Finding a graduate job in London is particularly challenging. The competition is extremely fierce but as the cost of living is generally far higher, you can’t afford to offer your services at a particularly competitive price. How can you succeed in finding the perfect graduate job?
The answer, as for most competitive marketplaces, is to accept that you may have to accept a lower wage to get your foot in the door. Once you’ve shown the Company what you can do, then you are in a better position to negotiate over your salary, but until then, you are just one of many faceless applicants looking for a graduate job, likely with no experience and similar qualifications to your contemporaries.
When you apply for graduate jobs in London, therefore, you may want to pitch your starting salary at a lower rate than the usual market rate. Another tactic is to apply for a job in the Company that is not the job you want. For example, if you have a law degree, you could apply for a job as a legal secretary (assuming you have some typing skills). Not only will you gain valuable work experience but you’ll also have the opportunity to show what you can do, and it is a known fact that companies prefer to promote from within – you have your foot in the door and can apply for a better position as and when the opportunity arises.
So how do you support yourself if your graduate job doesn’t pay as well as you need it to? The answer may be to do some freelance work for another company. This may mean devoting 2-3 hours of your social time to finding and completing freelance writing jobs but they generally pay better than ordinary jobs and if you work for a reputable company, you’ll have the chance to establish yourself and command higher rates of pay. One such company is Academic Knowledge, a UK based research house established in 2003, currently recruiting for graduate writers in all disciplines.
