Ready or Not: How Preparation can Make or Break Your Success

“As part of an interview I pitched a meal consisting of caviar and quails’ eggs to ‘students on a budget’” – Jessie 21

“I missed the only rule of ‘no screenshotting’ during a video interview and was promptly removed from the call” – Jonny, 23

“I submitted my online assessment in the wrong format and failed before it was even marked” – Lili, 22

“As I walked out of an interview I said ‘…well that was rubbish’ without realising I was still in earshot” – Freddie, 22

DON’T be like these graduates! Avoid the embarrassment, stress and missed opportunities by getting prepared for the world of graduate interviews and assessments. At GradJobs Live! & PostGrad Study Live! on 14 November at Olympia London, find all the advice you need to make sure you’re ready for whatever comes your way!

From finance powerhouses like Nomura and Forvis Mazars, to innovators in modern design like Jaguar Land Rover, and transport specialists like TfL, this event brings together industry leaders to share their expertise. You want to work for them - now’s your chance to hear straight from the source what they want from you. You’d be foolish not to listen! If you’re not quite ready to jump into your career, hear from top universities about their postgraduate opportunities, in the UK or in the States. 

More than just a jobs fair, take advantage of a range of free features including: 

Mock Assessment Centre: Get hands on and learn how to demonstrate your creativity, problem-solving and communication skills - before the real pressure hits.

Drop-in Interview Clinic: Master the art of the interview. Experts will guide you through common questions, body language, tips and strategies to help you leave a lasting impression - in a good way!

GradJobs Talks: Hear from successful graduates who have landed their dream jobs. Be sure to note down their do’s and don’ts as they talk you through the process. 

CV & LinkedIn Clinic: Make your LinkedIn profile and CV stand out. Get one-to-one advice to boost your chances of being noticed by employers. 

Plus much more!

The importance of preparation goes beyond simply sharpening your interview and assessment skills. This event provides a unique opportunity to build your confidence by practising in a low-pressure environment, helping you avoid those small mistakes that arise from nerves or lack of preparation. In this competitive job market, the little things matter. In fact, many employers emphasise that confidence is a critical factor in whether a candidate is successful. 

Remember, ‘winging it’ is not a CV skill, so don’t chance your luck with your future. Get prepared and navigate your post-university options at GradJobs Live! & PostGrad Study Live! at Olympia London on14 November. Tickets are FREE so bring your friends along too. 

Don’t wait - click the link to find out more and secure your ticket today at GradJobs.co.uk 

Log Off and Show Up: Networking to Kickstart your Career

LinkedIn recently reported that over 70% of job seekers find success through personal connections (Felice 2024). Another study found that 60% of recent graduates found their jobs, not online, but through networking (Elmers 2024). Now, we know what you’re thinking: you have become all too familiar with the zoom interview attire of pyjama bottoms and a shirt on top, readily talking to your camera from the comfort of your bedroom. But, as the stats show, in the era of LinkedIn requests and online assessments, real human contact is still one of the most powerful ways to stand out in the job market. 

That’s why attending GradJobs Live! & PostGrad Study Live! is an unmissable opportunity to kickstart your career. On 14 November at Olympia London, connect with recruiters from top employers in real time. It’s not just about the jobs on offer: this event is about shaking hands, making eye contact and having conversations that leave a lasting impression - things you simply cannot achieve through an email or online application. Required skillsets may vary industry-to-industry but there is one common denominator - networking! 

The event is packed with opportunities that are yours for taking. Here’s what you can look forward to at the event:

• Industry Connections: Hear from recent graduates who have landed their dream role at household names like TikTok, Klarna, Jaguar Land Rover, the NHS, Coca-Cola Enterprise Partners and discover how they made it happen

• Application Support: Get application-ready with one of our one-to-one LinkedIn sessions and refine your skills in the mock assessment centre or interview clinic. Bring along a copy of your CV to get personalised feedback or try your luck handing it to an employer, it’s always impressive to show initiative.

• Postgraduate Opportunities: Not ready to hang up your study cap just yet? Explore postgraduate courses from top universities, both in the UK and in the US, and find your fit. Whatever you decide, being there in person gives you opportunity to get a real feel for the various options.

Putting yourself out there isn’t just about job hunting - it’s a powerful antidote to digital fatigue. It offers a boost to your energy, creativity and overall wellbeing. Its wholly unsurprising that when the COVID-19 pandemic confined us to our homes, screen usage and dependency skyrocketed. What was less expected was that our motivation and desire to get out and about went with it, our society was left comfortable hiding behind our screens. Visiting GradJobs Live! & PostGrad Study Live! will help you find people who share your passions, interests and maybe even your taste in coffee. Its networking, but a lot of fun! 

So, what have we concluded? By attending the event, you increase your chances of landing your dream job, build a solid professional network, and reduce those digital down days. Plus, its free! You’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain. Opportunities don’t come knocking while you’re glued to your screen - but they might just be waiting for you at GradJobs Live! & PostGrad Study Live!

Don’t wait - get your free tickets now! Visit GradJobs.co.uk

References

Adler, S. (2024). The Power of Networking: Why 70% of Job Seekers Find Success Through Connections. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/new-survey-reveals-85-all-jobs-filled-via-networking-lou-adler/

Elmers, D. (2024) The Job-Search Statistics All Job Seekers Should Know. TopResume. 

https://topresume.com/career-advice/7-top-job-search-statistics

How to survive (and thrive) at a Jobs Fair: Essential Do’s and Don’ts for success

Has your final year at university kicked off? Or are you a fresh grad, already debating a return to the library with a postgrad course? Is the real-world creeping up much faster than that 9am lecture you used to sleep through, and those carefree fresher days seem like a distant dream? Fear not! Get ahead of the game (before it gets ahead of you) and attend GradJobs Live! & PostGrad Study Live!

This is the perfect event to prepare you for your future. Whether you’re just starting to think about your next steps, or already knee-deep in cover letters and scary second round interviews, joining us at Olympia London on 14 November is the perfect way to kickstart your career journey and discover opportunities you may not even know existed!

To help you navigate these events and get the most out of them, follow these five essential points:

DO: Your research! Knowing who’s going to be there can make all the difference. Do you want to pick Jaguar Land Rover’s brain about the future of modernist design, or does a career with TfL in the transport industry catch your eye? Whether you’re into finance, tech, science or creative fields, these events have it all! And if you’re not ready to jump into your career just yet, find out about postgraduate study at home or in the States. Be sure to check out the event details beforehand-there’s so much on offer so make sure you know who to seek out!

DO: Listen! Now’s the time to snap into action! While you may have perfected the art of appearing engaged while actually dozing through lectures over the past three years, mere attendance isn’t going to cut it. The experts at these events are here to share invaluable guidance and insights. Tune in and stay focussed. Taking notes is always a good idea, who knows, if you find yourself in an interview with the company, it’s great to have some background research. Even consider printing out a draft of your CV. You never know when a golden opportunity may pop up. 

DO: Explore! Dive in and check out all the different areas! Listen to the Fulbright Commission explain what a postgrad could look like in the US, receive personalised feedback from careers advisors, or get prepared for assessment days in the mock assessment centre. Don’t forget to check out the drop-in interview clinic to refine your answers to those tough questions because, let’s be honest, ‘Tell me about yourself” is way harder than it sounds! There’s so much on offer, so wander around and take it all in.

DO: Be bold! Now is the time to put yourself out there, soak up as much knowledge as you can, and ask those so-called ‘silly’ questions. It’s much better to seek clarification now than in a high-stake interview! Employers, advisors and workshops are all there to support you, take advantage of their expertise and make them remember you!

DON’T: Stay in bed! If you ignore all other advice from this page, heed this one! As long as you are at the event, you’re taking action. It’s your future and it’s up for grabs. Opportunities don’t just bump into you while you’re sitting on your sofa, but they just might find you at a graduate event!

For a full run down of what’s going on at the event and to secure your free ticket to GradJobs Live! & PostGrad Study Live! on 14th November at Olympia London, visit: GradJobs.co.uk 

The “Best Universities for Work Experience” Table

Peer-to-peer reviews are a staple part of society today. Whether TripAdvisor for hotels and restaurants, Trustpilot for products and services or RateMyPlacement.co.uk for work experience. Born in the 2000’s, students today have grown up with review platforms, trusting and valuing their importance when making important decisions.

We launched RateMyPlacement.co.uk in 2007, allowing students to rate and review their work experience to better educate and inspire students following in their footsteps. Throughout our journey, we’ve kept the review questions the same and focused them on the employer, highlighting the job role, the atmosphere at work and the social opportunities, but less so on universities.

With work experience becoming an increasingly important part of university life for students, universities play such a vital role in helping students to prepare and gain this valuable work experience, and ultimately employability. 

So, just how do universities rank when it comes to their commitment to supporting students with their work experience journey? 70,000 reviews, over one million ratings and well over 15 million words later, we’ve decided it’s time to try and answer that question!

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Which questions make up the ‘Best University for Work Experience’ table?

• Which resources at your university did you find most (and least) useful when looking for work experience? (Free text answer)

• How would you rate the resources available at your university when looking for work experience? - 1 = Poor, 5 = Excellent

• How would you rate the support you received from your university when looking for work experience? - 1 = Poor, 5 = Excellent

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Why have we created these questions specifically relating to universities?

1. Feedback - Hearing impartial reviews from students at universities is important. Understanding their point of view will provide first-hand insights about how students found the resources and support received by universities around the work experience process. With work experience such an important contributing factor for students getting a graduate job and with the new Graduate Outcomes survey released in 2020, even greater importance is being placed on the destination of graduates by HESA.

2. Benchmarks - Every university wants to know how it compares to other universities. Many rankings cover all aspects of university: The Times Higher Education, The Guardian Best Universities which highlights “within career after 15 months” and  The Complete University Guide which highlights “graduate prospects”. But none focus on work experience during university and given rankings and tables define strategic aims and objectives, we feel employability and work experience is under-represented. By collecting this data, we’ll be able to rank all universities from top to bottom in how well they’ve fared in terms of the resources and support they provide students.

Why is this of value?

• Benchmarking - with other universities to see where you’re doing brilliantly and where you can improve. 

• Learning - by reading the impartial feedback we will be able to share directly with you to improve your service.

• Engagement - we hear that students don’t always engage with their careers or placement services because they aren’t aware of the quality of the service provided. By encouraging reviews and being part of the table, you’ll highlight the quality of the resources and support of your other students, which will in turn help you to inspire more students to engage with you!

But how will it work? 

Good point! We have taken the ratings across all questions of the review when calculating the university table - you can see all review questions below. The university that performs the best for work experience will be subject to the following criteria across all reviews from students at their university in 2024.

1. Average ratings across both questions - How well did they rate their work experience?

2. Volume of reviews - Did many students give feedback?

In terms of timings this year:

• March - Announce table and Winners of ‘Best University for Work Experience’ table at RateMyPlacement Awards 2025.
  
  

How can I influence this table?

• The ‘Best University for Work Experience’ table for 2025 will be created from all student reviews submitted on RateMyPlacement.co.uk in 2024. If you’d like to increase your position or increase your chances of getting into the table for 2025, you can encourage students who have done all forms of work experience to review before the 31st October, 2024.

• Your University will need to receive a minimum of 30 student reviews to be eligible for the upcoming table.

Best of luck and looking forward to revealing the ‘Best University for Work Experience at the RateMyPlacement Awards.

Ollie,

Co-Founder of RMP Enterprise.