By Hallepie Barbara

Hey there! Did you just get a magna cum laude (the highest academic honors) at your first degree or masters program? A big Congratulations to you. You are strong and you did well. Now you are probably making plans to hit the job market, right? Of course, it is the dream of every graduate (especially with top outstanding grades) to quickly integrate the job market. You must be so happy and eager to present your CV to top companies and institutions out there. The question however is, apart from your top grades, what other impression would you make on the interviewer or your prospective employer?

Landing a job requires you to make a good impression on the employer. In the evaluation process, employers select candidates whom they believe to be the best to fill certain openings. In this process, some interviewers will be interested in your academic records while others will likely be more interested in your career progress. Your grades or experience may influence this process, but it is always important to be on a safe side by blending your academic successes with professional hands-on experiences. Some fresh graduates will always ask how possible it is to have professional or company experience when they just graduated. Continue reading this article and get to know how you can do that.

Volunteerism

What do you do with your extra time from College or University? While your peers go out clubbing, or having fun, you could try doing something different? Something that will benefit you in the short and long run. Before then, get to know what volunteerism is:  Volunteerism is the practice of providing time and skills for the benefit of other people and causes or with intention to gain company skills rather than for financial benefit.

Volunteering opens you to the job market even before you graduate from College or the University. It gives you the opportunity to gain skills and boost your resume. Recent studies suggest that employers are 82% more likely to choose a candidate with volunteering experience and 85% more likely to overlook resume flaws when the candidate’s resume includes volunteer experience. Graduates who enter the job market with volunteer experience not only develop skills, boost their CV, and make connections but go a long way to stand-out among other potential and qualified candidates for same position.

Start small

As a young graduate, you should concentrate on learning new skills. By implication, take advantage of the little opportunities that come your way. You would gain skills even from the smallest job you take. These would help boost your CV and help you develop more skills as well as open you up to more networks in the job market. It is true that some of your peers will immediately get “big jobs” that probably suit their qualifications but what if you can’t get that kind of job (“your dream job”) immediately? Will you just sit there waiting for that job to find you? No! I guess. Make do with the opportunities coming your way. As a graduate in project management, for instance, you could begin managing small projects around you. That way, you can gain hands-on experiences that would prepare you for bigger projects in the long run.

Professional and skills’ training/development

Professional development refers to the continuous training of an individual in his/her career. Professional development keeps you up to date on current trends as well as helps you develop new skills for the purpose of advancement in your field of study. Professional training is important because it gives you hands-on experiences and company skills that are needed for today’s job market. It equips you with specific skills and makes you competent in your domain. More so, it is important to enroll for professional and career development programs because the training is more practical than theoretical. Even as a student, you can begin your professional development journey by attending workshops or seminars. These would open you up to some company experience even before you get into the job market. Getting professional training also gives you the opportunity to adapt to new innovations in your field of expertise. For instance, marketing has gone digital so you could try taking a course in digital marketing. If you are an accountant, you could also take a course in computerized accounting.

Brite Academy International offers a host of these professional courses which will keep you up to date with current trends in the job market.

Our Courses

Professional Accredited courses

  • Project Management Professional (PMP)
  • Scrum Master Accredited Certification (SMAC)
  • Occupational Health and Safety (OHS).

Accredited Language Programs

  • TOEFL
  • IELTS
  • TESTDAF

Professional Supervised Courses (IT and Business Department)

IT Department

  • Graphics Design
  • Software Development
  • Computer basics/MS Package

Business Department                       

  • Computerized Accounting
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Office Automation
  • Digital Marketing

For more information on our services, CLICK HERE.

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