New Graduates
Embarking on a career following university can be daunting - we are here to help ease the transition and provide advice and guidance.
Job Hunting
Begin looking for a job around three months before you are due to graduate. Any earlier than this will be too early, as employers will often not want to wait more than three months for a candidate to start work.
A good place to start is to Register your details with us. This is a completely confidential service, your details are never passed to potential employers without your full knowledge and consent.
Once you have registered we will notify you by email or text of relevant vacancies as they arise. You can also view all current vacancies to see if there is anything you would like to apply for.
Things to consider when job hunting:
- Location - do you want to be based in a specific location or can you be flexible? Although it is not always possible, willingness to relocate will open up the jobs available to you.
- What level is the role? Senior and management positions are not suitable for new graduates, and applying for a lot of these roles can lead to a lot of demoralising rejections.Be mindful of the stepping stones in your career.
- Emphasise your practical experience. This combined with your degree will make you stand out from the crowd!
Should I Consider a Sales Role?
Agricultural sales roles can be very different to any other types of sales. They are full of variety, often technically demanding and can offer significant long term career prospects. Some of the benefits:
- Opportunities to build expertise in dealing with people
- Opportunities to build confidence & self-reliance
- Opportunities to build resilience
- Financially rewarding
- A pathway to senior management
- Well respected by the agricultural community
- Professional with integrity and which demands significant skills.
The fundamental aspects of selling are to identify your prospective customer's requirements, to analyse how your products/services will meet these requirements and carefully prepare how to present the product/service details and the benefits of using them to your customer. The objective is to build a good relationship of trust and co-operation to secure long term business. It is not about dishonesty or being "pushy".
To be a successful sales person in agriculture this career demands:
- A broad knowledge of UK agriculture - ideally a Higher agricultural qualification
- The ability to build business relationships with customers
- Determination and energy
- A "can do" attitude, ambition and a competitive spirit
- Confidence to communicate effectively.
It is not essential to have experience of sales to become a trainee sales person but this may be an advantage.
