Make your dissertation work for you

Thoughts of graduate recruitment might be far from your mind at the moment, especially if you are a finalist toiling over your dissertation - but the work you are doing now could play a pivotal part in securing you a job when you graduate.

Your final year project will be the most in-depth piece of work you do towards your degree. You might have picked a subject that you are particularly interested in, or a topic you are confident dealing with. Therefore, when you graduate, your dissertation could say a great deal about your studies and the skills and knowledge you acquired.

When you begin to apply for jobs, the 'education' section of your CV shouldn't read like a list of institutions; you should draw out the transferable skills you have learnt during your time at uni. Even if your dissertation topic is relatively obscure to anyone who hasn't studied your degree, organising a project of that scale will show an employer that you have time management skills, the ability to think analytically and self-motivation.

Kate, a marketing graduate from Coventry University, focused on the effects of advertising on children for her dissertation. She says: "I now work in a marketing environment, although I am not advertising to children. However, at my first interview my employer was impressed by the detailed work I had done on the subject. Also, it was a topic I was quite happy talking about in the interview - I think it really helped me get the job."

If you are a job-hunter and you haven't yet included any information on your CV about your dissertation, then it might be worth adding a few words about your project and what you learnt in the process.

Has your dissertation helped you in your job search? Or are you a finalist wishing you never had to read the thing again? Leave your comments below;