A Guide to Getting That First Job in London

As soon as you graduate from university, the next step for most people is to find a job. London has so many opportunities but unfortunately the job hunt for most is not always straightforward…

It can be so disheartening when you send out hundreds of applications to different companies and hear nothing back.  So how do you go about it? Firstly, it would be an idea to apply to some London based agencies. As a first time jobber it is difficult knowing exactly what you want to do and how to go about getting it, and agencies can help with this.

Recruitment agencies are there to help when you’re not sure which direction you want to go in – they make the job hunt appear less daunting, so it’s a good idea to register with as many agencies as possible.

The registering part is pretty easy – they go through your CV and ask questions. You get to talk all about yourself, your interests, your ambitions, what jobs you’re interested and those that you’re not.

With your first job, it’s important that you take your time and don’t rush into taking something that you don’t like and can’t see yourself doing. Recruitment agencies will send you the specs of all the jobs that they think you’d be suited for, but it doesn’t mean you have to take them just because! Jobs come flying through recruitment agencies’ doors all the time, so if they don’t have something suitable that day, the chances are something else will pop up the next day! You don’t want to waste the agencies’ time or your own.

As well as registering with agencies it is important to keep up to date with all things social media. Social media is becoming an increasingly powerful tool, for example here at Joyce Guiness as well as using our website, we advertise all our jobs on Linked In, Facebook and Twitter. It is an easy and simple way to connect with prospective candidates. It’s not just agencies that use social media, but companies themselves post their jobs via these means. It is important to keep an eye on these platforms – you could simply carry out a search, or follow companies / agencies directly.

Additionally, sign up to online job boards such as ‘Reed’ and ‘Indeed’, where a whole array of different jobs are posted and updated daily. At Joyce Guiness, we advertise our jobs through 2 platforms – our website and ‘Secs and the City’. These job boards really do make it easy for you, as they also have the facilities for you to sign-up to job alerts. You can be made aware instantly when your perfect job becomes live, meaning you’ll never miss out again!

If neither routes sound like your sort of thing, then you could always try completing some work experience. It’s a great chance to get as much exposure to an industry that you may not know a huge amount about, and gain some transferable skills – and you never know, if your prove yourself, there could even be a job for you at the end!