A lot of employers take on recent graduates for summer internship placements, these can be paid or unpaid depending on the company, and are usually for an agreed term – although great staff may well find that they get an offer of permanent work at the end of their stint as an intern.

Typically, summer intern jobs for graduates are offered for a 3 month placement, and in most cases, the company will pay expenses on a day rate basis rather than a salary.  This would normally be enough to cover travel and food, but not normally enough to also cover accommodation in a major city.

How Summer Intern Jobs Compare with Temporary Jobs

Normally a temporary job obtained through an agency will pay a relatively low wage, however in most cases, such roles are not challenging and tend to be very junior.  You might find that you spend 6 weeks making cups of tea and working on data entry which will not provide you with much experience that you can carry forward into a future role, or boast about on your CV.

Summer Intern Jobs For Graduates

If you take a summer intern job instead, then you will normally find that the responsibilities are much higher.  Often companies take on interns to handle a specific project, and this will provide you with a higher level of skill and give you a better piece of experience for the long term.

It is also important to remember that if you are appointed to a role on a temporary basis through an agency it is very rare for this to lead to a permanent position, as the agency will normally request a finders fee – up to 25% of the first year’s salary if you are taken on permanently.  When you get an intern role, the same conditions will not normally apply.

4 Tips for Finding a Summer Intern Job as a Graduate

The simplest way of finding a summer intern job when you graduate university is to make a compelling case to be taken on.

1: Do some research on companies that you want to work for.  Find out about their business, identify key people within the organisation, and connect with them via social media.

2: Pick 1 thing about each company that you think they could do better.

3: Make a plan for what you would do to improve that one thing.

4: Think of a relevant and innovative way of presenting your idea – maybe a youtube video, and contact the key people to let them know.

It can be nerve wracking to walk into your boss’ office and hand in a letter confirming that you are planning to leave your job, and many people end up avoiding this to prevent them having to go through the conflict that it ensures will happen.  Here are 5 tips to help you give your notice.

1: Do it!

Don’t wait around until the right moment arrives, because it simply won’t, there will always be something that gets in the way of you doing it.  Give your boss time to sit down in the morning and let them get a coffee.  Request some time with them to tell them what you need to.

2: Be Polite!

It can be really tempting to simply tell your boss exactly how much you hate them and why they are the reason why you are leaving, but this is rarely a good idea.  The chances are that you will have to work a period of notice while you are replaced, and a boss you have rubbed up the wrong way will not be fun to be around.

3: Be Honest!

If you are leaving a job for more money, then be honest, if it is a lack of progress, tell your boss about why you have become frustrated.  This can help your former company to get better at providing staff with what they want and improving things all around.

4: Be Firm!

Most companies will give you a counter offer – if you’re any good!  Be realistic.  If you are leaving for reasons other than money, will more money make a difference to you?  Will a promotion in the company you are currently at be the equivalent of the one you could go to?  If the answer is no, then do not be afraid to say no.

5: Be Helpful!

When you leave a company, you will create a hole that needs to be filled.  Recruiting a replacement for you can be expensive – some recruiters charge 20% of salary for finding a new person.  This is not your responsibility, but you should always be courteous, and if your current employer needs you to work your full notice period, then don’t be difficult – unless your new employer cannot accommodate it.  You never know when your path may cross your boss again.

Summer Intern Positions

A popular choice of summer job for many students is a short term internship, which provides experience in a particular role.  Typically, the internship is for either 3 months or 6 weeks, and rather than paying a salary, the company will cover your expenses.

There are several companies that organise intern positions for students over the summer, but in many cases, it is as easy just to contact firms in your chosen industry directly.  If you are looking for a summer internship, a good starting point is to find companies that already works with your university to provide work experience to students, as you will not struggle to get in touch with the right people.

Paid Summer Jobs

If earning cash is more important than earning experience, then finding paid summer jobs needs to be your priority.  One mistake that a lot of students make is to try and stay in the same town as their university or college during the summer.  If a large share of the population is made up of students, then employment opportunities during the summer can be reduced.

Always look for the best available paid summer jobs during the university vacations, and try to find positions that offer some transferable skills.  Rather than working in a bar, where you will get few new skills, consider a position within a retailer where you can get experience of merchandising.  Rather than working in an amusement arcade, why not look at working at events where you can pick up organisational skills that you might not get otherwise.

A lot of students end up working in fast food outlets such as McDonalds during the summer.  This is not as foolish as it sounds.  Many of the larger chains will provide additional training, and some degree of progression that will include supervisory responsibilities is possible if you apply yourself hard.

Long Term Summer Jobs

One thing that is important to remember when choosing a summer job is that if you work hard, and impress the company, you will be able to return in the future.  Gaining a good reputation will also ensure that you are able to get a good reference, which you can use in addition to your new skills to help you take an additional step on the corporate ladder once you leave college.

One of the main attractions for people in the industry is the opportunity to work in different countries around the world over the course of their career.  Many of the larger civil engineering firms operate worldwide, and take part in high profile projects including major motorway building and design companies including Balfour Beatty, Lombardi Engineering,  and WSP Group.

Major projects can last for several years, and jobs in civil engineering will normally be awarded for the duration of a particular contract, however many people do move from one project to another due to promotions being made, and changes to the team.

When Civil Engineers get jobs overseas, they will typically receive a remuneration package that includes a generous salary along with cover for living expenses, schooling and healthcare – depending on the country where they are posted.

There are a number of specialist recruiters who deal with jobs in Civil Engineering on a regular basis and specialise in this type of placement.  By working with a dedicated civil engineering recruiter, candidates will find that they are able to match their skills and experience with available positions all around the world.

Civil Engineering Jobs: Requirements

Degree Level Education (Engineering)

Experience of working in the industry

Foreign Language Skills (Not Essential)

Management Experience (Senior Engineering Positions)

Membership of relevant Professional Body.

The principal civil engineering professional organisation in the UK is The Institution of Civil Engineers.  In the US.

One of the best places to find jobs in civil engineering is the New Civil Engineer Magazine, which is available in both on and offline editions.

Some

The thing you should alwayes remember when putting in an application for a job – any job – is that you are asking another person to trust you to do a good job, and to be a good use of their money.  Do you think that you would be trusted with any position if you cannot be trusted to spell check your initial letter?

When you are applying for a job with any company, here are some great tips to consider when writing your covering letter:

#1 Personalise the greeting – at least know who you are applying for a job with

#2 Be Brief – No one wants to read your life story – they hardly know who you are.  Your covering letter needs to be no more than a side of A4 long.  It also needs to be no less than a full side of A4.  Look like you’ve put some effort into your application – especially if you have!

#3 Say why you want the job – Your CV gives the facts, the covering letter says who you are

#4 Spell check the letter – show some attention to detail

#5 Get a friend to read over the covering letter – You might feel like a bit of an idiot getting a friend to read over the letter, but it will give you a different perspective, and help you put together something appropriate.

#6 Be yourself – It can be tricky to put across your real personality within a short letter, but try and do that.  Once you have written the letter, read back over it, nd try and give it some personality.  There is a lot of competition for jobs right now, and you want to stand out.  Be Yourself.

#6 Spell Check it Again – There is no (and I mean no) excuse for having any errors in your CV or covering letter.

More people leaving jobs means more new jobs being available.  The best time to start actively looking for a new job is in February, but in order to be ready to do that, you need to start getting prepared.  Get you CV up to date, practice those interview techniques, and have a good think about what you want to do next.

Over Christmas, Jobatwit will feature a number of great articles and posts designed to help you plan for the new year.

Don’t forget to register for an account as a job seeker, and you can start to promote your CV via one of the largest social recruitment websites on the web.

In the past, many people have moved from redundancy into roles as taxi drivers, becoming owner drivers, and taking the jump into becoming self employed.  The advantage of this is that it is a role which requires no specific qualifications beyond a driving licence.

It is essential for owner drivers to purchase specific taxi insurance as part of their job, and they will also need to get a licence to carry passengers if they want to be a Hackney driver, rather than just run mini-cab work.  The licensing comes from a local council, and they do put restrictions on the number of people within a region who can operate as a Hackney Driver.  Despite this, the market is often quite constricted, and increased competition in a depressed market place where people are looking to cut costs means that the salary one can expect to earn as a cabbie is much lower than it might have been in the past.

As an alternative to tax driving, the job of haulage driver or HGV driver is an interesting option that is rewarding.  Most driving licence holders will be able to drive a reasonably large van, but it is important to check what your licence covers, and request the appropriate driver training to equip you to drive.

If you look for an HGV driving job with an existing company, you will only need to pass the interview, and demonstrate the ability to drive your chosen vehicle.  Salaries for drivers are highly competitive due to the specialist skills required, and this can be well above what an office worker may expect to earn.

Becoming an owner driver or haulage operator is a different option, and will typically offer higher rewards financially, although, these are not without risk, as without existing contracts, you may struggle to work consistently.  Costs include the purchase of a truck and infrastructure, the ongoing cost of fuel, and also a requirement for either HGV Insurance, or Goods In Transit (GIT Insurance) depending on what you are carrying.

Employers who post their job openings on a free jobs board use the service to advertise an available position within their business, and rely on candidates finding the job – either because they regularly visit the jobs board, or alternatively because they find the website via a search engine.

Job@twit uses many different methods to attract visitors to the site.  People who want to find jobs on twitter will discover that we promote all of our jobs and posted CVs on social media networks.  You can follow Job@twit on Twitter by visiting our page, or clicking on this link.

Because jobatwit mostly has an audience of tech savvy users who are either interested in working in new media, or already work in an industry such as digital marketing, or have SEO jobs, the majority of jobs advertised on our free jobs board are related to digital marketing or social media, however we regularly see opportunities working for many different industries including catering jobs, and much more.

If you are a recruitment agency or company looking to advertise jobs for free, register now for your free profile.

A sample profile page

Easy to add your profile!

Profile Page Creator Form

Once you have saved your profile, it will be linked to fr

Easy to update your status and edit your details

om the home page of the job@twit website so that users can easily find the jobs that you are advertising:

Good Luck

Latitude are a leading UK digital marketing agency who are respected across the industry for their data led approach to search and other online marketing channels.  With a workforce numbering more than 100, and a vast range of clients from small business through to FTSE listed blue chips, they are one of the most diverse agencies in the country, from both a staffing and client perspective.

The Opportunity

As part of their ongoing growth plans, and the acquisition of new, high profile clients, Latitude are currently looking to expand their SEO team to provide a full service to clients and develop their natural search strategies.

The Role

Thanks to the pace of development within Latitude at present, opportunities are available at all levels of experience, from people just starting out in search engine optimisation through to much more experienced staff who are able to balance the needs of multiple campaigns and recognise the importance of providing cutting edge SEO services to clients while also retaining a high level of stability expected by businesses that are internationally recognised.

The Next Steps

Whether you have a passion for online marketing and are looking for an opportunity to take your first steps into the search marketing industry, or are a hardened SEO professional who remembers the Florida Update, Latitude want to hear from you.  Either visit the website, or email Georgina quoting ref:jobtwit for more information about current roles.