Advice for graduates, juniors and trainees looking for their first job

It is more important than ever to be prepared for a battle in the job market in order to secure your first professional job as a graduate, trainee or junior. Searching for jobs, especially during a pandemic, can be very challenging however it is important to stay motivated, organise your time and maintain a healthy balance in your life whilst continuing your job hunt. We have gathered a range of tips to help equip you and to give you the best possible chance of finding your ideal job.

Our Advice

LinkedIn Profile– LinkedIn is a great networking platform designed to help people make business connections, share their experiences and CV’s, and find the right job or internship. 92% of recruiters use social media in their work today with LinkedIn being the social network they use the most. We highly recommend setting up a LinkedIn profile so that you are more visible to employers. National Careers Advice have some great tips to help you set up a professional LinkedIn profile.

Networking- Networking can be used in many areas. This includes assessment centres, career fairs, colleagues at your current job or students on your university course. LinkedIn is also a great way to network virtually. This is why it is important to build up your professional contact list and not to be afraid to ask connections about job opportunities. Bright Network have some useful tips on how to get the most out of networking.

Careers Fairs/Open Days- Careers fairs are a great opportunity to speak to a number of employers at the same time. Some careers fairs are general whilst others may focus on specific industries such as construction or law. Read here to learn how you can make the most of careers fairs.

Boost your CV- A useful way to remain productive whilst looking for a job is to take up some casual work to earn some money. For example, if you are looking for temp work to tide you over between graduating and finding a graduate job, you could try and find work which could broaden your experience such as office work. Simultaneously, you could also look at online courses specific to your area of interest to develop your skills and boost your CV. Another recommendation is to look at part-time voluntary work or seek internship opportunities. These are all great ideas to help you develop skills that employers seek. Read further to learn how you can boost your CV.

Don’t take rejection personally- People often feel demotivated if they have found that they were unsuccessful in an application. Our advice is to take into account any feedback you receive and apply this to future opportunities. View it as a learning process!

Starting your first professional job

Beginning your first professional job can be just as stressful as it is exciting. Here is some of our advice for anyone starting in a new role:

• Have a positive attitude
• Don’t be afraid to ask questions
• Take notes to develop your learning
• Set yourself small achievable goals to develop your skills
• Get organised and set good habits
• Challenge yourself!

Advice from Juniors and Graduates

We also spoke to two people, at graduate and junior level, who work for top construction companies including Balfour Beatty. Here is some of their advice for any junior, graduate or trainee looking for or starting their first professional job.

“My 3 top tips would be – be positive around colleagues, on-site and within the office environment. Be determined and apply yourself to everyday tasks and never be afraid to ask – as everyone started off in this position at one stage.”

-Trainee Engineer

“From my experience have a CV ready for submission and attend careers events organised by their places of education. Tutors and lecturers are such a good source of information. Attend industry events: London Build Expo, FutureBuild etc. Find the top 50 construction companies and send applications in the last year of Uni. LinkedIn is a good place to find opportunities. Being proactive early is important and networking is a very powerful tool.”

-Roxana – Junior Quantity Surveyor at Balfour Beatty Plc

Join us on our Open Day!

We have lots of new client projects starting in 2022 and would like to get you onboard. If you are interested in roles including quantity surveyor, site manager, project manager and estimators – make sure to join us on our open day on Thursday 2nd December at 3pm at our offices – The Royal Exchange Building located outside Bank underground station.

Resources

• Cover letter tips
• CV writing tips

Top Tips to ace your next job interview