Hands up if you want a job

It's that time of year again the Graduate Recruitment fairs have been and gone, the Careers Service are popping up in your lectures demanding that you start looking for work now or else face a life time of emptyness, and really, truthfully, you probably couldn't care less. Hiding under the duvet and only popping out to make an occasional hot chocolate probably seems like a much better option.

Well I'm afraid it's time to don the scarf and gloves and get yourself down to the Careers Service. I know it looks like a multi storey car park but it really is a good place to go for advice on employment. I went my self today and picked up a lot of stuff that I've never even heard of before.

The Skills for Work certificate is a brilliant way to give your CV something more than every other applicant will have. Employers will be bombarded with students who have excellent degrees and this can give you a little something extra to tip the balance in your favour.

Skills for Success is a series of interactive workshops designed to improve your employability skills. These are run on an ad-hoc basis by a range of real employers who know what skills other businesses will be looking for.

There is also a Careers Mentoring Scheme which gives you the opportunity to meet one to one with a working professional who is offering to give you support and develop your careers ideas.

What cannot be stressed enough is that it's never too early to start looking for what CV boosting sessions are on offer. I've graduated now and have lost the chance to participate on most schemes. The best action you can take is to go down to the Careers Service and ask an advisor what you can do now to boost your job prospects later.

There are also plenty of magazines and booklets available to give you a little inspiration if you just haven't decided what you want to be yet, I know I haven't....maybe an astronaut.