The biggest secret to getting a well-paid job, is to be the best candidate for the position. If a company is desperate to recruit you, they will be more open to negotiation of your starting salary.

Being the best candidate for the position can largely fall down to personality and suitability for the role- if an interviewer gets a good vibe from you- that’s half the battle! BUT there are things you can do to make your CV stand out in the first place to get you on that all-important interview list.

Build Up Your Experience

To find a great job after graduation, you need to build up your experience to a good level. A degree is often just a tick in a box- what recruiters really want to know is what experience you have.

The best way to get relevant experience is to intern at companies within your desired sector. You can do this during the holidays, or even straight after you graduate (depending on how organised you are!)

As well as relevant work experience, you could also build up experience and skills in other areas such as volunteering or even running your own website or business.

Any experience that stands out from the norm will make a recruiter pick up your CV and want to know more.

Teach Yourself New Skills

Teaching yourself new skills like copywriting, website design or Photoshop are all going to add to your appeal as a candidate.

Have a think about the skills which might particularly help you in your area of expertise- and go and learn them! If you’ve started a business at university, you are likely to have a multitude of new skills and experience, just from doing this.

You might be interested in these tips about how to find a job during a global pandemic!

Take Part In Societies at University

Societies at university are not just another excuse to party- they can provide valuable skills to take with you into the world of employment.

Want to be a journalist? Why not join the university newspaper and become the editor? Or maybe you want to show that you’re a team player? Go out and join the football team.

Network With People In Your Industry

Universities hold a HUGE number of events and talks every single year- and you can bet that there will be industry experts at some of these events.

Grab a friend and head to talks and seminars which interest you- you never know who you might meet! Be sure to add them on LinkedIn after your chat- you might want to get in touch with them in the future.

Negotiate

So once you have that much-anticipated job offer in hand, now is the time to negotiate to turn it into a well-paid graduate job.

If you feel like the job is underpaid, you can negotiate the starting salary as a graduate by stating what other graduate jobs in the same industry are offering. You can research this on sites such as glassdoor, where you can get a better idea of what the average rate is.

This will be your best bet to increase your salary as a graduate, because you do not have proven industry specific achievements to show your worth to your new employer.