It’s March. Christmas has well and truly come and gone, Valentines day is a distant memory and sadly we’re stuck in a period of 40 days where we are supposed to give up one of the things that we love most about life e.g. chocolate. (Personally, this is one thing that I will never understand. Who wants to feel forced to give up choccie for 40 DAYS, or feel like a horrendously inadequate human being for not giving up anything at all? I mean, who invented Lent anyway?!)
Rant over.
Even though this time of the year often feels like a waiting game – counting down the days until Summer – it’s the BEST time of the year to think about applying for jobs and internships. You have no exams to focus on and may find yourself with a lot of free time on your hands.
Even though a lot of large companies advertise internships up to a year in advance, very rarely do they fill up all of their vacancies so early on. This means that it is a great time of year to get in touch with companies of all sizes to find out what vacancies are still available.
Step number 1. If you haven’t got an up-to-date CV, write one.
This will be the first thing an employer reads about you. Make it concise, interesting and honest. No employer wants to be sifting through hundreds of waffly, rambling paragraphs about the months you spent in Thailand “finding yourself.” Your CV should represent the BEST YOU POSSIBLE. It should have character and showcase your personal achievements but show that you can be taken seriously and can spell***
***This is a ridiculous but very important point. A man running a careers talk I listened to claimed that if he read a CV with a spelling or grammatical error, (which was very very common) he would rip it up and throw it in the bin immediately. Who wants to employ someone who can’t even spell “exams”? – Noone.
The University of Manchester Careers Service is an amazing, AND FREE, service that is readily available to us. Ring them on 0161 275 2828 or email them at careers@manchester.ac.uk to make an appointment.
They’ll help you with anything from writing your CV, to where to look to find your dream job. I guarantee this is one meeting you will not regret getting out of bed for. [pagebreak] Step number 2. Covering letter. This is crucial for any email application. When you have found out what company it is you are emailing (most likely the HR department) spend time to find out WHO you are sending the email to. Finding out the name of the poor HR assistant, who has to trawl through hundreds of begging and boasting emails, is most likely to make him/her smile and will grab their attention.
This way, you know how to begin the email.
Once you have created a covering letter that is specific to the job you are applying for, make sure it is tailored to the qualities they want from you. Why do they want you? Why are you going to be more useful than everyone else? What can you do for them?
Again, the Manchester University Careers Service will help you with this.
Step number 3. PERSISTENCE. Before I landed an internship with Superdry Marketing team last Summer, I emailed the HR department (and several other email addresses) every day, several times a day for multiple months. I found out the phone number and where the head office was, and dedicated my time to getting in touch with them and working out who it was I needed to talk to. It may have taken 6 months of multiple exhausted email accounts but it was so worth it!
I promise that if you put in the effort, it will pay off. It is so important at this stage that you do not give up hope! If you want something enough, you will work hard to get it and you will not fail.
So, on an inevitably rainy Friday morning, search through websites such as Top Internships , Internship UK and Student Jobs to find out who’s looking for undergrads to fill their vacancies. You never know… you may find an internship that sets you up for life!
Good luck
HCXO
(Photo credits to Tumblr, blog.muckrack.com, toughmotivation.wordpress.com, mylifeatail.com, fresherswish.blogspot.com)