Donna Miller is human resources director, European operations, at Enterprise Rent-A-Car. Donna sits on the board of the Association of Graduate Recruiters Use your university experience to sell yourself: We look for a university degree for a number of reasons. We'd like to hear about what you learned while at university - things like time management, decision making and finishing something that you've started. Most people going to university are living away from home for the very first time, which equals growing up quickly. In your application, be prepared to speak about what you did at university - your work experience, leadership roles, classroom experiences, plus what you learned about living on your own away from home. Have plenty of examples at hand. Don't just say "I learned about time management". I want to hear about the experiences that taught you time management - be specific in your answers.
You've got a lot of competition this year - so make sure your application doesn't count you out: We've seen more applications this year than in the past - but I'd also like to add that the quality of applications is much better, which is a very positive sign. Since there are fewer jobs available in the market, it's important to take your time when making applications. 'See CV' doesn't cut the mustard - a large number of graduate recruiters don't accept CVs due to online applications. so when someone writes 'See CV', I don't have access to their CV. Stop down playing your retail, bar or club experience: Many candidates don't take into consideration casual work experience. They think if it wasn't in an office, then it doesn't count. ALL work experience counts, so include it. Stop down playing your retail, bar or club experience as not being real work. Going out on a limb, I am guessing that you have dealt with difficult customers, had some challenging moments with colleagues, had the opportunity to learn about sales, you've worked in a team, you've had to show up for work on time. shall I continue? You don't need to be fresh out of uni to get on a scheme: Age should not be a determining factor in anyone hiring you for a graduate role. At Enterprise, we have graduates who join us in their twenties, thirties, forties and fifties - we're more concerned around whether they can do the role, not their age. Claire Knight is the regional human interests director for Saatchi & Saatchi X, an agency which specialises in shopper marketing. Claire has just launched Saatchi & Saatchi X's own graduate scheme Research the company at length to impress: As far as grad schemes go, I believe you need to show personality, do your research into the company and have a point of view. It is fantastic when people can talk broadly about the work, and the history, of the company you are applying for as this shows dedication and passion. A placement might be a good way into permanent work: Something to bear in mind, when looking to employ graduates on a one-year placement, we are really looking to bring someone in who could eventually become a permanent employee. Companies invest a lot of time and training into the graduate programmes and it's always good to be able to extend the placement where appropriate. Candice Brewer is a leadership and personal development coach who runs About Time Coaching. Candice works with and mentors graduates - helping many secure work through succeeding at assessment centres
The more you practice, the better prepared you will be for assessment centres: Practice talking through possible scenarios with an independent person - family are great but don't always give you the feedback you need. Speak to others who have been through them and practice in the clothes your going to wear on the day. If you get the chance to attend a practice assessment day, then do. And be confident - take the lead but don't dominate others.
There are lots of resources out there to help prepare and, as with all things, the more you practice the better prepared you will be. Amanda Haig is the graduate HR manager for Allianz Insurance, one of the UK's leading general insurers. Amanda oversees the recruitment of full-time graduates to the company as well as summer work placements It's common for applicants to leave the name of the last company they applied for on their CV - don't let this be you: It is so important when you are applying to be really careful about how your application and CV look - simple stuff but you do need to read through everything before you send as we have lots of simple errors. For example, when applicants leave in the company name of the previous employer they were applying for. Also, think about all communication that you have with us - your emails, phone calls as so on, as these will all make an impression. Claire Griffiths is engineering graduate programme manager for Centrica. Claire joined the Centrica graduate programme in 2008 and worked in operations and HR Think about your long-term career goals and tailor your application accordingly: Graduate schemes offer great structure, and many like ours offer professional qualifications, which really boost your CV. If you haven't done already, it may be worth thinking about which side of business you're interested in – be it human resources, marketing, finance or something else entirely. Tailoring your CV towards a career in a particular discipline or industry should help through the application process. Be able to demonstrate why a company appeals: Companies may ask you why you've chosen them over competitors, so it's worth looking into what makes a company unique for you; be that the opportunity for foreign travel, professional qualifications or being a specialist in an area you're particularly passionate about. Laura Hooke currently combines working for the careers service of City University London with freelance career consultancy. Her experience in guidance covers more than 20 years and includes working with university students and graduates, school and college students and career changers Pre-empt likely interview questions by researching what the company wants from staff: When you prepare for an interview, be very clear about the competencies that the company values. Usually this will be clear in their website or within information about their opportunities. They are likely to ask questions around these competencies (or skills), so think about examples from your experience (work, study, extra curricular) that really demonstrate how well you have applied each skill. Practice talking about these examples, using the STAR (situation, task, action, result) model. It is a useful structure to follow. Remember to concentrate on the action bit - what you did. Try not to get bogged down in describing the situation. Your careers service is a good place to find out about grad schemes: If you are looking for graduate trainee positions, check out your university careers service - they are likely to receive vacancies from employers and will be advertising them somewhere, probably on their website. If you are not using them at the moment, find out what else they can offer you. Also, think about the kinds of organisations you would love to work for and check out their websites for information on the vacancies they have. Consider making direct approaches to some potential employers too, even if they appear not to be recruiting. Louise Briggs is employability, enterprise and careers manager at Lancaster University Management School's careers service If you've been asked to an assessment centre, it means employers want to hire you: If you are asked to an assessment centre, employers are really keen to meet you because you have already demonstrated through earlier stages that you have the transferable skills that they are interested in. They want to be able to employ you, so use the opportunity to show them you have the skills they are looking for. The AGCAS (Association of Graduate Careers Advisers) produces a great range of DVDs showing what happens at graduate interviews and assessment centres. These can be borrowed or watched at your careers service. Your careers service is also probably arranging mock assessment centres, which are a great opportunity to practice and learn more about the different exercises.