Graduate schemes and resources to help find graduate jobs
Prospects for the graduate job market in 2012
According to the latest survey on the graduate jobs market, conducted by High Fliers Research during December 2011, prospects for graduate employment will continue to improve in 2012. The UK's leading employers are expecting to increase their graduate recruitment by 6.4% in 2012 (following a rise of 2.8% during 2011)..The leading accountancy & professional services firms are intending to hire almost 10% more graduates than in 2010, an increase of more than 350 trainees year-on-year. There will also be substantial increases to the graduate intake at the City's top investment banks (up 12.2% compared to 2010) and the high street banks (up 24.8%). Employers in thirteen of fourteen key industries and employment areas expect to recruit more graduates in 2011. However, recruitment targets at several public sector employers have already been reduced and further cuts are expected later in the year.
The top five largest recruiters of graduates in 2011 will be: PricewaterhouseCoopers (1,200 vacancies), Deloitte (1,000 vacancies), KPMG (900 vacancies), Teach First (780 vacancies) and Ernst & Young (740 vacancies).
By industry or business sector the top five largest number of vacancies in 2011 are expected to be in: Accounting & professional services (4,106), Banking & finance (4,065), Public sector (1,834), Armed Forces (1,625) and Retail (1,212).
By region again London is the magnet for graduate vacancies with 86% of employers having vacancies there, however over 50% of employers also have vacancies in the North West, The Midlands, South East, South West and Yorkshire, with 49% in Scotland and 48% in the North East.
By job function the most common requirement is for Finance (69% of employers with vacancies) and IT (55%), followed by Engineering (38%), Human Resources (38%), General Management (37%) and Marketing (34%).
The top five universities most-often targeted by Britain's top graduate employers in 2010 were Cambridge, Warwick, Manchester, London (including Imperial College, University College and the London School of Economics) and Oxford. The majority of employers have been actively marketing their 2011 graduate vacancies at between 10 and 20 universities in the UK, using a variety of university careers fairs, campus recruitment presentations and local advertising.
Starting salaries at the UK's leading graduate employers in 2011 are expected to remain unchanged from 2010 levels - a median of £29,000. Salaries increased by 7.4% in 2010 and 5.9% in 2009. The most generous salaries are those on offer from investment banks (average of £42,000), law firms (average of £38,000) and oil & energy companies (average of £32,000). Public sector employers (average of £22,200) and retailers (average of £24,000) have the lowest graduate pay rates for 2011. With the exception perhaps being the Aldi graduate scheme which pays graduates training to become area managers a first-year salary of £40,000.
Half of employers said they had received more completed graduate job applications during the early part of the recruitment season than they had last year - in part due to several organisations opening up their applications earlier than usual - in June or July, rather than September or October - and that this had contributed to a much higher volume of early applications from students and recent graduates. On average, employers received 45 applications per graduate vacancy in 2010.
One trend to pick out of this survey is the importance of students gaining work experience, vacation work or industrial placements during their time at university in order to boost their chances of being successful in gaining a place on a graduate scheme. Nearly two-thirds of recruiters warn that graduates who have had no previous work experience at all are unlikely to be successful during the selection process and have little or no chance of receiving a job offer for their organisations' graduate programmes. Further recruiters have confirmed that a third of this year's entry-level positions are expected to be filled by graduates who have already worked for their organisations - either through industrial placements, vacation work or sponsorships - and therefore are not open to other students from the ˜Class of 2011'. Almost all of the UK's leading graduate employers are offering work experience programmes for students and recent graduates during the 2010-2011 academic year - a total of 10,665 places are available. Three-fifths of employers are providing industrial placements for undergraduates (typically for 6-12 months as part of a four year degree course) or vacation work lasting more than three weeks. For listings of student summer jobs please refer to our Gap Year page.
The process of applying to graduate schemes, 'The Milkround'
The graduate job search
begins at university
Often the reason students choose to continue their studies at
university is to enhance their job prospects. Graduate job hunting can
be a time consuming and frustrating process, it can take up valuable
time away from your academic and social responsibilities. However if
you follow a number of steps, you can make this daunting process easier.
But which graduate career path is suited to me?
Many students are unsure of what type of job they want to pursue upon
graduation. If you find yourself in this position then chatting to
friends, relatives and careers advisors may give you some ideas on
careers may be suited to you. Work shadowing, although frequently
unpaid, is an ideal way of finding out whether a particular role would
suit you. For most students, their university careers service should be
the first place to visit for help in finding information, the
magazine-style publications which they should have in stock list the
big graduate employers and what each position would involve. To start
researching online try the careers advice section of Targetjobs.co.uk.
Student summer internships, work experience or
volunteering all help...
If possible, organising an internship, some form of work experience,
temping or volunteering is a very useful way to enhance your employment
potential. Internships are offered by many large graduate recruiters
and normally run as 6-12 week summer placements. They are frequently
well paid too, however competition for the small number of places
available is fierce. Start thinking about applying to these positions
in January of your penultimate year. Aside from work experience,
graduate employers look for other skills which include examples where
you have demonstrated key skills in leadership, teamwork,
problem-solving and communication. Ensure you have a pre-prepared
example for each of these situations. Involvement in university
societies or sports teams is often a way of developing such skills,
however you can also include skills developed whilst at school - such
as on the Young Enterprise or Duke of Edinburgh scheme.
What if I want to take a gap year?
You may wish to put off finding a graduate job until after you
graduate, perhaps you wish to take a break after uni and chill out by
travelling for a year. However, remember that many employers are
perfectly happy to accept applications from students who wish to defer
their employment start date until 6 months to a year after graduation.
By finding a job before you leave uni you will have the advantage of
taking part in the milkround process, as well as having university
careers services at your immediate disposal. And of course you can go
away with the satisfying feeling that you have a job to come back to.
If you don't manage to arrange anything by graduation then don't worry
as nearly all graduate recruiters accept applications from graduates -
provided they apply within two years of graduation. By taking part in
widespread travelling or voluntary work you may also be able to enhance
your CV for when you return to the UK, believe it or not gap year
travel can be seen as a strength to potential recruiters as it can
demonstrate confidence, the ability to think on your feet and a more
rounded rested individual hungry to pay off some debt and get working -
particularly if you've been to some more 'challenging' destinations
than the standard Thailand to Australia route. I've had this specific
feedback from more than one employer. For more advice on gap years
visit our Gap
Year page.
When to apply to a graduate scheme?
So what should you do if you want to apply for a graduate scheme whilst
in your final year? Well, it is important to start thinking and
planning early. At the start of your final year you should be
perfecting your CV, through consultation with a careers advisor, and
preparing answers to application forms - whilst many of which ask very
similar questions try and tailor answers to the specific organisation
you are applying to. Again through consultation with the graduate
careers office look out for any graduate recruiters visiting campus to
conduct presentations. These can be useful for finding out more about
the company, what they're looking for, and to speak to recent graduates
who work their to find out of if the roles available are suited to you.
From November many large graduate recruiters will start accepting and
reviewing applications, they may even offer initial interviews or tests
towards the end of this month. So identify which firms you would like
to apply to and get your application form sent off as early as
possible. Deadlines
for applications start approaching towards the end of December, but
many extend into the Spring months. If your application is successful
you will be invited to an initial interview which may involve some
tests, if successful at this stage this interview will be followed by
an assessment centre - following which offers of employment are made.
The following points describe and give advice for each stage of the
recruitment process:
The graduate scheme application form
This is frequently regarded as the toughest stage of the recruitment
process, as it is where the majority of applicants are filtered out. If
you are invited to interview following your application form then the
chances are you meet the requirements which the firm is looking for,
that's the biggest hurdle overcome. Ensure you are able to offer plenty
of different examples of where you have worked in a team,
solved a problem, arranged an event etc. Although you may be
able to modify your experiences slightly to match the questions, it is
important that you do not lie at this stage. Initial interviews are
frequently based on your application form - and interviewers will see
through any gaps in your record. Many application forms are internet
based now, this should make things quicker and easier for you as you
can copy and paste pre-prepared answers onto the form. These are also
an advantage if you have bad handwriting! A large part of the
application form is simply filled up with your contact details and
academic record. Ensure that you can offer sound and honest answers to
questions such as why would you like to work for...?
The company/organisation's website usually provides a wealth of
information for this stage. Plus run a search on Google news to see the
latest events and issues affecting the company/organisation and its
sector.
Don't expect to get many interviews following the completion
of just a few application forms. There are a large number of students
chasing these jobs so you will need to apply to around 10, 20 or even
30 companies to dramatically improve your chances of employment. Don't
be disillushioned if you receive early rejection letters at this stage,
different employers look for different attributes, so keep trying!
The inital graduate interview
Congratulations, you've secured your first interview. This may be the
first proper interview you've had so two things are crucial at this
stage - preparation and practice. Sign-up for practice interviews at
your university careers service, or ask a friend or relative to put you
on the spot with some questions. It is very important that you research
and prepare for an interview. Interviewers are particularly impressed
if you ask a question or mention something concerning a recent topical
development within the company or industry. Read newspapers and scour
the internet and company website to ensure you can do this. You will
find that the first round interview questions are fairly predictable
and carry on the theme of the application form asking more tedious
give me an example of an occasion when you... type questions.
However not all interviews are that predictable - don't be put off by
spontanious questions - one interviewer asked me What was
the last book you read? which caught me rather off-guard.
Another interview just asked me to recall my personal development since
secondary school, a nice opportunity to reminisce for half an hour!
Spotting that he was captain of his college football team, one of my
friends was asked by an interviewer: What are your opinions
on the 4-4-2 or wing-back formation? Ultimately interviewers
are just after an insight on your personality, your application form
has proved you have the background they are looking for, so to be
successful at this stage just be yourself, and try and remain cool,
collected and confident.
| You're Hired! Psychometric Tests: Proven Tactics to Help You Pass "Worried about sitting a psychometric test in your job interview? Becoming increasingly more common as part of the recruitment process, psychometric tests are used to distinguish the top candidates for a job. You're Hired! Psychometric Tests is written by psychologists who specialise in careers and the recruitment process. They explain exactly what psychometric tests are used for and how you can tackle them successfully. Packed with practice questions and sample tests alongside specialist advice this book will equip you to handle any test thrown in your direction with confidence and ease. Whether you're a first or second jobber, career-changer or coming back into work after a career break, don't underestimate how important practicing for your psychometric test is. The You're Hired! career series shows job hunters of all levels how to research, apply for and land the job of their dreams." |
Graduate testing sessions
Some internet application forms now integrate initial personality or
numeracy tests, however often these will be conducted on-campus or at
your first interview. The most common test is of a numeracy kind, the
main areas they look for are your ability to interpret information
regarding percentages and ratios - nothing more complex than that is
required. The next popular type of test is Verbal Reasoning. These
cannot be prepared for and just require you to interpret a number of
short statements, with practice your speed at doing these tests should
improve.
Another type of test is a Personality or Psychometric test. These ask
you to rate a number of statements on how important you rate each
issue. Key things to remember here are: don't try and 'guess' what the
employer is looking for and be consistent with your answers - as
frequently the statements are re-worded and repeated. As with all types
of tests, try and work quickly and skip out any questions you get stuck
on. Don't worry if you don't finish the test - frequently they are
designed so you won't.
The graduate assessment centre
This is often the final stage of the graduate recruitment process, if
you have got this far then you are very close to receiving a job offer.
This normally involves a whole day of activities, with breaks between
them. It may require an overnight stay at a hotel and an evening meal
the night before. When you get down to business the activities are
likely to revolve around group problem solving work, individual
interviews or presentations. Any group work will be assessed, so your
participation in the activities is important - don't drown others out
or don't be too quiet. Overall, enjoy the experience, learn from the
feedback if you are not successful and remember that you are not being
judged alongside the other candidates,
but against a set of criteria the employer is looking for. GOOD
LUCK!
Starting a Business as a Student, Some Tips
There are a growing number of students who whilst at University realise they have a good business idea or discover that they are business minded. These people often don't wait until they finish studying to start their business but they start straight away.Starting a business is never easy and for students who are at University already. It means that they are having to juggle studying with starting and running their new business. A daunting task, which means it can be very easy for students to neglect some of the essentials they need to think about when setting up and running their company. So what are the essentials you need to get right before starting your own student business?
Business Insurance
It's important to make sure that you have the right business insurance
cover from the start. Compensation claims if a member of the public is
injured or has their property damaged by your businesses activities can
be common so it's a good idea to have Public Liability Insurance in
place early on. If you are offering advice to other people you might
need Professional Indemnity Insurance too.
If your business is renting out properties for example, you will need
to make sure you have Landlord Insurance cover for your
business, which protects you should tenants make a compensation claim.
Register your Business
Make sure that your business is legally registered with Companies House
in the UK. Companies House is an organisation that regulates business
registrations and the dissolving of businesses. You can pay a fee to
have an agent register your business with Companies House so they deal
with all the paperwork and make sure you fit all the legal
requirements.
Set up your Company Correctly
You need to register your business as either a Limited Company or
become a Sole Trader. Setting up as a Sole Trader means that it is as
if you are self employed. If you start up as a Limited Company you will
have to submit your accounts to Companies House and it will be a
different arrangement in terms of paying tax. You may want to consult
an accountant to make sure you pay the right tax and are setting up
your company in the most efficient way for you.
Get Yourself a Good Accountant
It's important that if you do choose to use the services of an
accountant that you choose a reputable one. If possible ask other
people you know if they have any recommendations for a good accountant
they have used in the past.
Having a good accountant will save you time and probably money in the future. So it's definitely something to look into when you start up your business.
Entrepreneurial students running businesses are becoming more common place, especially as the job market for graduates becomes more saturated and students find that there are lots of people after the same job when they leave University.
Even if the business is only something that is run whilst at University, prospective employers are likely to look on that favourably as it shows initiative and business sense. It is important however to make sure that all the essentials of starting up in business are taken care of early on.
CV's and Interview Skills
Top tips on how to
land your first graduate job - insights into interview techniques for
students.
Are you leaving university soon? Are you worried about how you're going
to cope with the gruelling process of filling out job application forms
and interviews? If so you're not alone, according to new research a lot
of people stumble through the interview phase. A surprising four out of
five confess to have cried, fallen over, spilt coffee on themselves or
had a coughing fit during an interview - leaving a less than desirable
first impression! Nearly two in five people also admit to lying in
interviews and 18% have yawned their way through the process. A bold
one in twenty have actually walked out mid-interview because they were
less than impressed with the experience.
Obviously if you find yourself in the interview seat in the next couple
of months then we wouldn't recommend any of the above as a plan of
attack.
According to the research by Sainsbury's, who believe that having an affinity with the people you work with means you get more done and have more fun doing it with people who share your attitudes and values; there are some simple ways of engaging with the interviewer. Almost eight out of ten said that they maintained eye contact to create a connection with the interviewer and respondents also sent positive body language messages by smiling (78%) and offering up a firm handshake (58%). You might also want to be careful about what information you put up on social networking sites. Over a quarter of respondents admitted they didn't edit content on their online profile despite the risk that an employer could stumble upon it. Social networking is a great way to enhance relationships with potential co-workers, however it pays to bear in mind what kind of information and pictures you're uploading and who is going to view them. To improve your chances take a look at the following tips:
- Research the company
before you get there. They're unlikely to have prepared a pop quiz on
their corporate history but exhibiting a bit of background knowledge
will show them you're dedicated to getting the job and will help with
that much-dreaded "So why would you like to work for us" question.
- Check and double check the
time and date of your interview. Turning up an hour (or a day) late
does not make the best first impression.
- Pay attention to your
interviewer. Asking them to repeat a question because you zoned out or
calling them by the wrong name is not likely to result in a call back.
- Check your appearance
before entering the interview. Is everything buttoned and zipped?
- Be friendly to everyone as soon as you enter the building. You never know, you might be chatting to the CEO without even realising it.
Stuck on a section of your CV or getting nervous before your first job interview? Let these user friendly guides take care of it:
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CV: What Employers Want to See and How to Say It "When you apply for a job, your CV is compared to hundreds of others. You've only got the time it takes the employer to scan the pages to show how brilliant you are. How do you impress them when you don't know what employers are actually looking for? This book tells you what they want to read - and how to write it. This bestselling guide is based on research among employers and recruiters, revealing what they look for and how the recruitment industry operates, and will show you:
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Resources to help you look for graduate jobs
TARGETjobs: The best possible start to your career
Independent reviews on top graduate employers. Career planning tools and expert guidance. And the largest choice of graduate jobs and work experience. Register today to start receiving targeted emails and alerts for your preferred career sectors, plus deadline reminders so you don’t miss out on your graduate job. Registration is free.
The Graduate Jobs Formula: how to land your dream career after graduation
"Want to maximise your employability? Are you worried about your job prospects after graduation? Did you know there are 80 graduates fighting for every graduate job? The Graduate Jobs Formula is the new bible for students and graduates who want to know how to get their dream job after graduation. For many students the process of applying for a job after university can be a frightening prospect - and there are 80 applicants for every job! In today's job climate competition is tough and many companies are cutting back on graduate recruitment schemes, so to maximise your chances of getting the job, and career, you want, the Graduate Jobs Formula reveals how. This handbook is full of hard facts on maximising your employability, statistics, case studies of real graduates in employment and advice from its author, Paul Redmond, one of the UK's leading graduate destination experts. If you follow his tried and tested job formula you will ensure that no matter what your degree is you can be confident that you too will find a great job once you graduate. Graduate Jobs looks at the obstacles that might get in your way and the ways in which you can make yourself more employable - with this information you are equipped to start applying for jobs confidently and, more importantly, land that career that you really want."
Adzuna searches hundreds of different job sites bringing together all the local vacancies into a single, easy-to-use search engine. They currently have listings on over 4,000 graduate jobs.
TARGETjobs - graduate jobs, work experience, career advice and independent reviews on top employers.
Graduate Coach - career advice
for Graduates and Students from Graduate Coach. Advice on internships,
CV writing and job interviews.
Graduate Jobs
is the largest independent graduate job board in the UK. Since 2007,
graduate-jobs.com has aimed to give graduates the best possible
selection of jobs.
Graduate Recruitment Bureau -
recruitment agency specialising in graduate jobs, internships, student
jobs and work experience.
Graduate Coach - information, advice and free videos on internships, CV writing, cover letters and job interviews .
Graduate Actuarial Jobs - great
graduate actuarial job opportunities at Hewitt UK.
Career Advice: videos and
interview skills career advice from professionals.
Ice Recruit
- with graduate civil engineering job vacancies, Icerecruit is the
official civil engineering jobs site of the Institution of Civil
Engineers.
Inspiring Interns aim to place students and graduates in
internships in London and the UK.
IT Jobs For Graduates - is a
specialist job board for IT graduates in the UK. With currently more
than 1,300 Graduate IT jobs online with some of the top employers being
Accenture, Capgemini, Bloomberg, Lloyds TSB, Siemens, Orange and
Microsoft.
Jobs.ac.uk - search jobs in
science, research, academic and related employment in the UK and abroad.
Junction 49 aims to make it as
easy as possible for you to turn your ideas to make a difference into
reality. If you already have an idea you can submit it or offer to help
out on someone else's. As well as an opportunity to create and deliver
their own ideas for social change, volunteering through Junction49
gives graduates invaluable experience and a way to enhance their CV.
Launch Mind connects employers
with graduates, allowing them to find and target suitable candidates.
Sign up and upload your CV to let employers find you.
Milkround contains job news,
employer profiles, online applications and career and application
guidance.
Prospects features a load of
information for the graduate job hunters.
Reed - last time we looked Reed had
over 9,000 graduate roles listed online.
Total Jobs - search jobs online
from top companies across the UK on TotalJobs. Search the biggest
selection of vacancies, career advice and recruitment options.
University of London Careers Service
- if you are looking for a job in the Capital then sign up here to
receive frequent emails of vacancies.

