#ExperienceSharing #JobHuntingInTheUK #Masters

*This is the same as what I posted on Dcard. I hope it can help more people

Hi everyone! My very first post is a "made it" post.

I just finished my master's this year, and this week I got an offer in the UK for a Compliance-related job. The parent company is Dutch and the starting salary is pretty decent; DM me if you want to know. Before coming to the UK to study last year, I already had 4-5 years of experience in legal and as a trademark team lead. Here I studied Management and Corporate Sustainability at Cranfield University. It's not a G5 school or a London school, so I guess getting an offer counts as inspiring (lol).

In our program, you graduate once you hand in your dissertation on September 8. Sounds okay, but it's actually also the day you have to move out of the dorms. After a bit of effort sorting out housing, I started sending out CVs like crazy. 1 month and 5 days later, what I got wasn't a rejection but an offer.

Below I'll first go over the steps that look important in hindsight, then talk about the interviews and some of my prep. Of course, this is just my experience, and everyone's situation may be a bit different. What follows is the hiring process for a full-time position (not a Graduate scheme). Here we go~

Actually, I did a round of mass applications before I graduated, but then I paused the job search to write my dissertation. Let me define what I mean by mass applying: at least about 100 applications a week, applying to every opening I saw. Personally, I think the point of mass applying is to see how each company writes its job description, which skills matter for the roles you're looking for, and whether they match what you have or are good at. The realistic payoff is being able to tweak a small part of your CV each week, which is already pretty good.

For job sites, I started with LinkedIn, then switched mainly to Indeed and company websites. (Indeed tends to be more up to date, and some jobs let you apply in one click, which is super convenient. Not sponsored…) This went on for about two and a half weeks. Apart from the daily rejections, I only got one phone interview, and then never heard back (because when I took that call I was a total mess and not in the zone at all hahaha, but that call still gave me a big boost). After that I started looking up free resources from career coaches, and came across CV-Library, https://www.cv-library.co.uk/ Figuring I had nothing to lose, I uploaded my CV, and I was BLOWN. AWAY. I think I uploaded it on a Sunday night, and starting Monday I got 2-3 emails from headhunters asking whether I could do a phone interview. I honestly couldn't believe it.

Okay, by now you might be itching to try CV-Library, but let your big sister here give you a few reminders: make absolutely sure the CV you upload is good enough. By good enough, I don't mean how top-ranked your school or experience is. I mean whether your CV actually shows your skills and clearly explains your achievements through your past experience. That way the headhunter can put you forward for roles that match and suit you.

Before the interviews

I had a few calls with the headhunter. Once she'd confirmed my plans for the future and what I wanted in a role, she sent me the new company's JD and asked if I wanted to revise my CV. I added some keywords from the JD and described my relevant experience in more detail, then asked her to submit it. Things moved fast: the next day she said I'd passed the screening and we started scheduling interviews.

Interviews

First round: an online video interview with the hiring manager. This round is about whether you and the manager click, whether he can picture working with you, and you also get to see whether you'd want to work under him.

Second round: in person at the company. I met two senior people (one was the hiring manager, the same one from my video interview). After they introduced the company and my team's responsibilities, two of my future colleagues also came in to interview me, mostly with questions about the work itself. Then came a written test in 2 parts: one was the CCAT, which employers here in the UK love, with reasoning and pattern-prediction questions; the other was 2 scenario questions that describe a situation and ask how you'd handle it (they gave me a computer to type my answers).

Takeaways:

1. Be ready for daily rejections to be the norm. In the end we only need to get into one company. You've got this! It's fine to take the weekends off~

2. Make sure you've reflected on your own experience: what you've handled that was your biggest achievement, or what made you feel proudest of yourself. I believe that's what will get you hired.

3. HR may only look at your CV for a few seconds, but make sure they catch its key points in those seconds

That's about it. And as I said, if you'd like help looking over your CV or practicing spoken English, you're very welcome to reach out! Let's learn from each other and work hard to make money in the British Empire~

#202310

#WeCanAllBuildTheFutureWeWant