There seems to be a myth around that if you graduate and don’t go straight into a graduate training scheme you have blown your chances. In other words, if you graduated in 2007, 2006 or earlier, you are ineligible to apply for a graduate programme in 2008.
This is simply untrue. Most employers welcome applications from anyone and any age so long as they have the right skills, personal attributes and motivation. And don’t forget, age legislation in employment makes it illegal for employers to discriminate on grounds of age.
Where this myth comes from is anyone’s guess. However, it is a dangerous assumption to make even by those graduating in 2008. You may have a desire to take a year out but don’t want to jeopardise your career prospects. Or you may decide to take that highly paid temporary job to pay off your student debts before concentrating on your longer term career. Either way, you will not damage your prospects of getting on to a graduate programme by doing something else before applying for career jobs. In fact, your life experience during the ‘time out’ may actually make you a stronger candidate.
This is the real point – it is not what you do but what you learn from the experience that makes the difference. I get asked time and again if a gap year is a good thing to do. My answer is always the same –YES! But then comes the rider – it does depend on how much the individual learns from the experience.
When I was a graduate recruiter, back in the good old days, I would see lots of job seekers who had taken a year out before applying for graduate posts. After asking them to describe what they had done I would move on to ask what they had learnt and then quiz them as to how they might apply what they had learnt to the job they were applying for. Easy, I can hear you say. Well yes, you would think so but time and again candidates let themselves down by not being able to get past describing what they had done and sometimes even that was a struggle.
What these candidates had failed to apply was the skill of reflective learning. It is something I do most days on my way home from work – on the train, in the car or walking to the station. What had I set out to do, how close had I come to achieving my objectives, what prevented me from completing them and what had I learnt that I could apply on another day? It only takes a few minutes but the process, once you master it, can be applied to a whole variety of settings and it helps me to understand myself better.
This has two main benefits. Firstly, knowing yourself helps you to identify your strengths and weaknesses and that is important in terms of organising your career. You can also do something about tackling your weaknesses. Secondly, knowing yourself helps you to feel more comfortable with yourself so that when you are asked searching questions about yourself, such as in a job selection process, you have the confidence to respond. Don’t forget, often the interviewer is more interested in how you answer the questions rather than what you actually say.
So, if you have taken some time out don’t just think about what you did but focus on what you learnt. Capture those thoughts and when you make that all important job application, make sure you can articulate what added value your experience gave you. And if you are about to launch yourself into an activity that does not fit the traditional career path, ensure you do the same. One way of doing this is to record your experiences in a diary or logbook.
I recall spending some time on a ferry from Manley to Darling Harbour in Sydney with two UK graduates who were coming to the end of a round the world trip. One of them was really worried about how his travels would look on a job application form when he returned to the UK. In fact, he was quite gloomy about it. His girlfriend had no such qualms. She rattled off a whole list of skills she had gained from the experience – planning, budgeting, fund raising, a host of short-term service jobs, foreign languages and understanding cultural differences. She went on to mention ‘coping strategies’ at which point I was so impressed by her self awareness I almost offered her a job there and then!
Two people, one experience, but very different outcomes. I know which outcome I would prefer, don’t you?
Carl Gilleard
Chief Executive
The Association of Graduate Recruiters
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