tips from a career service coordinator

As we are approaching the end of the semester, we are getting ready to put away our notes and anxiously awaiting summer. However, whether you will be at the beach, at home or working, there might be this one thought in the back of your mind: finding a JOB. Therefore, I took the initiative to interview a career service coordinator, and specifically asked for insight on what firms are looking for and how to find a job as a new graduate.

The main takeaways:

What characteristics do firms look for in newly graduates?

Soft skills are fundamental, in fact there are many ways to invest in them through parallel activities (ex. extracurricular activities).These skills are important as we live in a world where professions are evolving quickly, in fact in 10 years there will be jobs that we have never heard of, therefore it is essential to be flexible to these job changes.

What extracurricular activities are considered to be valuable?

Any type of extracurricular activity is beneficial and helps us learn. For example, being dedicated to a sport, being a part of an association, working as a bartender, to even insignificant things. All these activities are important as they not only illustrate our ability to balance our time during university, but they help us develop and enhance our soft skills, thus, make sure to discuss them in your CV!

Any tips when sending a job application?

Firms receive a lot of applications so they will only look at yours for a short amount of time, therefore make sure to highlight and make evident the facts that will appeal to the recruiters the most. On top of that, it is important to have an original CV catered to the firm, never make it too generic as it can suggest you did not put in a lot of effort when applying.

What makes a student stand out?

As we said before, personalize your application. Format your CV in your favor, so that the recruiter can easily spot what you want them to see, you could do this by underlining different sections or making specific words bold. This way you direct the recruiter in remembering what makes you different.

Is it important to have work experience before you graduate?

If you do not, then it is fine and normal because you were studying and recruiters understand this. However, if they see someone who studied and had a job experience they might prefer them as it will make them stand out.

What should be incorporated in our CV?

• Photo: Not necessary

• Date of birth: Not putting it in an Italian CV can suggest you graduated late. If you did not graduate late it is important to put your date of birth as there are firms that do not even consider people that graduated late.

• Writing your final grade: Not putting your grade can suggest you have a low grade. If you received a good final grade it is important to make that evident.

• Order in events: Make sure to give continuity to your experiences, in your CV you should put your most recent experience first and then your less recent experience.

Lastly, remember that there are a lot of job offers out there, if we study and get good grades it is just a matter of time until we find one. In fact, many firms are waiting for us. So let's stay positive girls!