Events and Resources for Fresh Grads

Graduating into an uncertain hiring climate can be a cause of distress. Keep yourself steady with these resources for fresh graduates.

Though circuit breaker measures are being eased up slowly, it’ll be some time before everything is back to normal. One of the more permanent changes is that virtual career fairs and training events are here to stay. These virtual career fairs take the place of their offline versions, offering webinars with prominent industry experts, career counselling and various talks and activities to get you engaged.

To help the busy fresh graduate (or just any jobseeker on the lookout), we’ve rounded up a “starter pack” of must-see resources to make your first step count. While you don’t have to check out every single one of these websites or attend every talk, together they present a good variety of information about what opportunity is available today.

  1. BrightMinds

    The BrightMinds portal and magazine are a great window into all things job-related. Starting on your first permanent job search can be scary and overwhelming, so BrightMinds was created to ease this transition. We recommend starting with the BrightMinds magazine to get an overview of each industry and its offerings, before using the portal to search around for a posting that interests you. If you find something that catches your eye, go ahead and apply for it on that same portal!

  1. JobsCentral FreshGrad

    As the name states, JobsCentral’s FreshGrad section is full of opportunities for those just joining the workforce. Simply type your industry or interest into the search bar, and browse thousands of jobs available. The portal also includes several quick search functions like recommended employers and sample job categories that are currently hiring, to make for an easy and efficient search.

  1. SGUnited Traineeships Programme

    Part of government efforts to employ fresh graduates, over 1,000 organisations are offering some 11,000 traineeships under the SGUnited Traineeships Programme. It aims to let graduates acquire valuable industry-relevant experience, develop skills and expand their professional networks, giving them a firmer foothold in the job market once the economy recovers from the pandemic.

    Also, there is a possibility of conversion to a permanent position, depending on the trainee’s performance and the company’s agreement. In the current climate where hiring is falling, a traineeship is a good place to start gaining the relevant skills.

  1. Virtual Career Fairs

    As mentioned above, career fairs have gone virtual. In place of booths and goodie bags, we have videoconference sessions and online Q & A. However, the base idea remains the same where various employers will be open to answer questions and accept applications. You can check out the virtual career fairs available with a quick search, and remember to sign up.

  1. Career Events Listings

    Career Events Listings are exactly that – a list of events. They tend to be more a no-frills presentation that simply presents the career events available for a certain industry or sector. (For example, there is a listing focusing on jobs in the public service.) Of note are the Virtual Interview and Career Seminars sections, which are targeted informative sessions. Also, make sure you sign up for whatever you’re interested in – all events require registration beforehand.

  1. SkillsFuture

    SkillsFuture does not provide job opportunities, but it does host lectures and workshops that will broaden your understanding.  This makes it another good place to start if you’re looking to up your industry game. Besides the broad range of courses available (that you can use your SkillsFuture credit to offset), it also has a comprehensive Good Reads section that highlights new possibilities in various industries.

As we’ve mentioned before, this list is by no means comprehensive. Job searching also involves significant self-reflection and industry knowledge, neither of which any of these websites will give you. However, looking through them will get you a good picture of what the hiring market looks like and what steps you want to take.

We wish all fresh graduates and job seekers a fruitful jobsearch that ends in a job!

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