How can I make the most of my network as I start my career?

In many companies, a vacancy is advertised internally before an official job advertisement is published. Employees can then either apply for the position themselves or recommend someone they know. Generally speaking, employees usually know whether their company is looking to recruit. And it is precisely this advantage that employees have in terms of information that you can use to your benefit.

So don’t hesitate to ‘tap into’ the information held by people you know by

– telling your contacts which sectors and roles you are looking for;

– asking them to enquire within their own company and among their own circle of acquaintances about any open or forthcoming vacancies in this area;

– if you hear of any potentially interesting vacancies, simply send a speculative application to the relevant company.

Also ask your ‘source’ for helpful information on how to structure your application documents, such as the job requirements, company philosophy, working conditions, etc.