Have you recently graduated from university? Are you struggling to find a graduate job? Alternatively, do you dislike your current graduate programme? Nowadays graduating with a 2:1 or a 1st class degree alone is not enough to land a graduate-level job. Competition is fierce and a graduate coach may be able to help you. 

If you want to learn a musical instrument, you employ a music teacher. If you want to learn to drive, you hire a driving instructor and so forth. A graduate coach is no different. If you want a graduate job, you need a graduate coach to teach you the skills you need to embark on a successful and fulfilling career. 

What is a Graduate Coach?

A graduate coach is someone who helps you to land a graduate-level job and then succeed in that job. Graduate coaches help people to understand their unique mix of skills, interests and values and then to find suitable jobs and industries that match. They then help people to present the best version of themselves in the form of CVs, cover letters and at interviews. Once a job has been secured, graduate coaches help people to perform to a high standard in their jobs, to attract progression opportunities. They make a coaching contract and help people to achieve success.

In this article, we take a look at the top five reasons why you should get a graduate coach. 

1. Discover Your Strengths

A graduate coach can help you discover your strengths and preferences. By reviewing your academic career, previous work experiences and your overall interests, a graduate coach can guide you in your job search. A graduate coach may also point you in the direction of various internships and opportunities that can build on your existing interests, preferences, and skills. For example, a graduate coach may suggest that you develop your digital skills as more and more jobs require digital literacy. This will make you more employable and help you design a more effective CV. 

Once you and your graduate coach have worked out who you are, what drives you and which work-related skills you possess, you will begin to understand the possibilities open to you.

 

2. Help Find You the Right Job 

It is common for many students and graduates to feel overwhelmed by the number of graduate job titles. In fact, there are over five hundred different types of graduate jobs. This results in many graduates applying for numerous different roles that are unlikely to be suited to their skillset or interest. This approach has proven to be ineffective. Graduate recruiters have specifically been trained to identify the extent to which a candidate is suitable for the role they have applied for. A graduate coach can help you narrow down your job search so that you send out high-quality applications. 

 

3. Perfect Your Applications 

A graduate coach can help you create CVs, cover letters and LinkedIn profiles that make you look professional, experienced and equipped for any suitable position you apply for. Creating these documents is not just about listing your qualifications and your previous work experiences. In fact, many graduates struggle to design a CV and tailor a cover letter that matches the job description and presents them in the best possible light. 

A graduate coach can help you emphasise the job-specific skills employers want, such as what makes you stand out and the value you bring to their organisation. Your CV and cover letter will help you persuade an employer that you want and can do the job you are applying for.

 

4. Boost Your Confidence 

Confidence is essential when applying for jobs and going to interviews. A graduate coach can help you nail that interview especially when some companies have three or four interviews. For example, a graduate coach may show you different techniques that will help you convince an interviewer you are right for the job. Alternatively, a graduate coach may offer a mock interview service to simulate interview conditions. This is a great way of boosting your confidence and making sure that you are fully prepared. Graduate coaches will also provide you with feedback so that you improve. 

 

5. Grow Your Career 

Once you land your dream graduate job, a graduate coach will continue to support you so you can get ahead in your career. Graduate coaches may do any of the following:

• Mentor you to ensure excellent job performance. 
• Help you pass probation. 
• Negotiate pay rises and promotions
• Build your professional network. 

 

Conclusion 

Getting a degree does not guarantee you a job and that is why you should acquire a graduate coach. This may be exactly what you need to help jump start your career and to achieve your full potential. From finding the right job to curating a skills-specific CV to interview coaching, a graduate coach will set you up for a successful future. Depending on your requirements, a graduate coach can also work with you once you are in full-time graduate employment so you can move up the career ladder. 

Graduate Coach has helped over 5000 graduates fulfil their dream of landing the right graduate level job. Our professional coaches provide career advice and coaching for new graduates, helping you to achieve your full potential. We are experts in full career and 1-2-1 interview coaching, conducted face-to-face, via video calls or online. Click here!

Before you go, be sure to check out The Student Book. It was written by the founder of Graduate Coach and contains everything you need to know to get the job you really want!

Written by Nina Chatrath