By Polly Allen
As a postgraduate, how do you make your CV stand out among everyone else's, and how do you boost your career right now to set yourself up for the future? Follow these tips and you'll be well on your way to success.
Get a mentor - either face-to-face or virtual
Find a mentor who already succeeds in your chosen career, and make it your business to learn from them. Keep track of relevant events on websites like meetup.com and Eventbrite to find out when your industry is hosting networking drinks, talks or book launches.
Also look at membership schemes in your sector - for example, Women in Journalism is perfect for UK female journalists, and it runs an annual mentoring scheme. In the US, hugely successful real estate professional Goldie Wolfe Miller cites mentorship as the key to her success.
If you're unable to meet people face-to-face right now (perhaps you're travelling, or just knee-deep in your dissertation), webinars are a great interim solution. All you need to do is Google “find a webinar” plus the name of your industry, then you can listen live or later to the entire thing.
Intern and volunteer as you study
Interning is easy to pair with education, either during the holidays or - if you find a part-time internship - during your course. If you're not going straight into permanent paid employment when you complete your studies, lining up a postgraduate internship is a smart move, especially if you struggle to fit in work as you learn.
Volunteering locally is also worth considering, as it has much in common with interning: you're helping a company, but also learning from them, without the commitment of a permanent contract. Many volunteering opportunities in your community will have CV-boosting qualities, such as marshalling a charity event, where you'd need to be an organized and responsive member of a team, and they're often one-off commitments.
However, some volunteering opportunities can also keep you fit and save the cost of a gym membership - check out The Conservation Volunteers' Green Gym scheme for inspiration. These kinds of schemes are also handy to bring up in job interviews, as they're unusual and character-building.
Look at working or travelling abroad, with a purpose
You should also look at the international job market, especially countries where postgraduate qualifications are rare, as your CV will stand out even more. For example, only 8.3% of Australians hold a postgraduate qualification.
Use your advantage to gain short-term experience in Australia, in a higher position than you might find in your own country, then return home already a rung higher up the career ladder. The fact that you upped sticks to a new country also counts in your favor, because it shows you're not afraid to step out of your comfort zone.
If you're hoping to combine travel with some stopgap work, think carefully about what you do. Many voluntourism (volunteering abroad) schemes, such as working in orphanages, are frowned upon for their dubious ethics, so always do your research first. Many graduates prefer more reliable projects like WWOOFING, where you work four-six hours a day for free on organic farms around the world, in exchange for bed and board.
Get a hobby with a career-enhancing twist
Having a great uni experience is about blending work, parties and discovering the delights of student discounts, but sometimes you don't have the time or energy to keep up with CV-worthy hobbies on the side. While hobbies aren't the be-all and end-all of CVs or résumés, they are handy to bring up in interviews, so be prepared.
For example, yoga, Zumba and Pilates all involve control, discipline and stamina; the Evening Standard recommends yoga as a good hobby for your CV. However, if you include this, make sure you've actually been to a handful of classes, in case you're interviewed by a yoga enthusiast.
If there's a way of tying your hobby to your career, this can help gloss over a lack of practical experience. For example, if you’re interested in marketing but have never had any work experience in the sector, try starting a marketing blog or help organize your local library's displays and their social media presence. By doing things like this, you'll have valuable experience in no time.
As you reach the end of your university career, there's a whole world at your feet. Go out there and get involved.
Polly writes for Inspiring Interns, which specializes in recruitment for interns and job seekers. It provides graduate careers advice to help you make the most of your postgraduate job prospects. Check out their website to see the graduate jobs and internships they have available.
