Finding a job
Job hunting? Start here
How do you find a job? In theory, it’s simple: you work out what you want to do, search for a suitable vacancy and apply. Or you start with the sort of employer you’d like to work for and see what vacancies it has. But in practice it isn’t always that simple: you may be job hunting in an especially competitive market, you may need to get creative in finding vacancies, you may need to network or you may just worry that you could face additional barriers. This area of targetjobs is for you. But if you want to skip straight to job searching… find graduate schemes | graduate jobs | all opportunities
Steps to success
Job hunting made easy
Get job market savvy
Knowing what to expect during the recruitment process, when applications open and what the recruitment market is actually like will help you feel more confident about what to do when. We also have insights into how to approach your job hunt when you lack motivation.
What is the recruitment process for a graduate job or scheme?
Discover what to expect in the recruitment process for a structured graduate programme or individual graduate job and learn how to succeed in your applications and interviews.
When do graduate scheme applications open and when is the best time to apply?
Find out when graduate job deadlines are, plus when to apply to be in with the best chance of getting a place on a graduate scheme starting in the autumn after you finish your degree.
Graduate job market trends in 2024
What does the 2024 graduate job market look like? Find out what recruitment trends are emerging, to help inform your graduate career planning.
Six tips for structuring your job hunt after graduation
How to stay motivated, organise your time and maintain a healthy balance in your life while applying for jobs after university.
Free mini-courses
Access online learning
Have you seen our free online mini-courses, known as Pathways? They are designed to help you proactively develop your job-hunting skills. We have specific Pathways on becoming a LinkedIn pro, developing a strong personal brand, making the most of careers fairs and finding creative ways to add experience to your CV without work experience. All of these will ensure that you can make the most of the opportunities around you and find a job that you love.
Make meaningful connections
Network your way to a job
Link up to the power of LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a great way to create a network of contacts who can keep you in the loop about potential opportunities, give you careers advice and potentially offer you work experience or a job. Discover how to make LinkedIn – and social networks in general – work for you.
The graduate’s guide to creating the perfect LinkedIn profile
Building a strong LinkedIn profile page is the first step towards using the online network to find job opportunities (or be found for jobs) and to grow your professional network. We guide you through what you need to include and how you should approach each section.
How to use LinkedIn to get a job
LinkedIn is an essential tool for students and graduates applying for jobs; it’s not just a professional networking platform for people in work. Here’s how to use LinkedIn effectively.
Social networking and graduate recruitment: manage your online reputation
Your online presence should help, rather than hinder, your job hunt. Pick up tips for how to balance your personal and professional presence on social media.
How to promote your work through social media
With the help of recent graduate and Instagrammer Sophie Olive, we let you in on the best ways to promote your work so that you get noticed by graduate employers in the media or marketing sectors.
Free careers events for students
Join us at employer events
Did you know that targetjobs runs a whole host of events that actually put you in front of top employers? Go to one of our events, spend a day with top employers, develop skills through interactive workshops, gain advice from leading professionals − and, perhaps, even get a job. Attending employers actively want to hire interns and graduates from our events.
Equality, diversion and inclusion
Inclusive job hunting
Own your strengths
Can you still get a job with a disability or neurodivergent condition? Definitely. But some students we speak to are worried that they might find it harder to get a job or face extra challenges in the workplace – we’ve teamed up with experts in the field and employers to address these concerns head on.
How to get a graduate job if you have a disability
If you are wondering about whether to disclose a disability or long-term health condition, how to ask for reasonable adjustments or simply how to be an outstanding candidate, disability expert Helen Cooke has some advice.
Should you disclose a disability when applying for a graduate job?
Disability expert Helen Cooke examines the question of whether to inform (or be open with) an employer about a disability or long-term health condition. If you choose to, her example openness statements will ensure you remain focused on the key facts.
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Neurodiversity-friendly graduate employers and how to find them
Discover companies that are particularly supportive of neurodivergent employees and the answers to your questions around job-hunting and neurodiversity.
Getting a graduate job when you have dyslexia
Find out about the adjustments employers can make to the application process and how to present dyslexia as an asset.
Job seeking in the UK
Insights for international students
You may find the UK jobs market very different from back home, but we’re here to help you navigate the process of finding work. Start with our guide to job hunting for international students, which gives you a complete run down of what to expect. Or, if you are unsure about whether you need a visa, we have a handy rundown of the main types and their criteria. We also cover questions about whether international students can work part time while studying in our part-time work article.
If you learn more by doing rather than reading, we have a number of free online mini-courses aimed at international students (you’ll need to be registered on targetjobs to access them):
How to find and apply for work experience in the UK
FAQs
More careers advice
Browse by category
Advice for school leavers
Discover the world of options open to you on finishing school or college and get tips on how to make the right decision for you.
CVs, applications and tests
Find the tools and tips you need to help you apply for graduate jobs or internships. We cover every aspect of the application process, from writing a CV to answering online application questions and sitting psychometric tests.
Career ideas
Find advice for figuring out your dream career, including what options are available to you after graduating and how to choose the right graduate role.
Finding a job
Finding a job isn’t always as easy as it sounds. Here we help you to jump potential hurdles, giving essential advice for home and international students: from applying in tough economic times to getting a top graduate job with a 2.2.
Internships
Completing an internship allows you to sharpen your skills, improve your CV, prepare for the world of work and potentially land yourself a graduate job. Discover what internships actually involve, how to apply for them and how to make the most of them.
Interviews and assessment centres
You impressed on paper; now it’s time to show the employer in person that you’re the right hire. Learn how to do this with our expert advice for answering interview questions, developing interview techniques and acing assessment centre exercises.
Job descriptions
Discover the qualifications, skills and experience you’ll need for more than 300 job roles and find one you’ll love.
Job offers and working life
Job offers, rejection emails and stepping into the working world with your first graduate job can pull you in a million directions. Fortunately, we’ve curated advice on how to accept job offers, bounce back from rejection and make an impact in your first job.
Skills for getting a job
Discover the skills that major graduate employers seek and how you can demonstrate them on your application form, and at interviews and assessment centres.
University life
Wanting to leave uni with a degree is a given. But what do you want from the other bits of student life? Discover how to combine study, rest, work and play with our insights from students and graduates.
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