5 Things To Consider When Reviewing A Graduates CV

5 Things To Consider When Reviewing A Graduates CV Its that time of year again; students all around the country are waving goodbye to their universities, preparing for graduation (hopefully!) and trying to get their foot on the career ladder Now, as I mentioned in my blog a few weeks ago, recruiting for an apprentice can be tricky because they dont actually have that much experience and the same can also said for graduates. You see, while graduates might have more related work experience for your business, theyre still not necessarily going to have any paid experience under their belt so how do you judge if theyre the right candidate for your vacancy? When reviewing a graduates CV, there are five key things we think you should be considering. 1. Degree: OK, so I thought Id start with the most obvious one their degree. Of course, it goes without saying that when youre hiring a graduate, you need to consider their degree but its important to not only consider their degree subject but their university as well. When looking at degree subjects, Id urge you to have an open mind because although some subjects might not seem immediately relevant, they can actually fit really well for example, History degrees can work well for jobs in things like Copywriting. OK, so some jobs require very specific degrees (eg. web development and Computer Science) but others are much less rigid in terms of the specific degree required so be careful not to dismiss what could be the perfect candidate just because they have what doesnt seem to be the most relevant degree on their CV! 2. Personalisation: When looking over a graduate candidates application,  keep an eye out for any signs that theyve personalised their CV and/or cover letter for your particular vacancy. Taking the time to personalise their application shows the candidate is extremely interested in your vacancy because theyve not sent you a generic CV and/or cover letter and it should help to demonstrate what a relevant candidate they are for your vacancy. Of course, thats not to say that you should discount an application which hasnt been personalised but it is something to think about 3. Transferable Skills/Knowledge: Remember when I mentioned considering a candidate with an alternative degree? Its just the same with skills and knowledge. Consider the key skills and experience listed on the candidates CV and ask how they could be transferred to your business and the role youre advertising. Do they have hands-on experience or knowledge of something youve always wanted to do at your company but never had the skills in-house to try? Or have they got something a bit different on their CV which could help to give a new angle to the products you offer clients? Try and think outside the box try not  to dismiss someone just because they havent got that core knowledge or those key skills which are actually pretty easy to teach. 4. Convenience: This is a bit of a biggie its important to ask yourself why you think the candidate is applying for your vacancy. Do they really want it or is it more of a case of convenience eg. your company just happens to be in the city that they went to uni in and want to stay in because they dont want to move back home with their parents? Of course, theres no way to know this for sure but its something to consider because if it is just a case of convenience it could suggest they wont think twice about ditching the job once their situation changes. As I just said; theres no way to know this for sure, but the effort theyve put into their application (eg. personalisation) should be a good clue. 5. Relevant Experience:   When reviewing a graduates CV, its important to keep an eye out for any relevant experience the candidate has to the job in question. Whether its an internship or a couple of work experience placements, relevant experience shows a commitment to your sector and suggests the candidate has been interested in a career in your industry for an extended period of time. In addition to work experience, its also important to keep an eye out for any voluntary projects the candidate has done which demonstrates their interest in your sector eg. look out for any blogs theyve created or contributed to,  any social media accounts theyve volunteered to look after and any free graphic design work theyve done for local companies. While these might not be overly commercial, they do show the candidate has used their initiative and has spent their own free time producing digital material for themselves or other companies. Needless to say, the right candidate for you will ultimately depend on your individual company needs and the role in question, but hopefully this blog should give you a good starting point.