Kickstart your career: Where to search for jobs
Here is the second part of a mini-series in which we will advise you on how to kickstart your career. This time, our career advisor Dr. Sylvie Fišerová will advise you on which portals or events to look for work and how to use networking.
Job portals
If you decide to look for an internship, part-time job, or more permanent job, start with well-known and lesser-known job portals, such as:
www.jobs.cz/en
expats.cz
indeed.com
glassdoor.com
welcometothejungle.com/en
upwork.com
Various faculty groups can also be a good source. FSV UK publishes job offers in its career-focused group. These are more often offers that are relevant across disciplines and come to the faculty from outside. Most institutes or departments have their own closed groups where graduates offer cooperation to younger colleagues – for example, IPS Jobs, ISS Jobs, MKPR Jobs, etc. Job offers also appear on the bulletin boards of departments and institutes, so check them from time to time.
Follow not only the websites but also the social media pages of your favorite companies, they sometimes post offers there too.
Career fairs
Another option is job fairs. Our faculty organizes a career day every year in spring. The event includes an accompanying program, such as workshops and lectures on CV writing, Czech labour law, or photoshots.
You can also visit commercial fairs, for example, the Career Expo is held in Prague every spring. Although manual or IT positions are widely represented here, the accompanying program also includes various lectures that will broaden your horizons, and among the exhibitors are companies from the banking sector, media, startups, etc. There si also a job and relocation fair for foreigners in Prague organized every year during spring.
Career fairs, whether physical or online, are a great way to meet companies that are actively looking for students. Plus, personal contact can make a bigger impression than an email. You may not find the job you want right away at a fair, but talking to exhibitors can provide you with new information. The more you ask, the more you’ll learn.
Networking and LinkedIn
Networking can also be key to finding your dream job. It’s a good idea to talk about your job search with classmates and acquaintances. They may be looking for someone to help out with a project or know someone who can help you. Even though job openings are posted on job boards and company websites, personal connections are essential when looking for a job.
If you don’t have a LinkedIn profile yet, create one. LinkedIn works on the principle of connecting users in professional networks and helps expand users’ professional contacts. In the Czech environment, LinkedIn tends to be more senior positions, but this is also developing, and during your university studies it is an ideal time to create a profile and connect with classmates. A network of contacts in your field will be useful to you in the long term. You can follow various pages of companies, organizations and individuals, and you will be among the first to receive offers.
When creating your LinkedIn profile, be sure to choose a profile photo. If you don’t have a suitable one, take advantage of opportunities at faculty and university events. But you can also get a usable photo over the phone with the help of friends.
We have created a group FSV UK Students and Alumni on LinkedIn, where more experienced alumni can share junior offers for students.
More tips
Watch your social media presence
If your resume impresses the HR, they will want to know more about you and will probably invite you for an interview. But before that, they will usually type your name into a search engine and look at the available information about you. Try searching for yourself in an anonymous window, and when posting photos on social media, think about who can find them.
Take advantage of opportunities
You can gain practical skills by organizing conferences or volunteering abroad. Get involved in student competitions, various projects or student associations – organizing student events can also be a good item on your CV. Take advantage of opportunities – recruitment seminars, career days, internships, etc. After your studies, you won’t have as many options. Studying abroad is always a good item on your CV.
Don’t be scared
The worst thing that can happen is that they won’t choose you but every experience will help you improve.
Use services of career centre CU and FSV UK career counselling
Career counselling can be useful for everyone – Master and Bachelor students, first and final years, and graduates. FSV UK offers career counseling services free of charge to all its students and recent graduates. The university career center also offers diagnostics of personality and career preconditions.
Portfolio
Create a portfolio of your work. It is more suitable for some fields (e.g. marketing communications, journalism) than others. You can also add personal projects, which will show your interest in certain topics outside your field. It is also nice to have a portfolio just for yourself. At times, you may not be sure if you are skilled enough, and when you open an overview of your previous projects, it may lead you to something that you enjoyed before, and it can help you to get to know yourself better and further direct your career path. Today, online tools make it easier to create portfolios.
Don’t forget that you can also book a consultation with our career counseling advisor. If you only need to consult your CV, contact sylvie.fiserova@fsv.cuni.cz
We wish you the best of luck!
