Welcome to Bright Network

An insight into graduate careers for bright state sixth formers...

It only takes a quick glance at the headlines to get a bit depressed about the prospects for those about to head off to university. However, at Bright Network we know that the demand for the brightest is as strong as ever and it's our mission to spread the word about the opportunities available. So… next month, in February half term, we will be running Bright Network & HSBC Upper Sixth Form Conference.

This is a free event for bright state upper sixth formers, giving insights into Investment Banking, Consulting, Commercial Law and Professional Services, and the chance to network with representatives from some of the UK’s leading firms in these sectors.

If you are currently in the upper sixth of a state school or sixth form college, got As and A*s at GCSE and are planning to go to university this September (or September 2013 if you have a gap year planned), then please do apply to attend.  The deadline is Sunday 29th January, but we are allocating places on a rolling basis and they are likely to fill up by then.

To apply, you will simply need to complete our short application form.  You can fill it in online at brightnetwork.eventbrite.co.uk, or download a PDF version here and then print, complete and return it to Sukhi Grewal, Bright Network, 13-14 New Bond Street, London W1S 3SX (or scan and email it to hello@brightnetwork.co.uk).   And of course… if you have a fellow bright friend who you think would be interested in applying, please do let them know about this event.

To give you an idea of what our Bright Network & HSBC Upper Sixth Form Conference will be like, why not have a look at a short video from Bright Stars, a similar event we ran with Allen & Overy in July – www.youtube.com/brightnetwork.

Good luck with your applications, and please do get in touch if you have any questions.

Last week, some of the Bright team headed over to Tower Hill for the SOME Graduate Recruitment Conference to have a chat with leading employers who use social media to communicate with the best and brightest, and to make sure we can pass on all sorts of top tips to you, so you can use social media super-effectively in your job search.  It was a buzzing event, with a range of companies from RBS to Unilever to smaller marketing agencies popping along to catch the latest trends and the best ways to get involved.

So what did we learn? The main message that came out from the presentations was that social media and sharing recommendations (whether that's hitting the 'Like' button on Facebook or retweeting) is huge and only going to get bigger – in fact, Zuckerberg's law of sharing suggests people will share twice as much stuff in a year's time as this time last year!  Basically, we like to do things that our friends think are good... and, let's face it, we're the generation that has been most exposed to advertising, to the extent that it can be more of an interruption than anything else. Stuff that’s tried and tested by people we know is obviously going to feel like a better investment.

The good news for Bright members is that at Bright Network, we're already working on that.  With our Bright Bounties you can recommend your friends (and yourself) for opportunities through our site by clicking the 'Bright Reward' button at the bottom of each opportunity page.  If they’re successful in getting the job, we’ll give you the reward to say congratulations and thank you for introducing us to another bright person like yourself.

Other top social media tips we picked up for you are…

•    Most people use social media with friends, rather than for more commercial (i.e. job-hunting) purposes.  Don’t be afraid of branching out, learning the rules of using social media professionally (with profiles on sites like Bright and LinkedIn) and using it to interact with people in your chosen sector.

•    Look out for companies who already actively engage in social media and what sort of participation they’re trying to encourage – this will help you gauge what you can do with your online career profile building.

•    Start to think of your online profile (whether it's Bright, LinkedIn or Twitter, to name a few) as a supporting layer to your CV.  If anyone does a quick search for your name, what will they find?  CVs as written documents probably aren't going away any time soon, but think about how you can enhance them with your social media presence.

•    Look out for how firms communicate online – rather than seeing their profiles as just them giving you information, use their Facebook pages to ask intelligent questions and start a constructive dialogue.  It might sound scary identifying yourself so openly, but make sure your privacy settings are appropriate and embrace the advantages… you're clearly demonstrating that you're engaged and making your name recognisable for when your application goes in.  Plus people are generally very friendly and happy to help, especially when people are interested in what they do.

 We hope that's some useful tips.  If you've been using social media successfully, let us know in the comments.