Looking back on 2011, it feels like graduate job seeking and employment has never been higher on the agenda. The reasons why it's a hot topic aren't too pretty, of course; high levels of unemployment, intense competition for roles, rising tuition fees and a damaging and widespread culture of unpaid internships.
And while all this is impossible to ignore, rather than focusing on these all-too-depressing headlines, we've decided to take a look back at some of our most useful advice, sharpest insights and thought-provoking graduate blogs for a round-up of our highlights from the Guardian Careers site from 2011.
Twitter Job Challenge: Can you catch an employer's attention using Twitter?
Can you turn a tweet into a job? Inspired by graduate and aspiring adverting executive Ulrike Shutlz's @TheLondonJob account - where she used Twitter to build a name for herself, develop contacts and create opportunities - earlier this year we challenged our followers to use Twitter to catch an employer's attention, and see if you could turn this into an employment opportunity. The premise was pretty simple, but the response was overwhelming. Hundreds, maybe thousands, of updates were posted to our #twitterjobchallenge hashtag.
This was back in April, so the hashtag has long fallen off the edge of the internet, but we compiled some of the strongest and most entertaining #twitterjobchallenge tweets into a feature for the Saturday Guardian's work supplement: Twitter your way into a job.
How to create an infographic CV
CVs with style were another big trend this year. US graduate Chris Spurlock led the way with his infographic CV which went viral and landed on the desk of someone important at the Huffington Post; he was speedily employed as infographic editor. And then there was our personal nostalgic favourite Zeefax, Zef Narkiewicz's teletext themed online CV.
With so much inspiration - and competition around - it is little wonder that this advice piece by student - and now Wannabe Hack blogger - Jonathan Frost was one of most read CV advice pieces of the year. Writing first-hand what he did to create his very own infographic CV, Jonathan discusses what programmes he used, how he selected what to include and how all this led to him securing two work placements.
You've been Googled: what employers don't want to see in your online profile
Suspiciously popular on Facebook, here's an interesting blog post from occupational psychologist Professor Cary Copper that looks at job research from a different perspective; what does the internet say about you as a candidate?
Here's an interesting snippet:
"Shuvo Loha, director of headhunting specialists Janikin Rooke said: 'What seemed like a funny photo from university could end up costing you a job or an interview without you even knowing. Evidence of a negative or bad attitude, revealed through too much complaining or ranting, would put me off.'"
Excuse me while I pop off to adjust my Facebook privacy settings.
Graduate view: Recurring nightmare of unpaid internships
Here, one of our star graduate bloggers, Rosie Percy, challenges the news that celebrity employers are auctioning off internships to the highest bidder and asks why can't graduates be employed for what they've achieved, not for the figures in their bank accounts?
Perfectly summing up the thoughts and feelings of so many grads out there and the injustices they face, Rosie writes:
When the requirements of the job market shift from what you know to who you know, graduates are faced with either challenging unpaid internships and auctioned-off opportunities or robbing a bank and making more contacts.
Careers Talk podcast: A guide to work experience and predictions for the graduate job market in 2012
In our most popular podcast of the year we explore sandwich years, talk to a first year student who's secured nine placements to date and unearth some workie horror stories, survival strategies and insider advice from students and experts who know their placements.
But my favourite Careers Talk is our latest: predictions for the graduate job market in 2012. Our experts and careers regulars argue why Twitter beats LinkedIn hands down, give their reasons why your CV needs a revamp next year and describe the 2012 grad job market as "not great, but not hopeless".
Graduate view: Who are you calling a "lost generation"?
Everyone from Time magazine to Twitter are talking about their 'person' or trends of the year. Arguably, one of the terms of the year for graduate job seekers is "lost generation". But if blogger Sara Barnard has her way, it be less of a regular feature in 2012. In this blogpost, the graduate explains why the label needs to be dropped:
"Managing to be both alarmist and defeatist, the phrase does no one any favours. It does a disservice to those who are struggling with such determination to find work for themselves and to those who are dedicating their own time and efforts to helping graduates. The "lost generation" implies a foregone conclusion, an accepted truth, with no opportunity for defence or explanations."
She did an equally good job in an earlier blog post exploring the question on everyone's lips: When did a degree stop being enough to get a graduate job?
My Twitter job hunt success story: I'm employed!
It's not been all bad news, though. Graduate Ulrike Schulz (already mentioned in our Twitter Job Challenge bit at the top) has been blogging for us about her job seeking exploits since March, but last month landed her dream social media role at creative marketing agency We Are Social. A masterclass in starting from scratch on Twitter and building a network on and offline in your industry, her blog is packed full of tips and techniques for making connections and starting conversations via social media.
Live Q&As
Waiting for your big break vs stop gap jobs
This was one of our stand-out live chats of the year, mainly because it's a situation many grads are facing - will a stop-gap job reflect badly on you or is any employment better than no employment at all? Many readers agreed it's better to be "underemployed" within your target industry, so at least you can make contacts or find an internal job vacancy. Commenter @DayD made this suggestion: "While doing a 'basic job' in your target industry you'll be gaining valuable experience and by starting at the bottom you will be demonstrating your 'commitment' to your chosen profession/employer, which will stand you in good stead for promotion in the future..."
Careers in the space sector
One of the best thing about our jobs looking after the Guardian Careers section is we get to have a nose around what people do for a living. And we were intrigued by the range of careers available in the space industry. So were our readers, although InvisibleDirigible was probably being a wee bit optimistic when he asked: "I don't suppose the International Space Station needs a tea boy?"
Getting a job in the games industry
Another incredibly popular session - with lots of you coming back to it throughout the year - was our 'Getting a job in the games industry' live Q&A. One particularly interesting insights included the importance of showing you understand what's out there and what makes it good or not. One expert pointed out: "Your portfolio can include remakes of Tetris or Bejeweled, a re-imagining of a soundtrack or a review of a classic game - but you have to be able to explain your thinking and why you chose to make, change, amend or update it."
You can catch up on all the advice from that discussion in our round up of the best bits here.
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