Magnet.me guide

Summer, for many university students, means the arrival of relaxation, followed by Netflix and nothing (catching up on all those shows you missed forever ago). Late night study sessions cease, stressful examinations come to a halt, and all them pounds gained during the term time can be worked off. Most students will be spending their summer holidays poolside, using their possible 5 months summer break soaking up sun and perfecting their tans.If you’re a university student then you should know how difficult the job market is... If not, then hate to break it to you... It’s very competitive. With more and more young people graduating with honours each year, having a degree is simply put, just not enough anymore. So how do you stand out from the rest in such a competitive job market? Well, interning during your summer break is probably the best option. This is because internships offer real-life work experience in a prospective career field. For most university students, the word “internship” is not unfamiliar, however, can be quite frightening. The best way to approach an internship is not as a requirement like your end-of-year finals, but more as a stepping stone to opportunities outside of the lecture hall.

Coming up to graduation and starting your job search is difficult. If it wasn’t hard enough to identify the roles that you like over the roles that you don’t like, you also have to distinguish the difference between graduate jobs and graduate schemes. This only leads to one thing; “Graduate jobs, graduate schemes, graduate jobs, graduate schemes, gradu- what’s the bloody difference?!”It’s easy, one are graduate jobs and the others are graduate schemes.

When starting your job search, you will find a lot of similar jobs offered by many different employers. So, you might find yourself wondering: which job should I pick? Not only do you want to find the best career match, but you also want to find a company that suits you. Finding out which companies suit you is vital. Liking the company you work for will make all the difference in your work happiness!During your job search, you might find yourself saying ‘oh no, what job should I do?’ when you find more than one career match and you are not sure which of the companies you should apply to and which to ignore. To get the best experience and actually enjoy your job, graduate scheme, internship or placement, you want to pick a career match and a company where you feel you’ll fit in.It’s research time. *cracks nuckles*

Did you ask our career coaches a question? Then we’ve got answers for you! Together with professional career coach Rewan Jansen we’ve written down all that you want to know about career.

It’s safe to say that all over the internet there are tips and advice on how to find your ideal graduate job or internship. Yet, there are no blogs out there on when to actually find them. So we here at Magnet.me want to make up for that mishap and offer you the best tips and tricks on when to find a graduate job or internship.

Choosing the right career is kind of like choosing the right outfit for a night out. Well yeah ok … not totally. But you often spend too long staring hopelessly at all the options and possibilities, without getting any closer to making a decision. Difference being, you can try out multiple outfits much quicker and more easily than multiple careers. So let’s think about what factors might influence that tough question of “What career is right for me?”.

When studying at university or after you have recently graduated, you might be looking for an internship. It’s a great way to gain work experience and show future employers that you already have some basic skills in your field of interest. However, finding an internship is difficult when you don’t know where to start. That’s why we are sharing 9 things to know before starting an internship.

Here you are. You’re (almost) finished with your Bachelor or Master programme and ready to start looking for a job. However, you have no idea how to choose a company to work for after you graduate.

When you are a student or a recent graduate, or even a grown-up willing to change your career path, you start looking into what your options are.

Do you see the phrase ‘competitive salary’ everywhere? And are you wondering what in the world it means? Then you’ve come to the right place! On this page, you will find out what a competitive salary is, an explanation of DOE salary and what the meaning of a minimum sought salary is.

What is the meaning of a traineeship? What is the difference between an internship vs a traineeship? In this article, you will find the definition of a traineeship, why you should do a traineeship, what the pros and cons are for doing a traineeship and more.

When you’re in a job interview, it’s important to take part in the conversation by asking questions of your own. To make sure you ask the right questions, preparation – especially through research on the company and the job function you are applying for — is very important.In this guide, you’ll find several examples of questions you can ask during the interview, and how to leave a great impression on the recruiter or employer.

Personality test, aptitude test, verbal reasoning test. Certainly familiar terms if you’ve started applying for internships, placements or graduate schemes. These are all types of psychometric test. Not familiar with psychometric tests yet? Chill. The bark is worse than the bite. They are simply tests used during the selection process for many graduate employers.Psychometric tests are impersonal, standardised and objective tests used basically to filter out candidates in the recruitment process. When applying to a big employers graduate scheme, you’ll likely be asked to take a psychometric test – don’t panic.

So, you have landed yourself a video interview and you are one step closer to getting your dream job. How hard can that video interview be? You video chat with your friends and family all the time. Surely you must be an expert in it by now. However, video job interviews are not exactly the same. That’s why we’ve created a guide to help you present your best, and most professional, self and land a job you love in a video interview.

An assessment day is normally the final step in the hiring process for most graduate jobs or schemes. While they are daunting they are also a great way for you to easily showcase a broader range of skills and competencies than during an interview. Keep reading for all the necessary assessment day tips you need to nail it and get your perfect job.Ok, so it’s easy to think that the sole purpose of the assessment day is too see how awkward, uncomfortable and nervous you can be made to feel. Lucky for you, that isn’t actually the number one priority. They normally consist of a room of candidates all there to complete a series of test, exercises and interviews. These are all designed to highlight the candidate’s suitability, or lack of, for the graduate role.

Do you have an internship interview coming up? And are you looking for tips on how to prepare? Then you’ve come to the right place! Keep reading to uncover what you can expect in your internship interview, get an idea of questions that could be asked, tips on how to pass, and more.

You may have heard of reference letters, but what exactly is a reference letter? In this article we explain the meaning of the word, what they are used for and why they’re important. We’ll also give you some examples of reference letters to help you understand what it looks like.

It’s safe to say, job interviews are as fun as taking part in a race walk with your friends. Yes, yes, we know it’s a really ‘cool’ sport, despite the fact it looks like you are walking fast to avoid your bladder exploding. Similar to the fun so many people experience on a daily basis run walking, it’s similar to the feeling we all get when an interviewer asks the question: “So, tell me about yourself”. The real question is: why do they do this to us? Well, it’s because the answer you give reveals more about you as a candidate than you might think.If you come up with a good answer, it tells the interviewer that you can 1. Think on your feet, and 2. Understand the needs of the job and company you’re interviewing for. So, no pressure, your entire interview could depend on answering this one question. If you’re not sure how to even start answering it, don’t sweat it – as we have created the best tips you’ll need when answering the “So, tell us about you” question.

Want to apply for a job position, but you don’t have all the required work experience? Don’t worry! There are still several ways to come across as qualified without having the right amount of experience. We talked to career coach Tessa Knijnenburg about what to do when you are applying for a job with less experience than required.

Recruiters love to use tricky interview questions in a job interview or at an assessment day to catch candidates out. It’s not supposed to be a walk in the park. Here are some of their favourite questions, plus our best interview tips. You’ll be shining in all the right ways.

A cover letter is typically submitted along side your CV for a graduate application. You probably knew that. This cover letter will include writing a single A4 page that highlights your most relevant skills and expresses your enthusiasm and motivation for the job and employer. So why does it give so many of us a headache? This guide will give you all the information you need to write a cover letter.There are four key parts to a cover letter, and it’s important to know how to use the limited space to sell yourself and your skills.

The first step for graduates when it comes to job searching is “how to write a CV”. It’s super important that you create a CV that gets the right attention and highlights all of your relevant skills and work experience – no pressure.

An elevator pitch is a great and often used way to introduce yourself to recruiters, clients or employers. These pitches usually takes place face-to-face during a conversation, but sometimes they’re done through e-mail. But what exactly is an elevator pitch? How do you write a successful elevator pitch? This article will give you a comprehensive guide on how to do this and will include four practical examples. After reading this article you will know what an elevator pitch is, how you can write one yourself, and you’ll know the secret behind making your pitch a success.

Interview nerves are a not as bad as you think. They keep you on your toes and in the game. If you’re really struggling to feel confident about your graduate interviews, here are some interview tips to help.Good interview preparation and some positive thinking can do wonders to reduce your stress levels and help you shine. And if you still struggle then; fake it till you make it! We all have to start somewhere!

The main thing is that you have graduated. Congratulations, champagne is still the first priority! Sure, you may not be totally chuffed if you now can’t apply for that 2.1 opportunity you had your heart set on. What to do after university now then? Plan A is out the window, but is continuously searching for “jobs with a 2.2 degree” and all the plausible alternatives to see your options your best bet? We have a way better alternative Mardy Bum! Read this article and see that you really haven’t closed off that many doors, and in fact your future is still bright even when graduating with a 2.2 degree or lower. And I mean, worst case scenario McDonald’s are always hiring – hey, whatever pays the bills for now, no judgement!

You aced your interview, tests, aaaand assessment centres… but you still didn’t get the job. It sucks, but sh*t happens. Now, pity party over, let’s get you through this and back on top!So how do you deal with rejection? Well, firstly, know you’re not alone. No one likes rejection, it can stir up all sorts of negative feelings, but getting rejected from a job can actually turn out to be beneficial. So, instead of sulking with a tub of Ben & Jerry’s and binge watching all 10 series’ of Friends, focus on what you can gain from the rejection – and that’s plenty! What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger…right?

Amazingly, yes there are students out there that have to reject job offers. It’s a lot more common than you might think. If you have ever gone through an application marathon – sending out countless applications and running to interview after interview – it’s a full-time job in itself. You may find yourself thinking “if I ever get one of these job offers, I’ll just take it.”It’s understandable because, let’s face it, job hunting comes with sooooo many unpleasantries. From discussing your greatest weaknesses with people you have only known for less than 45 minutes – to nights spent wide awake worrying after all your friends have been given job offers… Even the guy, who showed up to all lectures in his crocs.

Many vacancies and job sites like Magnet.me mention the terms junior, medior and senior. By indicating the level of seniority for a job, recruiters give students and graduates like yourself insight into the level of experience that they seek.This article will provide you a thorough explanation of the topic, will help you to determine your seniority level and the experience you need to grow in your field.

Climate change is one of the biggest challenges of our generation. More and more students and young professionals show an interest in a career that contributes to the preservation of our planet. If you would like to start a green career you should, obviously, apply for a job at a green employer. But what if you are not looking for a new job? We spoke with The Green Branch, an organisation specialized in carbon compensation, about the things you can do to make your current job a bit more sustainable.

Interested in making a career development that will improve your life and career? If you improve your email writing technique, you will possibly make your colleagues’ lives easier and have the possibility to change the world.Despite the increase in social media and various communication platforms, email communication in the workplace isn’t going anywhere and therefore you need to understand how to write a good email.Email writing will remain the primary way we communicate in business for quite some time. Therefore, you want to write the kind of emails your colleagues or those employers you reach out to understand.Chances are you are going to spend most of your work day sorting through and sending emails. So, having effective communication skills could reduce the time spent dealing with those pesky emails you have to see when at work.

Problem solving is all about figuring out solutions to issues. Clue’s in the name right? It’s a pretty highly sought after skill. There is also a good chance your manager won’t really like you as a graduate if you are running to them every time you feel like you’re out of your depth. Find a solution, work it through and present it, then you’ll stand a better chance in demonstrating that you have the ability to be independent.Your problem solving skills could be assessed at various stages of your application process, during psychometric tests, group activities and one-on-one interviews. Your use of logic is tested hand-in-hand with your imagination, to see if you can come up with an intelligent solution to the prescribed problem. Other things that this draws on is your level-headedness and resilience to try again if your original solution doesn’t quite work out. Your analytical skills, creativity and logical thinking will all help you to reach a solution. As well as good teamwork skills if it’s a group task.

Recruiters don’t have time to decode your riddles, so make it simple. Here are 5 tips to make sure you sound professional when you send a job email to a potential employer!

First impressions count – always – so you really want to make the right one. Especially when communicating with employers. From written communications like CVs, application forms, cover letters and emails, to face-to-face contact – you need to put your best foot forward.It’s important for any job to have effective communication skills, especially when communicating with employers, and anyone. Any form of correspondence done between you and the recruiter could be taken into account. Here are a few tips to help you prove you have the clear and effective communication skills that recruiters are looking for.

Teamwork skills = “The ability to work well within a team”. Essentially the OG of skills on job descriptions. By default, it’s required everywhere – companies are split in to ‘teams’ (departments) who work together towards a shared end goal. Teamwork is a fundamental skill of collaboration, compromise and influence – and here is how to show you are capable of demonstrating it.Teamwork is a skill all about operating smoothly and efficiently as a team, encouraging others, dulling your ego to compromise, communicating and negotiate with other conflicting perspectives.

No matter what job you apply for, communication skills are an essential every graduate employer looks for on your CV. Graduate job hunters must be able to demonstrate these skills, since they will affect your ability to work within your team, across teams and with external parties (like important clients).

You may have heard that extracurricular activities are an important part of your university education and curriculum. Since your first days at university, you might be surrounded with stories about how everyone who is successful after graduation has done atleast one extracurricular activity. From captain of the university’s football team and student body president and building homes for the less fortunate in Tanzania. But do extracurricular activities have to be so overwhelming? There is so much pressure on students to perform well in their exams and attain high grades (all while attending lectures with a hangover). This, by all means, is not the wrong direction – we mean attaining high grades, not the part of going to lectures with a hangover. The problem arrises when students have no life outside of lecture halls and the library…. I mean student bars. When your focus is on books at university, you miss out on important extracurricular activities that can be important when looking for a job. So we have written this guide to help you understand the benefits and how to take part in extracurricular activities.

Do you know what the difference is between hard skills and soft skills? One of the hardest things for students, next to getting alcohol poisoning and still graduating, is finding a job after graduation. In reality, if three years of university has taught you anything, it’s how to complete an entire syllabus in one night, get creative with your cooking on only £30 a week and learning to control your anger when a 9am lecture is cancelled the morning of. They know what they’re doing! But nowhere do we learn the skills employers are actually looking for in a job candidate.So you probably find yourself asking: what skills do I need to mention on my CV to get this job? What is the meaning of a soft or a hard skill? How do I share my skills, expertise, accomplishments and all round awesomeness with prospective employers? Don’t worry, because in this guide you will learn about the definition of a soft skill, a hard skill and how to best provide a history of your experience on your resume.

What kind of salary can I ask for? Anyone who enters negotiations for a new job or for extending a contract, asks themselves this question. Negotiating salary is difficult, but necessary. When you’re discussing an employment contract, the salary negotiations are often a deciding factor.In this article, we’ll give you helpful tips for your negotiations. These tips will assist you in negotiating salary and other terms of employment.

Are you studying law, do you enjoy solving legal issues and do you like to work with legal rules, regulations and practices? Then a job as a corporate lawyer is the job for you.On this page, you will find out what you do as a corporate lawyer, how much you can earn and at which companies you can work as a corporate lawyer.

Did you ask our career coaches a question? Then we’ve got answers for you! Together with professional career coach Rewan Jansen and founder ImpactYourCareer & career coach (NOBCO-certified) Valérie Rath we’ve written down all that you want to know about career.Don’t want to read the entire article and find the answer to your own question instead? Scroll down to the right section:

Working from home has become the norm at almost every company. Plenty of people dream about working from the comfort of their home, saving time on commute in favour of more sleep or time to exercise. However, working remotely is a tricky situation to be in.Yes, you can be home all day, but being able to focus can be a challenge. Whether it is the pile of dishes in the kitchen that suddenly looks way more appealing than your long to-do list or a quick Marie-Kondo-inspired spring cleaning, staying productive can be extra demanding.So first thing’s first, sit comfortably and let us give you 14 essential tips on how to make the most out of your home office. Starting with a bonus tip – do not waste time reading tens of articles on productivity and concentration. This is the only guide you need.

A career working for MI5 is like no other. If you are a graduate seeking opportunities after graduation then perhaps a career in the UK’s domestic counterintelligence and security agency is for you! Serving her Majesty the Queen, a career after graduation for MI5 is rewarding, unique and a little different to a graduate program at EY. Why? Well the variety at MI5 is unlike anywhere else and the employees have significant autonomy to manage their own careers. Also, working for the same organisation as 007 does kinda look cool.So if you want to follow in the footsteps of James Bond and become an MI5 officer, check out our career guide on all things MI5 to join the secret service. It’s time to unleash your inner Bond.

It’s safe to say that there is not enough time in the day. Ever find yourself at university wondering how people in your class had the time to complete all the essential reading, have their assignments done within good time without having 7 minor breakdowns and have time for a social life? No, they weren’t superhumans. They just had really good time management skills. I know, right? What a jerk.However, having really good time management skills isn’t just for making 99 lectures on a Monday morning. It’s a skill you need for life. So how do you go about achieving really good time management in your everyday life without having 7 minor breakdowns and repeating the phrase “I can’t even” every 5 minutes? Simple. Well, not simple… But easy enough. Good time management requires an important shift in focus from activities to results. So, being busy doesn’t necessarily mean being effective. In fact, that’s a sign of inefficiency. So time to correct that.