As an international student in the UK, the Graduate visa can be a valuable opportunity to gain work experience and build your career. While securing sponsorship for a Skilled Worker visa can be competitive, the Graduate visa allows you to live and work in the UK without needing sponsorship.

The Graduate visa opens the door for international students to also consider less competitive opportunities, such as jobs in smaller organisations (called SMEs – small and medium-sized enterprises), which in the UK account for over 99% of all businesses. Therefore, targeting SMEs to look for a job seems like a wise move. Read our blog on why you should work for an SME.

How do I find a job with an SME?

• Look for roles on mycareer opportunities
• Check the sector-specific job sites in our sector guides
• Research our employer database and go directly to company websites to see if there are any vacancies being advertised
• Consider approaching employers speculatively – see our advice on accessing the hidden job market

Once you have narrowed down your search and feel you have some understanding of the market, focus on writing quality applications for a few of your preferred employers.

Stand in the hiring manager’s shoes and consider what will convince them to hire you.

1 – Employers want someone that can DO THE JOB.

If you study a relevant degree, then you should be equipped with the right knowledge; you can include your relevant modules and university projects in your CV to demonstrate this. If you have worked in a paid or unpaid role similar to the one you are applying for, detailing this experience is key so that the employer can benchmark your abilities in the workplace. While in some countries employers focus primarily on academic results, UK employers are often more practically-minded and tend to favour experience in the workplace. We cannot stress enough how important it is to try to get as much practical experience so you can to provide evidence that you are a trusted professional.

Read through the listed skill requirements (which are usually clearly stated in the job description’s ‘person specification‘ section) and make sure you can provide varied and relevant examples of these skills. Remember, when preparing these examples, follow the STAR structure.

Preparing examples in advance to demonstrate that you have commonly required skills and using a spreadsheet to record your stories can be a helpful way to organise your job search, and resources like Prospects’ job profiles can list some of the typical skills employers are looking for.

Compared with home students, you might have less UK experience and connections. To counteract this, consider your experience from your home country and do not forget your USPs (unique selling points) such as foreign language skills. If the organisation you are applying for runs projects in your home country or is preparing to expand to your home country, then you need to prepare yourself and confidently present your understanding of your home country market.

2 – Employers want to know you will fit in

Employers often prioritise finding candidates who will fit in with their team and company culture, which is why communication and team working skills are commonly listed as job requirements. If English is not your first language, it’s important to not only improve your written English skills for academic purposes but also familiarise yourself with the language professionals use and how they present themselves.

• Attend our employer events and webinars
• Watch videos on social media about people working in the sector, for example, you can search on YouTube with “What’s it like to work at Google?”
• Listen to the radio, read newspapers and browse sector news online – which will also expand your commercial awareness
• Future learn offers a free English for the Workplace online course

Your personality and values also matter. Connect with employees on LinkedIn and ask them about the work culture to assess whether the employer will be a good fit for you.

3 – Employers need to understand that hiring you is easy

SMEs may not be familiar with the recent immigration changes, or may be concerned that the Graduate visa only allows them to hire you for a limited period. However, there is no guarantee that any recent graduate would stay longer term. Confidently present the value you can bring during the Graduate visa period and make sure you know how to explain longer-term options like the Skilled Worker visa: Watch our Intro: Get a graduate job in the UK – your visa options.

Find out more: 

• Read our other blogs on international student success stories.
• Access more advice on finding a job in UK in the international student pathway on mycareer. 
• Speak to your Careers Service by visiting us at 5 Tyndall Avenue, or by logging onto our Live Chat service.