How to search for work after school

Each time there is an advert in the papers, the employers are asking for a certain level of experience.
This has been a big challenge to many fresh graduates who have always wondered how companies expect them to have experience when they are just fresh from university.
“Every company is hiring people with experience of either two to three years. I have just left campus, the only thing I have is my degree. How will I gain experience yet no one is willing to take me on?” wondered Chris Rujumba a fresh graduate with a Bachelors in Procurement from Makerere University Business School.
Like Rujumba, a number of graduates are finding it hard to get placed for any type of job since employers are looking forward to hiring employees that have experience in the field. How can fresh university graduates easily find a job? Below is how to land a job after university;

Learn to brand yourself
Rhitah Kirungi a state attorney for West Nile region says it is important that fresh graduates learn how to brand themselves. She says building a brand is a crucial step in finding a job. She shares that when she left university, she got a part time job in a law firm because she was able to introduce herself well and also clearly define her purpose in life.
“I met this prominent lawyer at a certain function that I had attended in my home town, I approached him towards the end of the function and introduced myself as a fresh graduate of Law, I also briefly told him about my goals and future plans. He invited me to his law firm the following day and offered me a part-time job,” she recalls.
Kirungi says it is from that part time job that she was able to learn of an advert where government was looking for state attorneys. She applied and was successful. She notes that branding yourself can help people understand your values and objectives quickly.

Get certified
Additionally, Kirungi says it is advisable for graduates who do courses that require certification to always do so before hitting the streets to look for jobs.
She observes that courses such as Law, accounting and Engineering always require certification which when done can help one easily find a job. “Earning certifications that are relevant to your field might be your ticket to landing a job after graduation. Certification shows that you are serious about your field and competent enough to do the job at hand,” she notes.

Join professional groups
Scovia Kamwebaze a customer relations personnel at Fenix International says nowadays, networking is one of the best ways to attract employers. She says joining professional groups that are in line with your profession can help you meet potential employers hence helping you find a job.
“These days there is LinkedIn, a platform that you can use to meet potential employers. Make sure to put correct information about yourself and get ready to interact with people in line with your profession, that way, you will be able to learn of job openings in different companies,” she says.
She adds that if you create professional profiles on suc sites, you might be able to draw the attention of recruiters in your field.

Volunteer
According to Connie Musisi the head of careers at Uganda Christian University Mukono, though many fresh graduates are eager to get well-paying jobs, volunteer opportunities are a sure deal to get them the jobs they are hunting for.
She explains that volunteering opportunities are easily available as compared to real jobs.
“Don’t despise volunteering, though you may not get any benefits, you will get the experience that most hiring companies are looking for and you will also get an opportunity to get exposed,” she says. She advises those who choose to pursue a volunteer opportunity to look for one in line with their field.

Seek out an internship
Musisi says that fresh graduates who did not do internship when they were at university should consider getting internship opportunities even after graduation.
She says though internships do not always pay the best, they do provide the kind of hands-on job experience that employers like to see. She also says that internships can help new graduates to get a feel of their profession.
“Treat an internship as a real job and be a best performer, you might be surprised by how much you get out of it,” she says.

Do internship
Internships provide real-world experience to those looking to explore or gain the relevant knowledge and skills required to enter into a particular career field. Internships are relatively short-term in nature with the primary focus on getting some on the job training and taking what is learned in the classroom and applying it to the real world.
Externships, also known as job shadowing, are similar to internships but only of a much shorter duration.