Make sure you snap up your desired internship at a trading house or get that starter role with an up-and-coming gaming company with our selection of top tips designed to make you stronger than the competition.
1. Prove your enthusiasm
Whether you come from a Computer Science background or not, it's vital to have hard evidence of your interest in computing. Join a computing club, learn a programming language (C++ and Java are particularly sought after), or build your own website (try WordPress).
2. Sharpen your skills
Go along to an IT bootcamp (Microsoft run one, as do computer clubs) to not only show commitment and initiative, but also improve your technical skills.
3. Become a master communicator
One aspect stressed over and over again in the requirements for technology-orientated graduates is the importance of communications skills - yet it's one which is often overlooked by students.
Use your time at university to gain experience of working in teams (e.g. sports clubs / theatre / debating), both diversifying your friendship groups and your skill set. Work experience and internships also present great ways for you to push yourself out of your communication "comfort zone".
4. Find the right environment for you
Learn about the working environments in different firms, depending on size, working arrangements, product focus and training opportunities. Armed with this information, you should be able to work out which environment suits you best - the flexibility and recognition of a small firm or the structure and clear career trajectory, (but relative anonymity) of a big firm.
Completing internships in a range of environments is a fantastic way to learn first-hand where you fit in, as much by discovering what you love, as what you don't.
5. Keep your finger on the pulse
It's worth bearing in mind that a single change introduced on Facebook can revolutionise the entire social media sector. One update to a financial trading system can make the difference between a multi million dollar trade, or a multi million dollar loss.
While it's an extreme example, to get a high-flying job in such a dynamic and fast-changing industry, you need to make sure you keep on top of all the latest developments - from the implications of Facebook's latest changes to what's behind a lawsuit between Apple and Samsung, from Microsoft's most recent software release to the most celebrated gaming character of the moment.