Getting your foot in the door into a job after university can be hard despite all of your hard work on your studies. While there are countless roles that are publicly advertised, it is incredibly well known that there are also equally as many roles that aren’t.
While tapping into this network of unadvertised roles may be equally as hard, once you build your network it becomes easier and easier. Here are some tips that I found when I was looking to land my first role.
1. Go to meetups and networking events
Ok, so during COVID this was obviously impossible to do, but in some places such as Australia, things are starting to go back to normal and it’s becoming safer to attend in-person events again. I recommend browsing meetup.com or Eventbrite and joining clubs related to finance. While the online events may not lead to networking, the in-person ones definitely do. Try and join any of them that may be in your area. At the very least, they allow for some great learnings and you may even make friends who will one day work in the same field as you.
2. Search Facebook groups for roles
While this does not sound like the easiest way to get into the industry, there are literally thousands of roles advertised on Facebook every day via groups. Some forward-thinking companies even actively advertise there through FB’s jobs feature! Join active groups on Facebook that are finance-related – recruiters are always scouting in there.
3. Be active on LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a great place to network and find roles. While using their jobs feature is great, I recommend being proactive on LinkedIn – engaging with posts such as commenting and liking. Add people who may be relevant to your network (but obviously not spamming a tonne of people) and reach out to people who you may admire is also worthwhile too. I can’t tell you the number of people I’ve met and roles I’ve won via networking through LinkedIn. Also, make sure to keep your LinkedIn constantly up to date. Use relevant keywords and list any achievements that you may have. Recruiters search based on keywords on Linkedin and so it’s important that they can discover your profile.
4. Let people know that you’re available and looking!
Sometimes, it’s simply a case of someone who knows someone who is looking for someone and it just happens to be at the right time. Let people know that you’re looking for something – they can keep you in mind if they do know of a position or if someone asks them for a referral as well. As they say: “If you don’t ask, you don’t get.” If you’re incredibly lucky to have a mentor for example, by asking them if they know of any positions, they may be able to leverage their network and let you know of any roles that they know of that may be available.
5. Put your hand up for any internship or experience
Putting yourself out there while you’re at university may make it easier for you once you graduate, as you’ll already be one step ahead of your peers by having more experience than them. That being said, if you couldn’t or didn’t do this before you graduate, never fear it’s never too late to start. I would recommend putting your hand up for any reasonable opportunity that comes your way – who knows where you may end up!
Did you find these tips helpful or do you have some tips that you feel I’ve missed? Feel free to email us and let us know!
For those keen to gain experience as soon as possible, FThree offers free internships to second and third-year students looking to gain their first finance experience. Sign up to our waiting list today!