No matter how good your results are, competing for a job with hundreds of other IT graduates is hard work. With so many candidates all vying for the same roles, it can be very difficult for your application to stand out. There are, however, a few things that you can do to differentiate yourself and improve your chances.
Work Experience
This will instantly bump you up in the rankings, as it’s perhaps the main thing that employers look for. Whilst internships offer a great way of gaining hands on experience and form a vital part of your CV it is not the only way of gaining experience.
There are many sites available that offer small one off projects that you can bid for. Some of these include;
- eLance.com
- iFreelance.com
- PeoplePerHour.com and a host of others.
These sites offer opportunities for small web development projects, through to programming and sometimes even hardware. Opportunities are not only confined to the UK as often they can be completed remotely.
Volunteering
Another way to gain valuable experience is through volunteering for charity organisations within their IT function. This is a great way to build experience in a business environment. Many charities welcome graduate help and can often provide a perfect setting to acquire and develop skills and experience.
Certifications
Additional certifications or training are a good way to add industry “know-how” to your CV. Extra qualifications can help prove your dedication, knowledge which can certainly give you that vital edge in the job market. Of course the type of certification depends entirely on the area of IT. Some of the more popular certifications in the market include MCSE and A+ (for hardware) and ITIL and CISSP (for software) to name a few.
Interview Preparation
The interview stage also offers another opportunity for you to stand out and be remembered. You obviously want to make a lasting positive impression so the interview is perhaps your final chance to do this before the recruiter makes a decision. Asking relevant questions about the company and their standing within the IT industry can be very advantageous. John Gillard, manager of the Business Technology Consulting programme for Capgemini UK said, “Being up to date on various industry trends, especially ones that a company is involved in, will enable you to appear both knowledgeable and passionate about the IT industry and also show you are interested in the company.”
ComputerWeekly, Silicon & ZDNet are just a few of the leading IT sites that provide up-to-date industry news and trends. These are great sources of information that IT graduates should be visiting regularly to keep abreast of what’s happening in the world of IT.
In addition to gathering knowledge, many graduate interviews – particularly for graduate schemes will use behavioural based questions to determine examples of behaviour in certain scenarios
The following site http://www.hr-esources.com/11/21/fifty-behavior-based-interview-questions/ provides 50 behaviour based interview questions. Not all of these courses are relevant to graduate roles however you should focus on question related to communication, varying work conditions, priority setting and effectively working with others.
In addition to assist you to practice interview questions related to an area of expertise within the IT field try www.geekinterview.com.
