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So you’re interested in the world of investment banking and want to know how to get ahead of the game? How do you get your “foot in the door” of this competitive and high profile industry?

Although it’s impossible to quantify how many of the estimated 50-80% unadvertised jobs are at ‘graduate level’ there is no doubt that you should tap into this market if you want to increase your chance of job search success. Don’t artificially restrict your horizons by focussing on the graduate portals, fairs or company websites alone. There are a wealth of opportunities out there and a good speculative application can help you unlock the door to this seemingly hidden job market.

Group discussions are a really common assessment exercise as they allow the recruiter to see how you interact with others and work as part of a team – essential skills in pretty much any job. You are not in direct competition with your fellow candidates, so aim for a collaborative, not competitive, approach in group discussions.

Successful people don’t sidestep failure; they accommodate it, cope with it and move on. Resilience, not resignation, is the key to career success.

Whether you are completing an application form or preparing for an interview, the STAR approach can help you structure your answers and focus on the evidence. It’s a good way to optimise your responses and use the space or time available to persuade the employer you have what it takes.

Tell me about yourself? It seems such an innocuous question, designed to break the ice and put you at ease before the real interview starts. Well don’t be fooled! This question has the potential to win or lose the day, so don’t sleepwalk into disaster by taking the wrong approach. Plan your strategy beforehand….

Graduate schemes represent an important sector of the graduate job market, but SMEs offer exciting opportunities too. If you’re a savvy student you’ll consider both options and give yourself the best chance of securing a challenging role post-graduation.

Networking. It’s become synonymous with a successful job search. And it can be incredibly powerful – if you do it right. There’s more to networking than firing off LinkedIn requests and milling around careers fairs. I don’t think many people are natural, accomplished networkers – it takes time and practice.

Grad schemes have much to recommend them and can be a great way to start your professional career. They’re just not the only way. Increasingly students and grads are starting to tap into the SME sector, finding exciting jobs and challenging projects in the process.

At a recent event for a large investment bank, the MD speaking to the audience announced “a CV always tells a story … and you’d better be able to tell that story”. In saying so, he got to the crux of the difference between a good candidate – who is able to provide a collection of facts about what they have done – and a great candidate – who’s able to say ‘this is my story’ and then use narrative to help make sense of who they are.

LinkedIn can be used in many different ways, from being your professional profile to show the world you are worth employing, to contacting people who might give you good information about roles you are applying for, connecting with employers or people who might help you on your career path right through to actually being head-hunted.

Got an interview coming up and feel crippled by nerves? You’re not alone.

PR disasters aren’t the sole preserve of big brands and even bigger celebrities. How you are perceived online can have a huge impact on your current – and future – job prospects.

Many people with be familiar with competency-based questions which form the basis of most job interviews. But what about those questions which are designed to look beyond your skills? How do recruiters get the answers to ‘Do you want the job?’ and ‘Will you fit in?’

We know that aptitude tests can strike fear into the most confident student, but we also know that most of you are likely to encounter them at some stage. It’s better to face the fear and find out what’s involved.

When we think of interviews there is a pretty typical scenario we conjure up: office, suits, candidates waiting nervously outside the door. Well, unless you’re really lucky and manage to find a job without a formal interview (rare but it can happen!) this is probably a scenario you’re likely to encounter at some stage in your job search. But your very first interview may be altogether different – it may just be on the other end of a phone.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re a seasoned pro or completely green, there are some interview questions that just invite dread. There’s one that really seems to get pulses racing: “what are your weaknesses?”

It’s hard not to feel discouraged when you’re hoping for ‘yes’ but hear ‘no’ . Whether you’re an interview veteran or a relative novice, rejection can be a bruising experience.