5 Skills You Need To Get That Graduate Job

By Graduate Recruitment Bureau

So you’ve just graduated from University and now you’re looking for your first real job in the big wide world? Well I don’t know if anyone has told you this yet, you eager fresh-faced graduate, but competition out there is fierce. This may be shocking and upsetting news to you but don’t panic. Here, from the Graduate Recruitment Bureau, are 5 skills you need to hone so that you can become the graduate that everybody wants to hire.
 

1) Communication

This doesn’t mean being able to pretty much string a sentence together – though that’s always a good start. Strong verbal and written communication skills are vital. You need to be able to be clear and to the point. You’ll find that it can be difficult to be concise when CV writing but this is an incredibly important thing to master. A candidate who is able get what they want to say across in the clearest possible way is something that employers value. Think about this at interview as well. Never ramble, give a good answer the question you’re asked and no more.

2) Organisation

When you are a student, organisation can be a tricky one to master. Some people are naturally organised – others wouldn’t be able get to a lecture on time if they were paid. Learning how to organise yourself is a very important skill. You need to be able to show your potential employer that you will be able to complete tasks on time and not get muddled about what you should be doing when. If you know organisation is something you struggle with, write everything down. If it’s written down you won’t forget it. In terms of interviews, never be late – it gives a terrible first impression.

3) Teamwork

Perhaps the only instances of teamwork you’ve come across thus far are the forced group presentations they made you do at Uni. Teamwork is very important in the work place – take every opportunity to show your potential employer that you can work well with other people. Building working relationships can be tricky but keep your personal feelings to yourself. Your fellow team member may be completely unbearable but you won’t be working with them forever and not working well with them will only make you look bad.

4) Commercial Awareness

This one is about knowing your company or industry and knowing how they work. This can be tricky if you are going to interview at a company you have never heard of and know nothing about. You need to make it your business to understand what it is the company does and is trying to achieve. You should also find a little bit out about how the industry the company is part of works. Once you start working at a company don’t get complacent. Make sure you always know what is going on in your sector.

5) Confidence

Confidence is always key. If you don’t believe in yourself then how can you expect anyone else to? This is especially important in terms of interview. If needs be write down a list of your strengths to give yourself a little boost. Confidence is important in the work place – you have to know you have the ability to achieve what you need to achieve on a daily basis. If you don’t feel it, fake it because eventually you will. Don’t get overconfident to the point of cockiness though, you’ll only rub your co-workers up the wrong way.

Written by Frankie Pocock, Online Researcher at the Graduate Recruitment Bureau

 

  Back to Candidate blogs