You might even get to the final stages of the interview process and think that you are this close to securing that job.

And then you don’t get it.

I know how you feel – I’ve been there too! It can be awful, you might even lose a little confidence, you might be anxious and think what will you now do with your life! You had a certain image of your life going down one direction, you hadn’t thought of it being anything other than that!

Trust me, it could be a blessing in disguise.

You never know what might happen throughout the long process of finding a graduate job. They take months to go through all the necessary processes and there could be multiple stages involved in finally securing a role.

The important thing is to respect and say yes to all opportunities and offers for interviews that come your way, and take them seriously. 

Not landing that grad role with one of the big city firms was something I thought about often during the start of my career. I always thought it was something I had really missed out on – that it would set me back professionally because of all the opportunities and people I wouldn’t be exposed to, or worse, that I wasn’t ever good enough for those places.

Whatever twists and turns are taken throughout your career journey, you can never plan it out and think that it will happen exactly as you have imagined it. Personally, I am grateful that my career went down the new path I was paving for myself. Now, years after all the graduate intakes are through I have been able to hear from others’ experiences about working in one of the big firms for quite a few years, I realise that things have worked out for the better for me personally.

I put my all into the role I was fortunate enough to get. My job certainly was nowhere near one of the big firms, and not even in the city but I still did my best and I respected where I was.

I was able to gain great experience and move up the chain faster than I would have otherwise. And along with this came pay rises which happened a lot quicker than I would have thought! I also met wonderfully smart, creative, passionate and kind people along the way who were willing to help me grow in my career. In addition, I had a great personal and professional balance in my life which I greatly value. It certainly isn’t where I thought I would be, but I think it’s better.

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Being a grad has so many opportunities that come with it.

This is your moment to ask all those ‘silly’ questions (just for the record, no one will think they are silly), this is your moment to ask if you can shadow someone who is at a high level in the organisation, this is your moment to ask whether you can attend an executives only meeting for learning purposes, this is your moment to ask whether you can work on any project you want that is interesting!

Don’t wait to do these things later – you might never have that opportunity.

Don’t be afraid to be given the ‘boring stuff’ from a project either. In previous posts I talk about how important it is to take those small tasks you are given and show that you can handle them perfectly to allow your reputation to grow. Because in reality, it is an entry level role and both you and your employer needs to take some time to find out what you can do before things really take off. As your reputation grows, so does the trust people have in you and the work you are given. All you need is patience and persistence.

From fellow graduates going through my program, we have all shared stories about our experiences. I noticed that there isn’t a set role in someone’s grad year. The grads who gained the most out of their placements were the ones who pushed for more work and showed they could deliver. They are the ones who ended up with great mentors and best of all, job offers at the end!

Your opportunities as a grad are there for the taking. Make the most of them.

Wishing you all the best!

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