Get yourself noticed and land the perfect first job with an extra year of specialised studies!

What if an additional year of more specialised studies were to help you attract the attention of recruiters and secure exactly the first job you are looking for?  

Congratulations! You have just passed your last exam, submitted your final thesis and are on the verge of receiving your Master’s degree! You should be rightly proud of what you have achieved, which is the end result of a concerted effort that will open up new horizons, including your first job. 

However, things are not always quite this simple. In truth, very few graduates take the professional direction which they had in mind after their studies… This may be the case for you as well. If so, three options are open:  

1. The most common approach is to start job hunting, often by accepting one or several internships in the hope of finding a first position that matches your criteria and aspirations. Finding a first job can often be a real struggle with a genuine chance of disappointment. However, you won’t find if you don’t start looking!

 
2. An alternative approach is to realise a personal project as part of the transition from studies to working life, be it travelling around the world, a sporting or humanitarian initiative or setting up your own business. Momentum is key to successfully carrying out such ideas.  

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3. The final case regards graduates who realise that the degree for which they worked so hard does not entirely match their expectations or indeed those of the companies where they would like to begin their career. They also realise that their educational background does not give them the competitive advantage they need in the eyes of the employers that interest them or do not yet feel suitably equipped to face the challenges of working life. Often they will hesitate between various possible directions for which they do not have the necessary grasp of the required skills. At every interview they will encounter candidates with a very similar CV to their own and the same story to tell. Without extra-academic experience or outstanding results it is difficult to get themselves noticed….  

To address the specific requirements of the lattermost case, graduate schools and universities have devised postgraduate master programmes that come under various titles: master 60, specialised masters, advanced masters etc. These programmes enable you to obtain new knowledge that will help bolster your CV. They are also essential for graduates looking to change direction or broaden their options. Many such programmes are heavily geared towards the development of soft skills and will guide you towards a career plan that meets your expectations. This aspect is crucial if you consider that your initial Master’s degree has not prepared you sufficiently for the dynamics of the working world.  
The main objective of these postgraduate programmes is to increase your career prospects and enable you to choose from as well as be chosen by appealing recruiters.  
The format has proven a resounding success! An increasing number of students are choosing to pursue an additional year of studies, with the subsequent path taken producing surprising and enriching results. In most cases, participants in the programmes find the right direction for them – and a genuinely motivating first job – at the end of the course.  

4 key questions when choosing an Advanced Masters 

1. Am I ready to commit to an additional year of studies?  
2. Will the subjects taught strengthen my professional profile?  
3. Will the teaching approach prepare me for the working world?  
4. Will the programme really open doors to jobs that I am truly interested in?  

If the prospect of an Advanced Masters interests you, Solvay Brussels School of Economics & Management offers a range of 5 innovative programmes specialising in Innovation, Strategy, Financial Markets, Quantitative Finance and Creativity & Marketing. Find out more about each programme at http://am.solvay.edu/.