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Job hunting for finalists and postgraduates

If you're a final-year (or a postgraduate student), here's your countdown to getting a graduate job.

Autumn/Winter

Visit your careers service and find out what help and information is available.
Research the options by reading 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) from your careers service, and speak to alumni to get information about what graduates from your course went on to do.
Attend careers workshops, such as career planning, CVs, interviews and job hunting.

Attend your own institution’s careers fair and employer presentations on campus.
Attend the gradireland Graduate Careers Fair, which takes place in October each year in Dublin.
Check 'milkround' vacancies advertised to final-year students by your careers service.
Sign up for jobs by email from gradireland.com.
Read the gradireland directory, published in September each year and available free from your careers service.

Identify the employability skills you have developed through work or study throughout your course.
Write or update your CV and ask a careers adviser to review it.
Check deadlines for graduate programmes and be aware of early closing dates. The ‘Big 4’ accountancy firms for example have closing dates in October.
Start making job applications.

Apply for HDip courses for teacher training. These tend to have early deadlines.
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 Further Study fair, which takes place in February each year in Dublin.
Read the Further Study section in the gradireland directory, published in September, and visit their Further Study section online.

Attend employer presentations and careers fairs on campus.
Attend the gradireland Summer Fair, which takes place in June each year in Dublin.
Keep an eye on local and national newspapers.
Develop a hit-list and job search plan for making speculative applications.
Apply for jobs – responding to advertisements or speculatively.

Research further study options.
Talk directly to course co-ordinators of programmes of study that interest you (see the gradireland directory and their online Further Study section).
Apply for postgraduate courses.