With jobs scarce and competition fierce, graduates need to make the most of opportunities, writes Varvara Bashkirova.

With the first semester behind us and the first exam results revealed, it is about now that many start thinking seriously about their future. Long gone are the times when having a university degree could almost guarantee a job after graduating. Nowadays, it is all about standing out from the crowd.

According to the latest figures from the Higher Education Statistic Agency, the number of students having obtained first-class degrees has increased by more than one-third in only five years, and more than doubled over the last decade.

In such an environment, it has become an inconsiderate luxury for a student to rely solely on the power of a beautifully wrapped graduation certificate. Instead, taking direct action might be a better idea to reach your career ambitions.

Shelagh Green, Director of the Careers Service of the University of Edinburgh, considers a degree an essential, however only a starting point: “Simply having a degree has never been enough. In the graduate recruitment market having a degree is the baseline or entry-level position, so students need to think about how they can differentiate themselves through their academic and non-academic activities.”

University gives essential knowledge, however, it tends to focus on one specific issue which in itself is not enough to become a good employee. “These extra activities give an opportunity to acquire transferrable skills that can then be implemented later in a career,” adds Shelagh Green.

There are hundreds of opportunities out there to ‘enhance your CV’. For example, getting involved in a university society – with astonishing 271 of them existing at the University of Edinburgh - finding the right one should not be a problem.

Potentially, it can add a lot to your skill-base. Firstly, simply communicating with people with the same interest can broaden knowledge and provide different views on familiar issues. Secondly, it is a great opportunity to meet ‘useful’ people, if the society organises talks and networking events.

Even if it does not, the other members may well become your potential colleagues, and being on friendly terms is always advantageous. Nowadays, when differentiating yourself is that much harder, connections really might become crucial to sending you on the way to your dream job.

Interpersonal skills developed in a society are in themselves a great gain. Finally, club membership can provide one with valuable skills to be implemented in a future career. Savoy Opera society might be just what you need to discover your inner Montserrat Caballé, or the Debates Union might open a road to the Parliament. Who knows if the current editor of The Student is in fact not the next Moira Stuart?

Of course, the benefits one gets from a society completely depend on the individual and the effort they are willing to put in. Because of this, membership in a university club might not be enough, as in itself it does not say much about the potential employee. What the employer is looking for are those who are not afraid to challenge themselves and put their skills to the test.

Perhaps the best way to show this is to get involved in a project or competition outside of the university altogether, as this will demonstrate a genuine interest and desire to get better in their job.

Thus, last summer a group of undergraduates of the University of Edinburgh organised a team to go to the iGEM competition in Boston. They designed a way of processing cellulose into sugar which is needed to produce bio-fuel, and ended up winning a prize for “Best Human Practices”.

One of the team members was Fionn Tynan-O’Mahony, who is currently in his final year of a Product Design degree. “One of the most important things I learned was group work… It allowed me to reflect on my own interaction with other people. This was quite useful given the nature of my studies as I will continually have to work with others,” he said.

Despite the valuable experience, Fionn is not considering taking the path of academic research. For him, the competition became “an opportunity to gain experience and consider potential career paths".

This is another benefit of taking part in such a project. If by the end of it you realise that this was not something you want to do in future, this is a great gain in itself, for it is always better to know sooner rather than later, and the skills you acquire can be implemented in a field of your true interest when you find one. After all, it can be argued that this is what university life is all about: students are trying to find themselves, discover their passion and the path that they want to pursue.

Not everyone is so lucky as to have a childhood dream to become, say, an astronaut, which would coincide with them having the opportunity and ability to follow this dream. For many, it is not so straightforward and getting involved in various projects and challenges can make the whole choice issue much clearer.

Another benefit of taking part in a competition is obtaining an objective picture of how good one really is in the field that it provides. Once again, university grades cannot really serve as a reliable reference point as more and more students get a first-level degree. They also might not reflect how good someone really is in practice, as opposed to theoretical knowledge tested in exams. This makes it hard for students to evaluate their own performance.

For example, you may have a better grade than your classmate. Does this mean you are simply better than them? Or were you just lucky? And did he put the same amount of effort when preparing for the test? Competition, on the contrary, makes such evaluations much easier, and might have an important influence on the confidence one has in their level of expertise.

Performing better than others in the same task and under the same conditions might make the fear of failure fade away, which frequently becomes a reason for not embarking on a desired career path if it appears to be too ambitious.

One such opportunity is The Edinburgh Apprentice, the annual business competition organised by the Innovative Consultancy University of Edinburgh (iCUE), one of the city's universities' numerous societies. This year, more than 300 students from all of the Edinburgh universities have applied to take part, only one of whom will get the title of the next Edinburgh Apprentice.

According to the website, the competition will give the participants “a platform of recognition to top companies” as well as “the opportunity to develop real-life, practical business abilities”.

Teresa Schmidt, one of the applicants this year, believes that joining the competition will give her numerous advantages: “I joined because I enjoy doing projects with a team and think it is good practice for future work experience. Plus, of course, I find it very useful for my CV, too! I can’t wait for it.”

The important thing about the Edinburgh Apprentice is that it is not only for students, but also by students. The whole event, including all the rounds, promotion, getting sponsors and judges was set up by 20 enthusiastic people from all four universities located in Edinburgh. Being part of such a team says a lot about one’s personality and taking initiative and genuine interest to find opportunities, apply and take responsibility.

For Martin Hindicky, first-year student from Napier University, joining the managing team meant regular travelling to the University of Edinburgh to attend the meetings and promotion campaigns; however, he says it was worth bothering: “Joining The Edinburgh Apprentice gave me the opportunity to meet new people and I am enjoying dealing with new challenges in the finance team."

Organising a competition rather than actually competing develops similar confidence in one’s abilities, and provides the opportunity to take responsibilities and practice managing people in an effective and motivating way, which is a valuable skill for those aiming at senior management positions in future.

Lots of information on various projects is provided by the University Careers Service. “As part of our work on employability we have developed the EdGE database which pulls together lots of development opportunities for students,” Shelagh Green told The Student.

Competitions and similar projects are also widely advertised on their Facebook and Twitter pages. Whatever your field of interest is, there are always lots of opportunities to look out for: writers’ competitions, fashion shows, musicals and business challenges, and so many more. There is always something for those willing to take their future in their own hands.