How we can help you land your ideal graduate job

How to research an employer

There’s no great secret to performing well in a job interview – it relies heavily on research, preparation and good interview technique. We’ve got preparing your answers to the most common graduate job interview questions covered - but in order to succeed in a job interview, researching the employer is just as important. As well as helping you to feel more prepared, it will also show that you understand the company, and that you are enthusiastic about the role. Researching an employer is key to nailing a graduate job interview – so what do you need to know? When researching the company, you should be looking to find out: What the company does Where it is located The approximate team size The company’s history, major successes and defining moments The company’s customers / clients The industry the company operates in Products or services that the company has recently launched Once you know what you’re looking for, here’s how you can go about finding it: Visit the company website The internet has made it easier than ever to research employers – so it’s worth taking the time to learn as much as you can about the company online. Usually, you’ll be able to find out what the company does (their product or service), their history and major successes, recent news, and information about the team – try the home page, ‘About Us’ and ‘Meet The Team’ pages. Take note of recurring messages, themes or values that appear across the site. Whether you notice a clear focus on company culture, or you come across lots of information on their ethical policy – these things will help to shape your understanding of the organisation, and what they look for in an employee. Find the company on social media These days, the majority of companies are present on at least one social media platform -and often several. A Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram feed can give you great insight into what a company is like, as well as some of its key players. Bear in mind that each social media platform is slightly different (you’re more likely to find information on the company’s clients on LinkedIn, and their culture on Instagram). If you come across the company on social media, ‘like’ or ‘follow’ their page to get updates on the latest news, and to see what they are posting or sharing. If you know who is going to be interviewing you, search their name on LinkedIn – and check their profile for information on their role, background and interests. If you come across any common interests, you can mention these in the interview to establish rapport with the employer! Check out company review websites Sites like Glassdoor, The Job Crowd and Crunchbase feature company profiles and reviews from previous employees, as well as business information (such as investments, countries they are expanding to, and the number of employees at the company). Researching what candidates in similar graduate jobs were asked in their interview will help you to prepare your answers – and similarly, their reviews can also give you further insight into the company culture and what to expect from their leadership. Seeking information on the business will also give you an insight into its successes and defining moments (i.e. did the company recently receive a large amount of funding?) – which, if mentioned in your interview, will be highly impressive to the employer. Read the news Staying up to date on the organisation’s newest product or latest industry trends will not only help you to feel prepared, but can also be a great conversation starter in a graduate job interview. Google can be a great place to access news, and doing a quick search will likely present you with information that may not appear on the company’s own website or social media profiles. If you know that you can find news on the company in a specific location i.e. the Financial Times, TechUK or FinTech Weekly, make sure you’re up to scratch on all the latest happenings, so that you won’t be caught out if anything is mentioned in the interview. Check out their competitors As well as researching the company you’re interviewing for, it’s also a good idea to look into the industry it sits within, and the organisation’s key competitors. This will help to get you up to speed on current trends within the industry, to better understand the niche that the company fills, and what makes its product or service unique. Once you have a good grasp of this, you’ll be able to use it to your advantage – to help yourself stand out from the crowd in an interview. Before you go to interview for graduate jobs, it’s important to thoroughly research the company – to help yourself feel more prepared, and to indicate to the employer that you’re committed to the role, and knowledgeable about their business. Find more career advice on our Careers Advice Blog - or check out the latest Graduate Jobs!

The graduate's guide to London: Sustainability

With London’s population set to reach 10 million by the year 2030, the pressure to improve pollution levels, reduce waste and tackle climate change in the city is higher than ever. And London is well on-track to becoming one of the greenest and most sustainable cities in the world. With Sadiq Khan’s strategy in place to make it a zero-carbon city that is at least 50 percent green by 2050, London is quickly moving towards a more sustainable future. If you’re looking for graduate jobs in London, or you’re already living in the city, there are a number of ways to be more sustainable in London - and save yourself money at the same time: Live within walking or cycling distance to work If you can walk or cycle to work instead of driving or taking public transport, you’ll instantly be cutting down your carbon footprint – as well as getting fitter, saving money, and boosting your mood and concentration throughout the rest of the day. If you’re deciding where to live in London, consider how far it is to commute to work. If it’s possible to live somewhere within 2 miles of your graduate job, walking to work should be fairly feasible - at least in the summer months. If you’re already living in the city and your graduate job is too far away to walk or cycle every day, why not set yourself a challenge – can you walk or cycle once per week, maybe even just for half of your journey? Choose eco-friendly activities Over the weekend, thousands of Londoners take a break from their graduate jobs to go out, socialise and take advantage of the range of activities on offer in the city. These will often include going shopping, to a bar, out for dinner, and taking Ubers or black cabs - all of which can be detrimental to the environment. So why not choose weekend activities that also happen to be eco-friendly? There are a number of easy weekend switches that will drastically cut down your carbon footprint, without impacting your social life: Go to your local pub instead of one that is further away Go for a picnic in a nearby park instead of going out for brunch Hire Santander bikes and cycle along a canal instead of getting a bus or tube Arrange for friends to come over and cook a vegetarian meal at your house instead of going out to eat at a chain restaurant Visit charity or vintage shops instead of heading to the high street Shop for food more sustainably Each time you shop for food, you’ll be forced to make choices that will impact the environment in one way or another. There are many different ways you can make more eco-friendly choices: Choose seasonal foods with low air miles Wherever possible, choose packaging-free products Head to one of London’s many farmers markets Always carry a reusable shopping bag Buy fewer meat and dairy products Encourage sustainable initiatives at work If you’ve started working in a new graduate job, why not suggest some initiatives to be more eco-friendly in your office? Whether it’s asking to buy a new recycling bin, suggesting a meat-free Monday lunch, or getting the team involved in a park clean-up, suggesting some eco-friendly initiatives will not only help you and your colleagues to be more sustainable, but will also help you to build relationships in your new job. Cut down your shower time The average shower (8.2 minutes) uses 17.2 gallons of water – so cutting down how long you spend showering in the morning will save a huge amount of water. If you find that you tend to lose track of time, invest in a shower radio – and try to get out after 1-2 songs. Likewise, if your shower has an on-off switch, turn it off while you are shampooing – this will not only drastically reduce how much water you waste, but will also cut down on your water bill. Use a renewable energy provider Speaking of, it’s well-known that bills in London can add up – and switching to a renewable energy provider like Bulb or Ecotricity can save huge amounts on your yearly bill. Plus, choosing green energy will decrease your impact on the environment and drastically reduce your carbon footprint, without you even noticing any difference! Download eco-friendly apps Remembering to be eco-conscious in a busy city like London can be tricky – but the digital world has responded. There are now a huge number of apps you can download to remind you to be sustainable, wherever you are – here are some of our favourites: Karma / Too Good To Go – Both allow you to find leftover food from many different popular restaurants, for half the usual price Refill – Locates water bottle refilling stations nearby so you don’t have to buy plastic bottles Giki – Gives you information about the products you buy and how sustainable they are Take lunch into work The convenience of going out and getting food at lunchtime can be hugely damaging for the environment – and taking in lunch in a reusable container will not only reduce how much plastic you use, but will also save you a lot of money. If you are going to buy lunch at your graduate job, try to choose something with as little packaging as possible, recycle it, and don’t waste any food! Invest in a reusable water bottle Just one plastic bottle can take hundreds of years to fully decompose, so investing in a reusable water bottle, which you keep on you at all times, is an effective way to stop yourself buying plastic bottles. In the long-term, this will not only decrease your carbon footprint, but could save you hundreds, even thousands, of pounds per year! If you’re considering graduate jobs in London, there are a number of ways to be more sustainable and save yourself money – all without damaging your social life. Find more career advice on our Careers Advice Blog - or check out the latest Graduate Jobs!