As another crop of graduates prepare to leave university and begin the hunt for employment, we caught up with Chris Davies of Graduate Coach at the National Graduate Recruitment Exhibition at the NEC over the weekend.

Chris shared his five top tips for those leaving university and looking for a job – listen to his advice below or read on for his full application and interview masterclass.

Chris’ top tips for searching for a job:

1. Work out what it is that you want to do

Do you really know what you’re all about as a person?

If you don’t then you need to ask your friends what they think you are like – do you enjoy working by yourself or as part of a team, would you be good in sales? The first rule is to know thyself.

2. You are hardly ever going to be asked about your degree

So you need to be able to make sure that you have all of your work experience and you can create a list of achievements – work achievements, charity achievements, sports achievements. That’s the type of thing that you’ll be asked about in an interview.

3. You have to create a unique CV

Base your CV on your achievements and don’t just talk about your academics. They will be interested in what you can bring to this company – your achievements are more relevant to this.

4. Practice your interview techniques

Know what questions you will be asked and will ask and research the company. Nobody researches companies enough – research their websites, their competitors websites, LinkedIn and if they sell in shops then see how they do that.

5. Ask for the job

Make sure that you tell your interviewer how much you want that job.