Redbrick knows that as many of you finish your exams the thought of stepping into the big wide world of work is a scary one. A lot of students are completely unaware of what career path they want to take once they have graduated from university. Of course, there are those individuals who have been planning their gap year for the last three years and those lucky few can mull over their career options on a beach in Phi Phi. For the rest of us, this summer spells the start of our search for the answers, the answers to that question that will be lingering over many graduates - "What's Next?"

There are many options available to graduates, even in the toughest of graduate job markets. It doesn't matter if you don't know what you want to do for a career, many people don't. What is important is that you gain experience and to try things which you might find interesting and feel you may be good at. You dont want to get bogged down in a graduate scheme which after 4 weeks you realise you dont enjoy!

Internships, placements, work experience; all of these interim based positions help graduates top up the bank account, gain valuable experience for the CV and also give you a taste for the industry in which you think might interest you. Many internship's actually result in full time employment, so even if you can't get a permanent contract with your dream company, an internship isn't a bad place to start....

So, you know what you want to do but how do you find a job!? Redbrick is working hard to bring you all the opportunities you want to see, however it is impossible for us to cater to everyone's needs. Job boards are a good place to start, as are other recruiters, company websites, friends, family, graduate recruitment fairs, careers departments.....you should even speak to your lecturers and those who run your course, these are highly networked people and many of them have personal and professional links with a wide range of organisations!

Rejections are inevitable but dont get disheartened, its a crowded market! You need to be persistent and positive. Tailor your personal statement for each individual application. This might be a time consuming and arduous task, but no company wants to feel like they were application number 236 of Mr Blogg's bulk application binge. Many companies will take a while to get back to you and a polite phone call to see if your application has been received will show you are interested and will put you at ease. 

KEEP GOING! We know first hand how daunting and frustrating the graduate application process is. If any of you have any questions, please email us at Redbrick. We are here to help!