5 things to do whilst at university, to land a job in strategic communications.
As we approach the start of the undergraduate enrolment for universities across the UK we thought, what better time to give you 5 things you could do whilst at university to land a job in strategic communications.
1. Join a society to develop transferable skills
The society doesn’t have to be directly related to communications. Consider joining a group that personally interests you. Scope out what roles they have to offer on their committees.
Your university life will have your social calendar chock-a-block, but remember it’s a great time to find ways to show you’ve been proactive during your university experience. In fact, being able to apply your skills in the professional world with little to no experience can be tricky. This will help to elevate your CV and give you more to talk about during interviews.
2. Don’t underestimate the power of LinkedIn!
So, you probably have heard a lot about personal branding but as the digital landscape evolves it’s always good to keep your finger on the pulse. Utilising LinkedIn doesn’t mean you need to post content regularly. However, using it to engage with brands, finding out the latest news and networking with like-minded individuals is key to success.
You could consider using it to seek out a mentor. Being able to learn from someone with more experience than yourself can help you to think about your future career options.
3. Get your portfolio in the bag
Take the time to collate work, whether it’s via voluntary positions, course work, part-time roles, freelance, internships or placements. Coming straight out of university it’s all relevant when searching for your first opportunity on the career ladder.
Creating this as you go along not only helps you to see how much you have grown academically and professionally, but it also takes the headache away from the dreaded job search.
In terms of advice for what you could look to get involved, this could be offering to write guest blogs or articles for local papers, writing newsletter content for your students’ union, or getting in contact with bloggers to provide guest posts on a topic of interest to you.
4. Seek out volunteer opportunities.
There are so many companies and charities out there who would welcome the support. You may have tools available via departments at your university that share open opportunities. Equally, there are sites such as Reach, NVCO, Do-it, and others. Or, perhaps you will take the opportunity to reach out to local businesses and offer your support.
5. Consider future possibilities.
Not knowing exactly what you want to do after university is totally normal. There may be some of you who think you know, and that’s fine too. Over time and as you develop a variety of experiences your decisions about future career paths may vary drastically.
Looking at the types of jobs available to recent graduates and assessing the experience or skills that these roles look for can be beneficial. This information will allow you to tailor your university experience to best fit your most desired next steps.
Find out about roles at Copper here.
