video of you rolling around town in a shopping trolley at 3 am should be removed.

The Two-Way Hunt

As a job seeker, you’ll spend a lot of your time on job hunting websites. However, it’s important to remember that job-seeking websites don’t just cater for job seekers. Companies and recruiters will also spend a considerable amount of time on these pages looking for individuals to fill their roles. There are a vast number of job-board websites out there, including leading sites such as Monster, where you can upload your CV to be found by future potential employers.

Polish That CV

You’ll be handing in your CV to companies as well as uploading them to job seeker websites. Before uploading, you need to ensure that your CV is as good as it can be. Recruiters may pour through hundreds of resumes every single day, so it’s important you get yours right the first time to minimise the risk of your becoming dismissed immediately. Not everybody is a born writer so you can use websites, such as Student Writing Services, to professionally create your CV for you on your behalf, giving you the maximum amount of opportunities to secure the job of your dreams.

Update Your Knowledge

If you decided many years ago that you wanted to be a veterinarian, you might have researched which courses and degrees you needed to secure this job before joining college and then university. Now, several years later, the requirements and laws may have changed. There may be different processes to apply to these roles that you may not know about. Before applying for any jobs, be sure that you research your field to see what employers are currently looking for and for advice on how you can tailor yourself and your CV to match these initial requirements.

Seek the Assistance of Your University

Your university was there for you throughout the entirety of your course, and that help doesn’t cease now you’ve finished your course. There are multiple helplines, including the universities careers service, that can help you to find the job you’re after and will be able to provide you with the relevant contacts necessary for contacting businesses, companies and individuals in your industry.

Be Responsible

Over the last few years, you may have become accustomed to living off your student loan and the income from your part-time job. Unfortunately, the time of monthly or quarterly loan payouts has come to an end, and you will now be fending for yourself. It’s important to look after the money you have, especially until you can find that job position you are after. Using websites such as Save the Student, you can research tips and tricks for managing your money so you can afford things like work clothes, transport to interviews and any other costs that make cost you your dream job.

Maintain a Positive Attitude

This is by far the most important aspect to consider. It’s fairly unlikely you will secure the first job you apply for. Expect to get knocked back a couple of times, even if you manage to make it all the way through the final stages of the interview process. The trick here is to remain positive. If you’re rejected for a job role or even if you don’t hear back from our dream company whatsoever, it’s not the end of the world. The trick is to get your foot in the door any way you can. Once you’re in the industry, the world is your oyster.

Rachel Summers is a local newspaper journalist and freelance creative writer. To see more of her work you can follow her on Twitter or Facebook.