Speculative application advice

route101

Looking for a graduate role and for the last year there has not been many entry level job openings. I have been applying speculatively as I though this was the done thing. I call the company and ask for a contact to address my cover letter to. Would it be wrong to ask straight up if there is any jobs going or its possible to do work experience?

Marcon

route101 said:

Looking for a graduate role and for the last year there has not been many entry level job openings. I have been applying speculatively as I though this was the done thing. I call the company and ask for a contact to address my cover letter to. Would it be wrong to ask straight up if there is any jobs going or its possible to do work experience?

There's no right or wrong here - but you do need to be realistic about the volume of applications (including speculative ones)/enquiries employers are getting, and are often having to handle with hopelessly over-stretched HR staff. 

Look online to see whether a particular company has any vacancies advertised directly, and also check their application process. If it wholly online, sending a speculative cv is almost certainly a waste of time. Many companies now invite you to complete their electronic form on the basis they will contact you 'if a suitable vacancy arises'. Whether they do or not is a wholly different matter, but there's probably nothing lost by doing so, except a bit of time. If you subsequently see something they are advertising, apply direct even if you've previously left your electronic details - it gives you a chance to tailor your application.

Very best of luck.

MovingForwards

With graduate roles there's normally a section on their website covering how to apply for them, same with any vacancies / speculative / work experience applications. If you're calling them first, you're already putting yourself on the back foot.

One job I ended up with after it was advertised and I applied. A year or two before I'd hand delivered a speculative application, I found it in a folder with others gathering dust a few weeks into the role.

Work experience I approached a few companies I would actually want to work for after qualifying. Only one replied and I kept going to them each holiday during my course, never got a paid job out of them but the experience helped secure a role with another big company. 

route101

Marcon said:

route101 said:

Looking for a graduate role and for the last year there has not been many entry level job openings. I have been applying speculatively as I though this was the done thing. I call the company and ask for a contact to address my cover letter to. Would it be wrong to ask straight up if there is any jobs going or its possible to do work experience?

There's no right or wrong here - but you do need to be realistic about the volume of applications (including speculative ones)/enquiries employers are getting, and are often having to handle with hopelessly over-stretched HR staff. 

Look online to see whether a particular company has any vacancies advertised directly, and also check their application process. If it wholly online, sending a speculative cv is almost certainly a waste of time. Many companies now invite you to complete their electronic form on the basis they will contact you 'if a suitable vacancy arises'. Whether they do or not is a wholly different matter, but there's probably nothing lost by doing so, except a bit of time. If you subsequently see something they are advertising, apply direct even if you've previously left your electronic details - it gives you a chance to tailor your application.

Very best of luck.

Thanks for the advice. Its mostly smaller practices I apply speculatively, for people doing university placements this would be how they would contact them. By the reactions I get from phoning them up asking for a contact, this does not happen often. 

theoretica

Work experience (at graduate level) can only be something like shadowing unless it is for a charity.  If you are actually working then minimum wage legislation means you need to be paid at least minimum wage.  It is worth knowing about this so you aren't asking companies for something they legally shouldn't offer.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/national-minimum-wage-work-experience-and-internships

route101

theoretica said:

Work experience (at graduate level) can only be something like shadowing unless it is for a charity.  If you are actually working then minimum wage legislation means you need to be paid at least minimum wage.  It is worth knowing about this so you aren't asking companies for something they legally shouldn't offer.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/national-minimum-wage-work-experience-and-internships

I see, I heard about this. I asked about work experience at a large construction company. On their website it states its unpaid, I need a CSCS card. I'm not sure if its site labouring, never done that before.