Job hunting timetable for finalists

If you're a final-year or postgraduate student, here's your countdown to finding the right graduate job.

Autumn/Winter

Get started

  • Familiarise yourself with the services offered by your careers service.
  • Visit the careers information room.
  • Look at computer guidance software in your careers service.
  • Read through the career sectors pages on this website and the career sector guides available there and through your Careers Service.
  • Browse the first destination returns (FDRs) available from your careers service, and speak to alumni to get information about what graduates from your course went on to do.
  • Attend relevant careers workshops, such as career planning, CVs, interviews and job hunting.

Study options

  • Apply for HDip courses for teacher training.
  • If you’re a certificate/diploma/ordinary degree student and are considering progression on to an honours degree, investigate advanced entry procedures and deadlines for each college. For advanced entry to UK colleges see www.ucas.com.
  • Research postgraduate opportunities and funding, and talk to course co-ordinators of study programmes that interest you.
  • Contact your postgraduate studies office regarding further study options and funding.
  • Attend the postgradireland fair in February.
  • Read the postgradireland directory, published in November, and postgradireland.com.

Research the job market

  • Attend employer presentations.
  • Check milkround vacancies advertised to final-year students by your careers service.
  • Update your CV!
  • Arrange to see a careers adviser to review your CV, undertake some interview skills coaching and brush up your presentation skills.
  • Attend your own institution’s careers fair.

Spring/Summer

Get a job!

  • Attend any final employer presentations and careers fairs.
  • Keep an eye on local and national newspapers.
  • Contact professional bodies.
  • Develop a hit-list and jobsearch plan for making speculative applications to companies. You might start with the www.kompass.com website, Golden Pages or the IPA Yearbook (Institute of Public Administration).
  • Apply for jobs using this website and your own careers service.

Study options

  • Apply for advanced entry within Ireland/Northern Ireland.
  • Research further study options.
  • Talk directly to course co-ordinators of programmes of study that interest you (see postgradireland directory and postgradireland.com).

We would like to thank the careers service team at Dublin Institute of Technology, especially Laurence Whitson, for their help with this article.