Top tips for getting onto graduate schemes

Personal branding. Heard of it? If you’re looking to grab a spot on a highly-sought after training scheme then it’s important. Your personal brand is how you promote yourself. It is the unique combination of skills, experience, and personality that you want the world to see you.

These are the things that will get your foot in the door of any job. The way you present yourself. The language you use. The examples you give. It all paints a picture of who you are. Here’s our breakdown to how to stand out from a (potentially huge) crowd.

• Show that you care

Your application could be one in a pile of hundreds. What makes you the right person for the job? Tell your potential employer why you care about the job. About the company. About the opportunity. What’s exciting about the vacancy? What’s exciting about you? Taking on a trainee can be a big investment for a company – let people know the potential you have. And how you want to grow and develop.

• Don’t underestimate yourself

Don’t define yourself by your education. You’ve invested time and effort in getting to where you are but you’re more than just grades. In fact, some graduate schemes don’t even require you to be a graduate. It could be that there are job opportunities for you other than the sector that you trained in. After all, maths, marketing or IT backgrounds – for examples – have applications in a variety of sectors. Again, follow your passions. The worst you can get it a no, but you might not.

• Do your research

If you want an employer to take interest in you then you really need to take an interest in them. You can do the very basics by looking at the company’s websites, reading their press releases or following their social media content. You can do better again though. Look into the emerging issues in the industry you’re interested in – where are the skills gaps? What are the future opportunities? Where can you fit in?

• Show them who you are

As we explained at the top, it’s about the big picture. Be professional but warm in the way you write applications, or present yourself in interviews. Talk about what’s important to you and where appropriate add details about your hobbies and past times. Do they add another dimension to you as a potential employee? Let your light out. If it’s the right employer then people will buy into who you are.

Graduate schemes and apprenticeships give thousands of people a foot into their industry of choice every year. Search our database now for open opportunities, at all levels, with hundreds of major UK employers.