Proactive students confident about their job future

Half of students are actively working in their industry of choice this summer to keep their CVs fresh and make new contacts.

The other half are working in part-time jobs, taking a break from study and work altogether or travelling.

Milkround.com asked more than 100 students what their plans were for the long vacation and found nearly two thirds of the class of 2010 are working this summer while 38 percent of those set to graduate in 2011 are already doing the same to add to their CVs.

Half of these proactive students also intend to boost their skills by learning a software package, take on extracurricular activities to aid their future job search or research non-academic professional skills they may need for their careers.

Milkround.com spokesperson Mike Barnard said: “Students working this summer will get a head-start when it comes to finding a graduate career. Many high profile graduate schemes open to applications in September and October so the experience gained now will be crucial then, and even more crucial if they are among the thousands of fresh graduates looking for a job in 12-months time.”

Students working this summer are a lot more confident of their job prospects. Of those working this summer, 73 percent are confident or very confident of finding a job. Those not working have a more negative outlook: 53 percent say they aren’t confident of finding a job.

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Mike added: “Summer work breeds workplace confidence and boosts your CV for future employment – especially if you find an internship or placement which can offer training and experience relevant to the career you want. Just looking and applying for summer work is beneficial: you’ll gain an understanding of the jobs available and it gives you the chance to practice those essential job hunting skills such as application writing and interview technique even if you aren’t successful in the recruitment process. More run-of-the-mill part time work can be valuable too, though be sure to be pro-active and get as involved in the business as you can so you gain as much and as varied experience as possible.”