University is not for everybody, but for me, it was the best three years of my life. It was hard work, but in the end worth it for the experiences I had, friends I made and of course my degree and graduation.

Then the real world hits you, and the often daunting process of job hunting begins.

Throughout university, you are encouraged to keep thinking about the future, plan work experience, get your CV looking professional, even get a professionally taken profile photo for your LinkedIn page. Mostly, this advice is ignored until the final year, when the realisation hits that it’s almost time to leave behind the lecture halls.

Put the early work in

The old Catch-22 – you need experience for a job, and a job to gain experience – is true and can be frustrating. But if you know what career area you want to go into, it’s not hard to offer a week or even a weekend here and there to companies to come in and gain some valuable hours in the work-place. Most companies are happy to accept the help, and even if it means working for nothing, it will pay off in the long run.

When it comes to a CV, it’s important to be detailed but also keep it succinct. It’s also key to tailor your CV for each and every job application. You might be sending off hundreds in your search, and not every role will be the same, so why should every CV be identical? One company might care about your teenage paper round, and another may not, so always read what the job advert is looking for and adapt the application.

First impressions are key

So you’ve managed to bag yourself an interview. After plenty of rejections – or just being completely ignored in my case – the perseverance has paid off. But then you realise you’ve never actually had a formal job interview in your life.

A recent survey of 2,000 hiring managers found that 50% would eliminate a candidate for a position just due to the way they dressed, acted or walked through the door, and 33% knew if they would hire someone within the first 90 seconds of meeting them.

Nail the questions

First impressions then, are clearly key. Next is confidence, in yourself and your capabilities for the role. The employer clearly thinks you’re suited for the job, so you should too. Always research the company beforehand, prepare for the usual questions – “where do you see yourself in five years?” – and prepare some questions to ask at the end.

If you get the job following the interview, congratulations. If not, it’s always good to politely ask why – most employers are happy to give feedback. At the end of the day, it’s another experience that’ll pay off in the long run.