You’ve got your qualifications, bought your graduation outfit and finished university, now what? Starting out in the food industry can be daunting and you might be unsure of how to go about getting your first job.
Our 5 easy steps, along with the resources we’ve compiled in our Graduate Resource Hub, will give you a good starting point. If you feel like you need some additional support, our team of expert recruiters are on hand to chat with you about your next steps and how to go about getting your dream job.
1. Decide which career path suits you
If you’ve completed a work placement as part of your degree, you might have already decided what you’d like to do with your qualifications. If not, there are a lot of different options within the food industry that might suit your skills, qualifications and interests of course. The responsibilities of your role will vary slightly from company to company, but to get an idea of what you might be doing day-to-day under the various job titles in food manufacturing, check out our example job descriptions and visit the salary surveys page to see what kind of income you can expect to earn in your chosen field.
2. Write your CV
A CV and cover letters are your bread and butter when applying for any new position. You’ll need to include a bit about yourself, your relevant skills and experience, work history and don’t forget to write about your degree! The cover letter should be tailored to the job and company you’re applying for, and it’s best to keep things concise and formal initially. See our tips for writing a CV for more info – we’ve even got sample CVs you can download and adapt.
3. Register with b3 jobs!
Once you’ve written your CV, you can fire it over to us via our website, or use it to apply for one of our graduate roles directly. We’ll give you a call and run through exactly what it is you’re looking for in a new position and get you set up so that we can do all the running around for you. Once registered, our consultants will be able to give you a call every time we have a role that matches your preferences. You can put the faces to the names here - Meet the b3 Team.
4. Interviews
Interviews can take various formats, but most roles require a two-step interview process. Sometimes the first stage is a telephone interview, sometimes you’ll need to go to the site to meet with the hiring manager or someone within the HR team. Once we’ve sent your CV to the company in question (but only with written GDPR consent from you), if you’re invited for an interview we’ll give you a call to arrange a suitable date and time to meet with the company and send over helpful links to make sure you’re fully prepared. Generally, an interview is a way for the company to see if the skills on your CV match the role and to see how you’d fit with their existing team. It’s a two-way process though so it also gives you an opportunity for you to get to know the business, have a look at the site and make sure all your questions about the position have been answered. Our website has some more detailed info about what to expect from an interview, questions to ask and answer, and tips and tricks to help you get your ideal job.
5. Start your new role
You’ve done it! You’ve been selected from all the candidates who have applied for the role, you’ve met the manager and interviewed for the position, and now it’s time to get ready to start your new job. Once you’ve successfully secured a new role, you’ll need to confirm your start date, resign from your current position (if you’re working somewhere else already), sign your contract, and make sure the HR team have all of the information they need to be able to pay you! We’ll give you a call to let you know you’ve got the job (the best part of being a recruitment consultant) and to make sure you’re happy with what the company are offering. After that, you’ll be sent a contract and offer letter from your new employer and we’ll catch up with you once you’ve started to make sure everything’s going well and you’re happy with your new position.
Our consultants are ready and waiting to help you take your first steps into a new career! If you’d like to register with b3 jobs, please give us a call on 01435 866000 or submit your CV.
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