If you're looking for your first job in the technology sector, then using a recruitment agency could be the best way to do it.
Recruitment consultants can be a vital source of jobs, information and expertise for job-hunters.
They can help you maximise your potential - finding job opportunities that you would never have known existed otherwise.
Furthermore, they can be a great source of support, helping you to feel that you are not having to undertake your job search alone.
When you are trying to get your first break in a new industry the additional services and support available can be very important and sometimes invaluable.
Because technology jobs are specialist you need to make your job search is specialist too.
This is where using a specialist recruitment consultants can prove beneficial.
With detailed knowledge of employers and the industry in which you are seeking work, their guidance and advice can make the difference.
Depending on your sector there are likely to be particular publications in which relevant jobs are advertised.
There are also certain employers that might take on new graduates or other first time job seekers.
Large multi-national companies generally run graduate recruitment schemes for budding engineers or IT specialists.
They also sometimes offer training schemes at lower levels for those without degrees.
For those who prefer to remain in academia universities often offer research jobs within specialist departments.
While many people successfully get technology jobs by applying through these routes, they are not the only way to get your first break in technology.
As well as applying for the jobs you see advertised in traditional ways, sign up with agencies to get the help of expert recruitment consultants.
In technology, what you know is important: you need to find a job that matches your qualifications and skill level, as it is not always possible to learn on the job in the way that it can be in other sectors.
This means that using specialist recruitment agencies who know the technology sector well is the best way to find a technology job.
Within that, you should generally look for a recruitment agency that specialises in your particular area of technology, as it is a very broad sector.
For example, the people who deal with IT recruitment are likely to have very different knowledge to those who recruit for pharmaceutical companies.
Using specialist recruitment consultants is not the only way to find a technology job, but it helps you spread the net wider.
Many technology jobs will only ever be available through direct application, but there are many more that are only available through agencies.