Written by Fan Wu
For many students, getting a good job ahead of graduation is their best graduation gift. However, although many media companies will come to school to recruit new student as staff during the graduation season, it does not mean that students be able to get a satisfactory job before they graduate. Thus, before students leap, it is essential for them to have adequate professional preparation to have a job that suits them. This article will give some suggestions on job hunting for media students who are going to graduate, which assists them to be easier to get the favour of recruiters.
1. Understanding LinkedIn.
Nancy Collamer, a professional retirement coach, describes in her Forbes article, using LinkedIn to find a job become a favourite way for potential employees. “Having a sharp LinkedIn profile may be even more important than having a great resumé,”.
Therefore, for media students, ones of the best way to get a job more comfortable is participating actively in LinkedIn’s industry and interest groups to communicate with human resources officer to get more information of media companies which you are interested in.
Besides, students can utilise LinkedIn to build a closer connection with satisfactory media companies. For example, they can join a few groups and be active in discussions even share some useful resources, which assist recruiters, referral sources and hiring managers can notice them.
2. Participating companies information session in university.
Sometimes, it is hard to communicate with recruiters through email or LinkedIn because students can not get feedback immediately. Accordingly, attending the recruitment information session at university is an excellent way to talk with interviewer and graduates who already are working in that company.
QUT offers several recruitment information sessions of well-known companies, such as Google in university to assist students can have in-depth communication with private staff face-to-face. It means that students’ problems with the company can be solved immediately.
After the information session, students cannot forget to connect with interviewers or graduates through emails or other kinds of contact mode even make an appointment for a coffee chatting with them.
The continuous liaison can assist staff in having a deepening impression of you, and you probably have a chance to get more information about the company and know what kind of skills and personalities they need, which assist you to develop future career plans.
3. Developing your professional skill
Eugenie Bisulco, a member of Forbes communications council (as cited in Forbes) mentioned the best professional communication practitioners always have perfect oratory skills, as well as some visual art experience or at least an eye for what works. Thus, in the university, students not only need to pay more attention to gain professional knowledge for each unit, but also they can take part in a different kind of media society in university to improve their professional abilities, such as writing, editing and website design through association activities because it probably will become key factor for employers to hire them.
4. getting professional working experience as early as possible.
Sometimes, employers probably prefer to hire graduates with professional media experience because it can reduce the company’s training costs. Having a professional working experience will be an advantage for students to get their satisfactory work. So if students are still at school, we suggest that they can apply volunteer of commonweal organisations to do media promotion firstly.
After volunteering to work, students also can try to apply more professional work, such as interns in media companies to know more about working content in the media industry. These kinds of professional experience not only can assist students in proving that they are the right person to work with employers for a longer time in future job applications, but also it can enrich their resume, which increases their chances of being hired.
Conclusion
Even although new media graduates probably face many challenges about job-hunting during graduation season, it does not mean that they will get fewer job opportunities than other competitors, like senior media practitioners. Firstly, students need to build their social network of media industry through LinkedIn and offline information session.
Secondly, media students require to follow their self-made future career plan to improve their professional media skill as well as try to get working experience during the university period. If they can do all the things entirely, they will get a satisfactory work before graduation eventually. So, media students, do it right now for your future!