Latest Graduate News

'Graduate recruitment: You need a good attitude not a good degree says Ernst & Young' (21.02.2012)

With over 22% of 16-24 year olds out of work, graduates will need to build resilience and get out of their comfort zones if they are going to realise their potential, according to the findings of a survey by Ernst & Young.

The survey of 1000 students showed that while graduates have many core strengths, they aren't always willing to take risks and can struggle to recover from setbacks.

Out of the 60 strengths tested for by the survey, students' top five skills were: taking pride in their work, problem solving, being true to themselves, building relationships and having a sense of humour. They were weakest in: resilience, time optimisation, showing courage at overcoming their fears, taking risks, and making themselves the centre of attention.

To read the article in full on the HR Magazine website, please follow the link: http://bit.ly/x59vJ8

'Graduating with the wrong skills?' (21.02.2012)

Despite more graduates than ever before entering the market, graduate recruiters often struggle to find candidates with the appropriate technical skills for employers, reports Recruiter. Carl Gilleard, chief executive of the AGR, agrees that graduates recruiters have to up their game in response to continuing shortages in some areas.

However, he says another important issue is whether the drop in graduate opportunities identified in the AGR survey is the beginning of a permanent shift in the market. Gilleard says it is too early to say whether this year’s introduction of tuition fees in England of up to £9k has led employers to focus more on school leavers for fear of missing out on a growing talent pool of young people put off university by the prospect of huge debts. “I imagine that very few will do a straight switch and stop taking on fewer graduates in favour of 16-18-yearolds,” says Gilleard.

To read the article in full on the Recruiter website, please follow the link: http://bit.ly/zSMbW0

'Graduates: is a 2:1 the best qualification for landing a job?' (14.02.2012)

Is a 2:1 an effective gauge of a graduate's employability – and if not, why are employers increasingly using it as a filter? That was the question under discussion by graduate recruitment and higher education experts in London last week, reports The Guardian.

Now a new criteria – the Hear report – aims to offer a more rounded method of assessing students' abilities.

The Hear report is welcomed by the AGR, despite its chief executive, Carl Gilleard, admitting that 75% of its member organisations now use the 2:1 as their primary screening tool. He said this had risen from around 66% during the last two years, simply because it is a legal way of reducing the volume of applications.

To read the article in full, as published on the Guradian website please follow the link: http://bit.ly/wkfn5b

'Graduate construction jobs to rise by 30% at biggest employers' (09.02.2012)

The number of graduate jobs in construction looks set to increase by nearly 30% this year, according to the latest survey by the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR), their Winter 2011 review. This increase of 29.4% reverses the findings of the AGR’s two previous reviews, where the number of vacancies were predicted to decline. The rise has been put down to international expansion and expected growth in areas such as nuclear power. To counterbalance this, however, construction companies and consultancies are said to be cutting their graduate salaries by 1.1%.

To read the article in full on the Target Jobs website, please follow the link: http://bit.ly/wd1bs2

'Too few applicants to fill graduate roles, say employers' (01.02.2012)

Nearly two-fifths (38%) of employers believe that there are too few graduates to fill entry-level vacancies, despite high youth unemployment rates, new research has found.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics show that unemployment among 16- to 24-year-olds hit 1.04 million in January, equating to 22.3% of that age group.

However, XpertHR's annual survey of graduate recruitment found that many employers faced barriers when trying to recruit graduates, with poor-quality applicants cited as the biggest problem. Four-fifths (80%) of those surveyed said they faced difficulties recruiting graduates due to a lack of skills, knowledge or the attitudes of the candidates.

To read the article in full, as published on the Personnel Today website, please follow the link: http://bit.ly/yMnxfK

'Employee referrals fill one job post in eight' (01.02.2012)

Organisations that use employee referral schemes fill one-eighth (13%) of their vacancies through this method, new research has found.

XpertHR's survey on employee referral schemes found that 69% of employers used staff referrals as part of their recruitment process, with the vast majority (93%) offering a reward to employees.

Rachel Suff, author of the report, commented: "Referral schemes can be an effective alternative to formal recruitment - they are typically cheaper and prospective employees are likely to have been given a realistic job preview by the friend who is referring them for employment."

To view the article in full, as published on the Personnel Today website, please follow the link: http://bit.ly/xmmOgP

'Giving Just That Little Bit Extra (Curricular) To Secure A Graduate Job'  (27.10.2012)

As the number of First and 2:1 honour degrees being issued continues to rise, growing from 60% to 64% between 2007 and 2011, those graduating with a degree classification which demonstrates their academic excellence will not be able to rely on their scholarly record to procure them a graduate job.

The increasing number of students with stellar degree classifications means that there is very little to distinguish between job candidates and graduates who need to find alternative means of standing out from the masses. Therefore, as a means to counteract job candidate anonymity, it is important to immerse yourself within the opportunities that university can offer beyond merely the realms of scholarly development.

To read the article in full, as published on the GRB website, please follow the link: http://bit.ly/zQgdjh

'Graduate salaries predicted to rise in 2012 after three year stagnation' (26.01.2012)

Graduate starting salaries are predicted to increase by 4% to £26,000 this year, according to the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR). It had remained at £25,000 since 2009.

Carl Gilleard, Chief Executive of the AGR, said: “The predicted increase to graduate salaries is significant and sizeable, particularly given the context of starting salaries remaining stagnant for the past three years. This will no doubt be welcome news to the Government and the higher education sector, but moreover to graduates themselves.”

The survey also shows that the number of graduate vacancies increased last year by 1.7%, whilst this year vacancies are predicted to drop by 1.2%.

The average figure for overall vacancies indicates some significant variations between sectors:

•IT/telecommunications companies up 32.5%
•Construction companies or consultancies up 29.4%.
•Public sector up 27.8%
•Consulting or business services firms down 16.0%
•Investment banks or fund managers down 41.7%.

To read the article in full, as published on the AGR website, please follow the link: http://bit.ly/waCWhk

'What does 2012 hold for the jobseeking scientist?' (25.01.2012)

The most recent advice from the Bank of England suggests that engineering and IT might be looking up, and organisations like the IT services provider the FDM Group are making optimistic noises about graduate recruitment this year. On the other hand, the pharmaceutical industry in the UK didn't enjoy a very bright festive period and suffered badly as a result of the recession in the UK. To read the article in full, as published on the New Scientist website, please follow the link: http://bit.ly/zrN9qG

'Students expect degree grades to rise with fees' (24.01.2012)

Universities are being told to guard against grade inflation as rising numbers of students demand better degrees in return for higher tuition fees. David Willetts, the Universities Minister, said institutions had to prioritise “academic integrity” and resist pressure to mark up students’ work. He also warned that the traditional system of classifying degrees was outmoded and required serious reform. Please follow the link to read the article in full (as published in the Daily Telegraph): http://tgr.ph/yML6rz

'Students believe they have necessary skills for the job market' (23.01.2012)

Most final-year students are optimistic about their long-term career prospects but are realistic about the problems they face making their first steps in the jobs market, research has shown. The figures are provided by Futuretrack, a longitudinal study by the Higher Education Careers Services Unit (HESCU), which is tracking the destinations and attitudes of 50,000 students from the time they apply for university until two years after graduating. Please follow the link to read the article in full; http://bit.ly/ysLv9I

'National Rail launches graduate recruitment scheme across 27 companies in the rail sector' (23.01.2012)

National Rail has launched the Track & Train scheme to give up to 100 graduates employment experience and training to help further their careers. The initiate is aimed at people who have graduated from university in the last two years, will last for 18 months, and is structured to give them an insight into each of the main elements of the rail industry. Successful candidates will start their first placement in April 2012. The find out more details please follow the link (as published in the HR Magazine); http://bit.ly/zZlY4y

'Infrastructure 2012: Graduate jobs growing again' (19.01.2012)

If one section of the industry has suffered more than most during the economic downturn it would have to be the graduates. But things are changing. The mood in the industry [Civil Engineering] is brightening, and enlightened firms are seeing the value in graduate recruitment. http://http://bit.ly/wliuAh

 'More firms join Clegg's Business Compact' (17.01.2012)

A number of firms have signed up to a social mobility initiative launched by the government last year. Allen & Overy was an early adopter, joining in April 2011 when the scheme was announced, and it has now been joined by nine others: Addleshaw Goddard, Ashurst, Baker & McKenzie, CMS Cameron McKenna, Eversheds, Hogan Lovells, Irwin Mitchell, Norton Rose and Simmons & Simmons. The Bar Council and Legal Services Board are also members.

As reported in Legal Week, the Business Compact scheme - lead by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg - requires participating organisations to commit to initiatives designed to benefit low-income or minority ethnic groups, including encouraging staff to become mentors and ensuring equal access to work experience placements. They must also advertise placements through schools and online, and offer expenses or accommodation for interns. http://bit.ly/wPf8aF