@Vijay, re "What are the skills required for a fresh graduate to stand out in the crowd?"

As you mention, you will be competing with many people who will have the same qualifications as you, so if your qualifications are equal, then you will need to stand out in another way. 


Make the most of any volunteering or part time employment opportunities that you have had and the transferable skills you have gained from these experiences. (For example, my first part time job (when I was still at school) was as a waitress - transferable skills include dealing with the public, customer service, handling money, flexibility to work at short notice or to stay late on unexpectedly busy days). 


Could you volunteer in a local school helping to teach and promote STEM to the pupils? (This would not only demonstrate that you are engaged with engineering, but also that you are a self-motivated, well organised, engaging person who is engaging with the subject and with the next generation).


A "Hobbies and Interests" section on your CV may help to show that you are a well-rounded individual that can get on with people. Do you play any sports? Team sports such as football, rugby, cricket, hockey, basketball, netball etc. show that you can work well as part of a team. If you are a coach or captain of a team, this also demonstrates leadership skills.


If you haven't already, I would suggest creating a profile on LinkedIn. Adding details of projects to LinkedIn is useful (it is easy to forget dates when you are trying to remember something years later, so good to keep a record as you go). As well as projects and experience, you can also list your skills on here and people can endorse you for these skills or write a written endorsement of what you are like to work with. You can also connect with people through this site, and you could connect with recruitment agents or hiring managers for the companies you would like to work for (which will show that you are a go-getter who takes the initiative). Search by job title for the job you would like. Take a look at the profiles of people who have these jobs and see what they are listing on their profile pages (and this might help to give you ideas when drafting your own CV). Connect with your tutors/professors and your classmates, as this shows that you are a good networker (another good skill to have). You can also join various groups, and sign up to receive job advert alerts.


And most importantly - make sure your CV is well presented with no sloppy spelling mistakes or other errors. If everything is equal on two CVs aside from the spelling - this could be the only distinguishing feature between you and your competitor. If you are not confident with your spelling, ask a friend, colleague, tutor, or family member to cast an eye over it too.


And if you are called for an interview, make sure that you are prepared. Think about what they will ask you and make sure that you have an answer that you can give. Make sure you research the company interviewing you. Common questions might be

• What do you know about our company?

• Why do you want to work for this company?

• What attracts you about this particular job role?

• Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

• What motivates you?

​They might also ask for examples:

• 
  

  Give an example of when you have worked well as part of a team

  
  

• Give an example of when you have worked well on your own 

They may also ask you for less than positive examples

• Give an example of a project that you worked on that went wrong

• Have you ever been in a situation when you haven’t worked well with a colleague? Give an example of when you’ve had to deal with a difficult person/customer

(make sure you include in your response a positive ending to the story and how you turned the situation around!)

It is good to be able to think on your feet, but being prepared in advance certainly makes this a lot easier, and nobody wants to be sitting in an interview saying “umm, er, umm, can’t think of anything, don’t know”!

 
I hope that these suggestions are useful and wish you all the best in your search for a job.

With good wishes,


​Amber

athomas@theiet.org

www.linkedin.com/.../amber-thomas-00480929

@Vijay, re "What are the skills required for a fresh graduate to stand out in the crowd?"

As you mention, you will be competing with many people who will have the same qualifications as you, so if your qualifications are equal, then you will need to stand out in another way. 


Make the most of any volunteering or part time employment opportunities that you have had and the transferable skills you have gained from these experiences. (For example, my first part time job (when I was still at school) was as a waitress - transferable skills include dealing with the public, customer service, handling money, flexibility to work at short notice or to stay late on unexpectedly busy days). 


Could you volunteer in a local school helping to teach and promote STEM to the pupils? (This would not only demonstrate that you are engaged with engineering, but also that you are a self-motivated, well organised, engaging person who is engaging with the subject and with the next generation).


A "Hobbies and Interests" section on your CV may help to show that you are a well-rounded individual that can get on with people. Do you play any sports? Team sports such as football, rugby, cricket, hockey, basketball, netball etc. show that you can work well as part of a team. If you are a coach or captain of a team, this also demonstrates leadership skills.


If you haven't already, I would suggest creating a profile on LinkedIn. Adding details of projects to LinkedIn is useful (it is easy to forget dates when you are trying to remember something years later, so good to keep a record as you go). As well as projects and experience, you can also list your skills on here and people can endorse you for these skills or write a written endorsement of what you are like to work with. You can also connect with people through this site, and you could connect with recruitment agents or hiring managers for the companies you would like to work for (which will show that you are a go-getter who takes the initiative). Search by job title for the job you would like. Take a look at the profiles of people who have these jobs and see what they are listing on their profile pages (and this might help to give you ideas when drafting your own CV). Connect with your tutors/professors and your classmates, as this shows that you are a good networker (another good skill to have). You can also join various groups, and sign up to receive job advert alerts.


And most importantly - make sure your CV is well presented with no sloppy spelling mistakes or other errors. If everything is equal on two CVs aside from the spelling - this could be the only distinguishing feature between you and your competitor. If you are not confident with your spelling, ask a friend, colleague, tutor, or family member to cast an eye over it too.


And if you are called for an interview, make sure that you are prepared. Think about what they will ask you and make sure that you have an answer that you can give. Make sure you research the company interviewing you. Common questions might be

• What do you know about our company?

• Why do you want to work for this company?

• What attracts you about this particular job role?

• Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

• What motivates you?

​They might also ask for examples:

• 
  

  Give an example of when you have worked well as part of a team

  
  

• Give an example of when you have worked well on your own 

They may also ask you for less than positive examples

• Give an example of a project that you worked on that went wrong

• Have you ever been in a situation when you haven’t worked well with a colleague? Give an example of when you’ve had to deal with a difficult person/customer

(make sure you include in your response a positive ending to the story and how you turned the situation around!)

It is good to be able to think on your feet, but being prepared in advance certainly makes this a lot easier, and nobody wants to be sitting in an interview saying “umm, er, umm, can’t think of anything, don’t know”!

 
I hope that these suggestions are useful and wish you all the best in your search for a job.

With good wishes,


​Amber

athomas@theiet.org

www.linkedin.com/.../amber-thomas-00480929