Here’s the thing, finding a job as a new graduate is really hard – especially when you haven’t had a lot of work experience.

When I had first got into Surrey, I was part of an integrated placement year course as a MEng Biomedical Engineering student. MEng simply means that the masters year was integrated as part of the bachelors where the masters year is transitioned from the final year of your bachelor degree. In some way some people could argue it makes for a smoother transition and others may beg to differ with me on that.

Well i’m in my final year of my Biomedical Engineering course and will inshallah be graduation with a Bachelors having done neither and integrated Masters nor a placement year!

Things don’t always go as planned and it has been a bit of a tough one with finding a job post graduation. I never found a placement not for lack f trying but because I just did not get accepted into one. So after unsuccessfully trying to get one after my first year, I tried again in my second year and once again I did not get one. I was then placed onto the bachelors for being 0.2% away from the required average to stay on the MEng and I found myself on the BEng.

It was a bit heart-breaking and sad because I tried to push myself be get there but I guess there were different plans in store for me. One of which included my Individual final year project. I have got to work and get support form my project supervisor who also happens to be my personal tutor and have learnt so much invaluable skills. In an individual project, you yourself are force to be AT THE CENTRE, you make the decision, it’s your project. If I had been on the MEng I may not have got this opportunity.

Being rapidly thrown in the deep end, I have tried to stay focused and look for jobs regardless of the way things turned out.

I remember in the first placement year talk I attended, a professor said: except to apply to 100, 200 jobs and expect to be rejected from them all.

What encouraging words those were! I currently find myself in that same situation. Over Christmas I worked and fixed up my CV and applied to loads of jobs and have all been rejected by them. It’s normal to feel down and deflated at every rejection, but one important lesson is to not give up. Rather than sending out the same CV over and over again, re evaluate your CV, look for areas of improvement, seek professional advice on how to enhance your CV and interview skills. The University of Surrey Careers team offers a wide range of support in that so I have seen. I haven’t been able to snatch a session yet as they book up so quickly!!

Especially now, during Covid-19, it is really difficult as a newbie to find a job or even an internship at this time. SO many companies are looking for people but generally go for those with experience. One of the best ways to enhance your CV is too add in technical skills – coding, languages, workshops you’ve attended – anything that makes you, YOU, that makes you stand out from everyone else.

The last piece of advice I can give to you is that we are all in this hard time together. We are all struggling to feel normal in a funny time and struggling to find jobs, things to do and places to go given the government restrictions.

Breathe, smile, talk to people who support you and keep on going even if the sun isn’t shining where you are.

Hope this kind of helps someone out there 🙂

Love E xx