Welcome to the August edition of our newsletter. 
 

It has been a difficult time for those who have just graduated in the midst of the global pandemic. It may seem ludicrous, but even before the pandemic, there was an oversupply of graduates in the job market. With the job market down 60% this year, most graduates are now having to compete with up to 300 others for every position.
 

What is sad is that universities have not equipped them for this new reality.

90% of  new graduates don’t know:
 

• What career would best suit them.

• About the nine key employability skills – understanding and being able to articulate these skills is fundamental to landing a graduate-level job. 

• How to create an employer-ready CV.

• How to interview well.

In this newsletter, we will share tips on what you can do to help a graduate that you know to get a graduate job. We will also outline what we have done to help the wider community during these uncertain times.
 

Please forward this email to anyone who may find this information useful. 

Stay safe.

Chris. 

• Work out with them what type of career would suit them best. There is no point in them just applying for random jobs that they are not well suited for. 

• Understand and convey the importance of the nine key employability skills.

• Ensure their CV has their employability skills clearly laid out. If their CV is not getting them interviews, then there is something wrong with it. 

• Concentrate on their interview technique and competency. The average graduate spends just 37 minutes preparing for this life-changing event! We spend a minimum of 37 hours prepping graduates because preparation makes for perfection.

• Make sure they understand it’s going to be a difficult transition this year. 

• Tell them any work experience is good right now, even volunteering. Employers are looking for work-ready employees. 

Back in May, FutureLearn approached us to see if we could offer support and guidance to students and graduates in these uncertain times. 

We really wanted to do our bit to help grads and their parents so we decided to partner with them.

We created an online course, on the platform called: “How to get a graduate job”. It is essentially an introduction to our 6-stage one-to-one coaching programme. 

So far, over 1000 graduates from across the globe have signed up for the programme and we hope that many more will.

We are actively seeking partnerships with those who can promote it to graduates and students. 

Creating an online course is no substitute for 121 coaching but we can use the course as an introduction to us and our coaching methods. There are lots of grads who we have coached on there, as well as a  parent or two. 

I think online courses of this type are what books were to my generation. I found it really easy to learn from a book but even I would admit that videos and online courses are a great way to learn.

And it’s humbling to see comments coming in from far-flung places, such as the Solomon Islands.

It seems that graduates across the world have the same issues!

We have also been successful in helping grads land jobs throughout the pandemic.

Here are some of the companies we have recently helped graduates to land jobs at: