YOUNG people facing the big wide world of work are being urged not to panic about the task ahead as there is plenty of support to help them find their first job, a work coach has said.

With A-Level and GCSE results days just around the corner, Julie Marshall - Swindon Job Centre Plus’s work coach – has revealed her top tips for helping young people find their first job.

“Leaving school can feel scary enough, but with the extra pressure of searching for that first job, things can seem over-whelming,” she said. “The best advice for school leavers and parents is don’t despair as there’s much that can be done can to ensure the best chance landing a job.”

She outlined her top tips for getting “job ready”, encouraging people to take a fresh look at their CVs to begin with.

“Your skills and experience, so far, have mainly come from education, so this is what you need to highlight,” she said. “List your qualifications and expand on what you learnt. If you’ve had to deal with coursework, deadlines and group work, explain how that taught you time management skills, how to use your initiative and how you worked well as part of a team.

“Many people send the same CV no matter what position they are applying for. It’s important to tailor the CV so it’s relevant to the actual job.

“If you get called in for an interview, prepare as you would for an exam. Do your research on the company, the job and also the market. Companies like – and expect – candidates to have looked into what they do. Think of the kind of questions you could be asked and practice mock interviews with your friends or relatives.

“Always dress appropriately for a job interview and be proactive - find out about any job fairs or large recruitment drives taking place. Send off your CV to companies that interest you even if they aren’t advertising job vacancies, it also shows drive, which employers love.”

But she revealed that those applying for jobs should also consider what comes up when their name is Googled. “Prospective employers may check you out on social media,” she said. “Delete anything that shows you in a bad light!

“Young people find it difficult to get their first job because of a lack of experience. A work experience placement could be a good start.

“Finally, stay in a positive frame of mind. You will unfortunately get rejections, but keep at it and don’t give up. If you get job rejections, ask for feedback so you can learn if you went wrong somewhere and fix it for the next time.”

The advice comes as Swindon records another fall in unemployment figures, with 59 people formerly claiming job seekers’ allowance finding work last month, bringing the total number of people claiming the benefit in the town to 1,388. The decrease comes amid a backdrop of rising employment across the South West as a whole. Between March and May there were 2,725,000 people in work, which is 39,000 up on the previous three month period, and 58,000 more than this time last year.