Whether you’re a first year or a graduate, summer is the perfect time to improve your employability. Here’s our 5-step guide to becoming unstoppable:

1. Gain work experience.

Work experience doesn’t need to be directly related to your dream graduate job to be valuable.

Why? Nearly 60% of the key employability skills can be gained through any type of work experience. It gives you real examples to draw on in interviews, and adds strong evidence to your CV.

There are many different types of work experience, and all can support your future career. This summer, you might consider …

• Getting a part-time job
• Completing virtual work experiences (Forage, UCAS, Springpod. For more information, read this).
• Volunteering
• Taking part in insight days
• Doing a summer internship (Internships: where to find them, what you’ll be paid and how to apply | Prospects.ac.uk)

How can you find opportunities?

• Explore company websites for organisations you’re interested in
• Visit the Employability Hub, or other websites, such as:

Higherin: Student Jobs, Career Advice and Reviews

Graduate Jobs and Internships

NHS Volunteering – Homepage

Book an appointment with a Careers Adviser to get tailored support.

2. Improve your CV.

Your CV often is the first impression that you make on an employer. Small improvements will make a big difference.

Ask yourself:

• Is my layout clear and easy to read?
• Can an employer quickly find key information?
• Is my information tailored to the job I want?

For example, the text in red would not be relevant for a marketing job.

Top tip: In your education and work experience sections, include achievements and measurable outcomes, not just responsibilities. This helps employers clearly see the impact you’ve made. Ask yourself, “how did I know I was successful in this role?”

See the highlighted example below:

You can also:

• Book yourself a 1:1 appointment with one of our Careers Advisers to go through your CV.
• Use Shortlist.me to receive instant feedback and tailoring support.

3. Build your industry knowledge

Commercial awareness is ranked as the 3^rd most important skill by graduate employers, according to the Bright Network.

Employers may ask about your commercial awareness during an interview. Developing this deeper knowledge over time will send a strong signal to employers that you are passionate about their industry.

 Ways to build your knowledge:

• Read the news and latest articles about what’s happening in your industry.
• Explore company websites for updates and insights.
• Follow professionals and organisations on LinkedIn.
• Network with people working in the sector.
• Make use of LinkedIn Learning courses.

Over time, this knowledge will help you to feel more confident in applications and interviews.

4. Take on an extra-curricular project

What better way to demonstrate initiative, passion and technical know-how than working on your own project?

What could this look like?

• Interested in digital marketing? Create a Canva portfolio, or volunteer to run the social media page for a local business or community group.
• Interested in web development? Build your own website. This could be for a persona idea, or for a local business or community group.

Projects like these provide tangible evidence of your skills and can make you stand out to employers.

5. Book an appointment with a Career Development Adviser

Students and graduations can book careers appointments throughout the summer and continue to access all careers resources on the MySurrey Employability webpages, 24/7.

Have a wonderful summer break! 😊

References:

Take a look at the Bright Networks research about employer valued skills here.