The number of UK graduates opting for a career in IT is creeping up slowly, but the profession is not attracting students in anything like the numbers it used to.
Back in 2001, nearly one in 10 final year undergraduates were entering IT.According to the UK Graduates Career Survey 2011, conducted by recruitment firm High Fliers, just 3.9 per cent of final year students applied for IT-related positions. That’s a small increase on the previous year, when just 3.5 per cent did so.
These days, bright young things are heading for jobs with investment banks or staying in further education, the High Fliers survey reported.
Today’s students are planning their future careers at the early stages of their undergraduate education, said Martin Birchall, managing director of High Fliers.
“A record number of students have made job hunting a key priority during their studies and started researching their career options in the first or second year of their degree, rather than leaving their job search until their final 12 months,” he said.
The implication for UK IT is clear: if the brightest youngsters are to be attracted into the profession, they need to be won over at an early stage – perhaps even before entering university.
The slight increase in the number of final-year students applying for jobs in IT is in stark contrast to the potential openings.
In 2010, the number of IT graduate vacancies rose by almost 80 per cent, according to specialist IT recruitment consultancy IntaPeople.
The High Fliers survey was based on nearly 18,000 face-to-face interviews with final year students from 30 of the UK’s universities.
Source: Gareth Morgan, Computing.co.uk, Thursday 19th May 2011
Jobsbody provides a dynamic forum in which businesses can view and connect with graduates.
Tuesday 31 May 2011
Monday 30 May 2011
Research reveals graduate salary in the regions
Graduates in the regions should expect a starting salary of between £15,000 and £18,000 according to new research from the UK’s leading graduate recruiters.
The Graduate Employer Survey 2011 has revealed that over 80% of employers in the regions pitch starting salaries for university leavers at this level, compared with a UK average of £25,000 which includes London’.
The inaugural survey of national employers, carried out by the Graduate Network, and led by Graduates Yorkshire and West Midlands based Graduate Advantage, set out to establish realistic salary benchmarks and industry trends in the regional graduate recruitment market. Previous research had focused on graduate recruitment in London which failed to truly reflect the market outside of the capital.
The survey found that nearly two thirds of the regional employers polled have recruited a graduate over the last 12 months, with over 60% of graduates being offered permanent positions and 20% paid internships. A slightly smaller number are expecting to recruit a graduate over the next 12 months in permanent roles and both paid and unpaid internships.
Interestingly, a tiny percentage, (just 1.5% of those polled), believe that the graduate’s degree result is the most important factor when recruiting at graduate level. Instead, three quarters believe that a positive attitude and employability skills are the most important attributes.
Martin Edmondson, chief executive of Graduates Yorkshire, comments on the findings: “This survey was carried out for the benefit of employers and graduates to give them a realistic view of the market and salary expectations. If you go by some of the previous research carried out, graduates will be leaving university and expecting to walk into jobs with a salary of £25,000 or more. Whilst this is not the case in all areas of the UK, the opportunities for graduates are on the increase as employers recognise the business benefits of recruiting university leavers who can introduce new ideas and increase productivity.
“I am not surprised at the disparity between the average graduate salaries revealed in the regions compared to other research findings. The Graduate Employer Survey focused on SMEs across a number of different industries in the regions, and explored businesses’ perceptions of graduates and graduate opportunities outside London, where the job market, cost of living and overall quality of life differs quite significantly.”
Graduate internships schemes, including those operated by HEFCE (Higher Education Funding Council for England), Regional Development Agencies and the Department for Business Innovation and Skills, have been drawing to a close over the last couple of months and graduates have not been offered further support from the Government at this stage.
Businesses and higher education experts will be joining in the debate about the future of graduate employment and internships at the fourth annual Graduate Employment Conference in Leeds today (Thursday 19 May). The results will be analysed in more detail to identify what it means for universities, graduates and businesses.
Graduates Yorkshire and The Graduate Network, the UK’s graduate employment provider, have come together to host the event to explore businesses’ perceptions of graduates and graduate opportunities outside London. Delegates will also examine new trends in using social media for recruitment, job hunting and careers advice.
Nicola Turner, acting director of employability at Graduate Advantage, said: “With a lack of support from the Government for graduates leaving university and the unemployment rate amongst young people reaching its highest rate since the 1990’s, competition in the jobs market is fierce. Our job is to identify the future trends in the graduate job market and help to stimulate opportunities for both employers and graduates.
“The results of this survey will help us to identify the trends in graduate recruitment in the regions which will help us to predict the key issues facing graduates in the job market over the next 12 months and put real measures in place to address these challenges.”
Source: Onrec.com, Thursday 19th May 2011
The Graduate Employer Survey 2011 has revealed that over 80% of employers in the regions pitch starting salaries for university leavers at this level, compared with a UK average of £25,000 which includes London’.
The inaugural survey of national employers, carried out by the Graduate Network, and led by Graduates Yorkshire and West Midlands based Graduate Advantage, set out to establish realistic salary benchmarks and industry trends in the regional graduate recruitment market. Previous research had focused on graduate recruitment in London which failed to truly reflect the market outside of the capital.
The survey found that nearly two thirds of the regional employers polled have recruited a graduate over the last 12 months, with over 60% of graduates being offered permanent positions and 20% paid internships. A slightly smaller number are expecting to recruit a graduate over the next 12 months in permanent roles and both paid and unpaid internships.
Interestingly, a tiny percentage, (just 1.5% of those polled), believe that the graduate’s degree result is the most important factor when recruiting at graduate level. Instead, three quarters believe that a positive attitude and employability skills are the most important attributes.
Martin Edmondson, chief executive of Graduates Yorkshire, comments on the findings: “This survey was carried out for the benefit of employers and graduates to give them a realistic view of the market and salary expectations. If you go by some of the previous research carried out, graduates will be leaving university and expecting to walk into jobs with a salary of £25,000 or more. Whilst this is not the case in all areas of the UK, the opportunities for graduates are on the increase as employers recognise the business benefits of recruiting university leavers who can introduce new ideas and increase productivity.
“I am not surprised at the disparity between the average graduate salaries revealed in the regions compared to other research findings. The Graduate Employer Survey focused on SMEs across a number of different industries in the regions, and explored businesses’ perceptions of graduates and graduate opportunities outside London, where the job market, cost of living and overall quality of life differs quite significantly.”
Graduate internships schemes, including those operated by HEFCE (Higher Education Funding Council for England), Regional Development Agencies and the Department for Business Innovation and Skills, have been drawing to a close over the last couple of months and graduates have not been offered further support from the Government at this stage.
Businesses and higher education experts will be joining in the debate about the future of graduate employment and internships at the fourth annual Graduate Employment Conference in Leeds today (Thursday 19 May). The results will be analysed in more detail to identify what it means for universities, graduates and businesses.
Graduates Yorkshire and The Graduate Network, the UK’s graduate employment provider, have come together to host the event to explore businesses’ perceptions of graduates and graduate opportunities outside London. Delegates will also examine new trends in using social media for recruitment, job hunting and careers advice.
Nicola Turner, acting director of employability at Graduate Advantage, said: “With a lack of support from the Government for graduates leaving university and the unemployment rate amongst young people reaching its highest rate since the 1990’s, competition in the jobs market is fierce. Our job is to identify the future trends in the graduate job market and help to stimulate opportunities for both employers and graduates.
“The results of this survey will help us to identify the trends in graduate recruitment in the regions which will help us to predict the key issues facing graduates in the job market over the next 12 months and put real measures in place to address these challenges.”
Source: Onrec.com, Thursday 19th May 2011
Sunday 29 May 2011
We're learning the hard way! Six undergraduates reveal how they're funding their fees
Next year’s rise in tuition fees will be just the latest in a long line of financial burdens for students. But there are ways of making ends meet – even without parental support. Ruth Tierney meets six can-do undergraduates who are funding their education with part-time jobs.
Claire Thomas, 21, relies on promotional work to fund herself through a degree in public relations at Leeds Metropolitan University.
I’m from a very working-class family in Middlesbrough who can’t spare anything towards my university costs, so if I didn’t work, I wouldn’t be here. My mum’s a kitchen assistant at a school and my dad works for a compensation firm, but he’s been made redundant from three jobs in the past six years. When I decided to go to uni, I assumed a student loan would pay for everything. But despite the fact I get a loan for tuition fees, a maintenance loan of £1,000 a term, and a full grant of £900 a term, that still doesn’t cover the cost of living in a city like Leeds. My £250 average monthly wage is essential for bills, shopping, bus fares and driving lessons.
In the three years I’ve been at uni, I’ve worked as a barmaid and shop assistant – both jobs I’ve had to quit because of going home over the summer holidays. Having contracted hours was stressful because no matter how many lectures I had, I still had to turn up for work. In my second year (I’m now in my third), I was diagnosed with stress after I broke down in hysterical tears one day. I left my job, but then found myself £1,500 overdrawn in the space of a term. So I started doing casual promotional work through an agency a year ago, and the hours are flexible, allowing me to choose when I work depending on how busy I am at uni. Some of the work has been embarrassing, such as walking up and down the street with a sign on my back advertising the opening of a new store. But other times I really enjoy the campaigns, such as talking about Revlon mascara to customers in Superdrug.
After graduating I’m going to carry on doing promo work while I decide whether to move to London, where most of the good consumer PR agencies are. I don’t know whether I’ll ever be able to afford to live in the capital, though. When I do start earning a proper wage, I’ll have to pay back around £15,000, which is a lot less than some because my uni has quite low tuition fees in comparison. There’s been talk that the fees for my course are going to go up to around £8,000 a year soon, so more students will have to find part-time work like me.
Jodie McTaggart, 22, is studying fashion writing and culture at Solent University, Southampton, and works in customer complaints for British Gas.
It would have been impossible for me to go to university without also earning a living to pay my way. My mum, a social worker, and my dad, a courier, would love to support me, but there’s no way they could afford to. Besides, I’m the one who made the choice to study for three years, so I should be the one who pays for it. It scares me when I think about the £22,000 of student loans I’ll have to pay back at the end of this.
I had a couple of years out after school, which was when I got a job in the customer complaints division of a British Gas call centre. I was working full time, supporting myself, and had moved into a shared house with friends by the time I went to uni. Because I’d been independent for less than three years, the maintenance loan I received (which is for accommodation and is part means-tested) was based on my parents’ earnings. This meant I got less than I’d imagined. Although my tuition fees of £3,500 a year are covered by the loan, there’s barely enough left for my rent and bills. Luckily, my boss said that I could go part time at British Gas, so I now do 17.5 hours a week. I show my boss my timetable at the start of each term, and I’m given hours that fit around lectures. I take home around £620 a month after tax, which covers the rest of my rent, bills, food, travel and books.
Although I only have six hours of lectures a week, I’m in my final year so I’m also trying to write a 10,000-word dissertation. I know I can handle it because I’m so organised. I work three days or evenings a week at British Gas. Because I’m dealing with angry customers shouting down the phone it can be very stressful. It’s giving me transferable skills though, such as assertiveness and the ability to work under pressure.
I’m exhausted on Sundays – my only day off – but it will be worth it in the long run. When I graduate I’m going full time at British Gas while I find a job as a fashion journalist. It’s such a competitive market that who knows how long
that will take?
Alex Hemsley, 22, works as a Butler in the Buff to pay the bills while he studies law at the University of the West of England, Bristol.
Why would I work as a half-naked waiter at hen nights and parties full of raucous, tipsy women? Because the £25-an-hour rate, which can see me earn around £1,500 a month at busy times, means I can pay my way through uni. The maintenance loan I receive is only £2,000 a year, yet my rent alone is £500 a month. Although my parents can help (my mum’s a photographer and my dad’s in financial services), it doesn’t feel right for them to be supporting their 20-something son.
I’m in my second year now, but when I started uni I was a barman in a pub, getting minimum wage and doing 40-hour weeks to make ends meet. My grades suffered and I only just scraped a pass in my first-year exams. When a friend told me he’d got a job with Butlers in the Buff, which involves serving at functions with a bare chest and dickie bow, I thought, ‘Why not?’ My first booking was for a hen do, and I was pretty nervous – especially as they’d requested we just wear pinnies (and no trousers). But after five minutes, I’d almost forgotten about my lack of clothing.
Most people just laugh about my job. Even my parents find it hilarious. There are ten other Butlers who go to my uni, so it’s a common way to fund your studies. And because it’s nationwide, I get gigs when I go home to Cambridge.
The pay’s so good that I can work fewer hours (between ten and 20 a week) and dedicate myself to the 12 hours of lectures and 30 hours of reading a week required by my course. My grades have improved and I’m now on track to get a 2:1 or first. I’m then hoping to do a master’s in law before becoming a solicitor, and will continue doing this work to fund it. I’ll need all the help I can get as I’ll owe about £25,000 in student loans.
Carys Thomas, 20, is studying art and design at the London College of Fashion (LCF), while working evenings and weekends as a concession manager for clothing company Reiss.
Living in London is so expensive that even my well-off student friends have difficulty getting by. So if you come from a middle-income family like my own, working is a necessity. My parents are separated, so money is even more of an issue. When they split up, my dad left the PR agency they owned to go freelance. My mum found another business partner, but that meant her income halved. Asking for handouts isn’t an option.
After school I had a year out, working full time as a shop assistant at Reiss’s flagship store in Barrett Street, London, taking on more responsibility with styling and visual merchandising. I got a flat with three other girls and paid the £500 a month rent myself, while putting away £200 a month for college. Before long, I was promoted to concession manager for the Reiss department in John Lewis, Oxford Street, as well as continuing to work as a sales assistant at the flagship branch. For this I get an extra £100 a month. I was working a minimum of 40 hours a week, taking home £1,500 a month after tax.
When I got on to an art foundation course last September at the LCF, my employers let me keep my managerial role because they knew that I was hardworking enough to fit it
in around college. My tutors are delighted I have a job because they can see what great experience I’m getting. I now do 20 hours a week at Reiss, working evenings and weekends, to fit around the 16 hours of lectures. Sometimes I don’t get home until 9pm and have to stay up until midnight doing coursework, which is tiring. Because I’m over 19, I had to pay £850 for the year’s tuition fees. I don’t get any kind of loan, so my mum pays half my rent each month (£250) and I pay the other half. I pay for everything else, from my Tube fares (£130 a month) to my mobile bill (£70 a month).
When I start my fashion degree in September, my mum will stop giving me money because I’ll qualify for a tuition loan and a maintenance loan. I’ll carry on working at Reiss – I couldn’t do this otherwise. I bring home £700 a month now after tax. It will be worth it when I graduate, because I’m hoping that Reiss will take me on as a buyer.
Samantha Dane, 22, studies human resources (HR) management at Manchester Metropolitan University all week, and works as a sports-centre supervisor at weekends.
It’s hard enough now being a cash-strapped student, but I pity the ones who will face almost triple the tuition fees. Although I earn £300 a month as a part-time supervisor at a leisure centre, I still have trouble making ends meet.
A loan takes care of my degree fees, a maintenance loan (£2,000 a term) covers the rent of my city-centre flat-share, and I get a bursary of £1,000 a year. It sounds manageable, until you consider the high cost of living, and hidden extras such as the £400 deposit I needed to secure a flat last summer. This, my third and final year, is the most expensive yet because I have to fork out for more books, while it costs £50 to get my dissertation bound and £100 to hire a graduation cap and gown.
The majority of students I know need to work part time and have jobs in supermarkets and bars. In fact, my university supports it, letting any students with jobs take one less module a year in order to cope. I started at the leisure centre while resitting an A-level after school, and within a year I’d been promoted from lifeguard to supervisor, managing between two and five members of staff each shift. This meant my hourly rate went up by £2 an hour (it’s now £8), plus I’m gaining managerial experience that will hopefully help win me a job.
When I got into uni, my boss allowed me to go from full time to weekends. This means it doesn’t affect the six hours of lectures I have a week, or my coursework. I work full time during the holidays and save money to pay for the year ahead. My boss understands that uni is my priority, but knows I’m a hard worker, so he didn’t want to lose me.
Having a responsible job at an early age meant that I never expected my mum (a housewife) and dad (a mechanic) to support me. They help when I’m really stuck.
I’ve applied for graduate schemes in HR at Marks & Spencer and Rolls-Royce so hopefully I’ll have a job when I leave. Hanging over me is the £20,000-plus in loans that I’ll have to pay back as soon as I’m earning £15,000 a year – the only comfort is that everyone I know is in the same boat.
Lauren Moulsley, 19, is juggling an event management degree at Bournemouth University with selling Avon cosmetics.
On my first day at university, I came into campus with a stack of books under one arm and a pile of catalogues under the other. As everyone else introduced themselves,
I took the chance to promote my Avon business, signing up fellow students as new customers. There are about 110 people on my course, all of them women, and the majority now buy their beauty and skincare from me. While most students I know are deep into their overdraft, my business venture means I’ve always been in the black. This is more important now than ever because my mum was recently made redundant so my parents don’t need me asking for handouts.
I started my own Avon business on my 18th birthday, while still at school. The flexi hours appealed and I’m passionate about make-up. I was assigned the Reading street I lived in, and within a month orders were flooding in. While friends had to give up part-time jobs when they relocated for uni, I was able to continue mine, keeping my original customers (who I sell to when I’m home) and adding new ones. I live in a hall of residence with 500 other students, so I’m never short of doors to knock on.
I deliver catalogues, pick up orders and bag products in the evenings, for around three hours a week, which doesn’t interfere with the 13 hours of lectures I have. My tutors think it’s fantastic that I’m running my own business.
I make around £60 a week, which pays for food, bus fares and stationery. Although my tuition fees are covered by a government loan, the maintenance loan of £3,560 a year doesn’t cover my rent, which is £4,050. My mum and dad (who works in marketing) cover the deficit, but earning extra means I don’t have to ask them for additional money. I feel bad enough that they’re contributing to my rent, but they insist on helping as they know I’ll be in debt to the tune of £30,000 on leaving uni (I’m in my first year of a four-year degree).
There are always ways to earn extra, which I did recently to cover the cost of buying two printer cartridges. I ran a promotion giving customers a free perfume sample for every £5 they spent and sales doubled that week. When I graduate I want to organise charity functions, but will keep Avon on the side. It’s taught me so much about selling, promotion, accounts and deadlines. I used to be shy, but having to knock on strangers’ doors has boosted my confidence.
Source: Ruth Tierney, Dailymail.co.uk, Saturday 28th May 2011
Claire Thomas, 21, relies on promotional work to fund herself through a degree in public relations at Leeds Metropolitan University.
I’m from a very working-class family in Middlesbrough who can’t spare anything towards my university costs, so if I didn’t work, I wouldn’t be here. My mum’s a kitchen assistant at a school and my dad works for a compensation firm, but he’s been made redundant from three jobs in the past six years. When I decided to go to uni, I assumed a student loan would pay for everything. But despite the fact I get a loan for tuition fees, a maintenance loan of £1,000 a term, and a full grant of £900 a term, that still doesn’t cover the cost of living in a city like Leeds. My £250 average monthly wage is essential for bills, shopping, bus fares and driving lessons.
In the three years I’ve been at uni, I’ve worked as a barmaid and shop assistant – both jobs I’ve had to quit because of going home over the summer holidays. Having contracted hours was stressful because no matter how many lectures I had, I still had to turn up for work. In my second year (I’m now in my third), I was diagnosed with stress after I broke down in hysterical tears one day. I left my job, but then found myself £1,500 overdrawn in the space of a term. So I started doing casual promotional work through an agency a year ago, and the hours are flexible, allowing me to choose when I work depending on how busy I am at uni. Some of the work has been embarrassing, such as walking up and down the street with a sign on my back advertising the opening of a new store. But other times I really enjoy the campaigns, such as talking about Revlon mascara to customers in Superdrug.
After graduating I’m going to carry on doing promo work while I decide whether to move to London, where most of the good consumer PR agencies are. I don’t know whether I’ll ever be able to afford to live in the capital, though. When I do start earning a proper wage, I’ll have to pay back around £15,000, which is a lot less than some because my uni has quite low tuition fees in comparison. There’s been talk that the fees for my course are going to go up to around £8,000 a year soon, so more students will have to find part-time work like me.
Jodie McTaggart, 22, is studying fashion writing and culture at Solent University, Southampton, and works in customer complaints for British Gas.
It would have been impossible for me to go to university without also earning a living to pay my way. My mum, a social worker, and my dad, a courier, would love to support me, but there’s no way they could afford to. Besides, I’m the one who made the choice to study for three years, so I should be the one who pays for it. It scares me when I think about the £22,000 of student loans I’ll have to pay back at the end of this.
I had a couple of years out after school, which was when I got a job in the customer complaints division of a British Gas call centre. I was working full time, supporting myself, and had moved into a shared house with friends by the time I went to uni. Because I’d been independent for less than three years, the maintenance loan I received (which is for accommodation and is part means-tested) was based on my parents’ earnings. This meant I got less than I’d imagined. Although my tuition fees of £3,500 a year are covered by the loan, there’s barely enough left for my rent and bills. Luckily, my boss said that I could go part time at British Gas, so I now do 17.5 hours a week. I show my boss my timetable at the start of each term, and I’m given hours that fit around lectures. I take home around £620 a month after tax, which covers the rest of my rent, bills, food, travel and books.
Although I only have six hours of lectures a week, I’m in my final year so I’m also trying to write a 10,000-word dissertation. I know I can handle it because I’m so organised. I work three days or evenings a week at British Gas. Because I’m dealing with angry customers shouting down the phone it can be very stressful. It’s giving me transferable skills though, such as assertiveness and the ability to work under pressure.
I’m exhausted on Sundays – my only day off – but it will be worth it in the long run. When I graduate I’m going full time at British Gas while I find a job as a fashion journalist. It’s such a competitive market that who knows how long
that will take?
Alex Hemsley, 22, works as a Butler in the Buff to pay the bills while he studies law at the University of the West of England, Bristol.
Why would I work as a half-naked waiter at hen nights and parties full of raucous, tipsy women? Because the £25-an-hour rate, which can see me earn around £1,500 a month at busy times, means I can pay my way through uni. The maintenance loan I receive is only £2,000 a year, yet my rent alone is £500 a month. Although my parents can help (my mum’s a photographer and my dad’s in financial services), it doesn’t feel right for them to be supporting their 20-something son.
I’m in my second year now, but when I started uni I was a barman in a pub, getting minimum wage and doing 40-hour weeks to make ends meet. My grades suffered and I only just scraped a pass in my first-year exams. When a friend told me he’d got a job with Butlers in the Buff, which involves serving at functions with a bare chest and dickie bow, I thought, ‘Why not?’ My first booking was for a hen do, and I was pretty nervous – especially as they’d requested we just wear pinnies (and no trousers). But after five minutes, I’d almost forgotten about my lack of clothing.
Most people just laugh about my job. Even my parents find it hilarious. There are ten other Butlers who go to my uni, so it’s a common way to fund your studies. And because it’s nationwide, I get gigs when I go home to Cambridge.
The pay’s so good that I can work fewer hours (between ten and 20 a week) and dedicate myself to the 12 hours of lectures and 30 hours of reading a week required by my course. My grades have improved and I’m now on track to get a 2:1 or first. I’m then hoping to do a master’s in law before becoming a solicitor, and will continue doing this work to fund it. I’ll need all the help I can get as I’ll owe about £25,000 in student loans.
Carys Thomas, 20, is studying art and design at the London College of Fashion (LCF), while working evenings and weekends as a concession manager for clothing company Reiss.
Living in London is so expensive that even my well-off student friends have difficulty getting by. So if you come from a middle-income family like my own, working is a necessity. My parents are separated, so money is even more of an issue. When they split up, my dad left the PR agency they owned to go freelance. My mum found another business partner, but that meant her income halved. Asking for handouts isn’t an option.
After school I had a year out, working full time as a shop assistant at Reiss’s flagship store in Barrett Street, London, taking on more responsibility with styling and visual merchandising. I got a flat with three other girls and paid the £500 a month rent myself, while putting away £200 a month for college. Before long, I was promoted to concession manager for the Reiss department in John Lewis, Oxford Street, as well as continuing to work as a sales assistant at the flagship branch. For this I get an extra £100 a month. I was working a minimum of 40 hours a week, taking home £1,500 a month after tax.
When I got on to an art foundation course last September at the LCF, my employers let me keep my managerial role because they knew that I was hardworking enough to fit it
in around college. My tutors are delighted I have a job because they can see what great experience I’m getting. I now do 20 hours a week at Reiss, working evenings and weekends, to fit around the 16 hours of lectures. Sometimes I don’t get home until 9pm and have to stay up until midnight doing coursework, which is tiring. Because I’m over 19, I had to pay £850 for the year’s tuition fees. I don’t get any kind of loan, so my mum pays half my rent each month (£250) and I pay the other half. I pay for everything else, from my Tube fares (£130 a month) to my mobile bill (£70 a month).
When I start my fashion degree in September, my mum will stop giving me money because I’ll qualify for a tuition loan and a maintenance loan. I’ll carry on working at Reiss – I couldn’t do this otherwise. I bring home £700 a month now after tax. It will be worth it when I graduate, because I’m hoping that Reiss will take me on as a buyer.
Samantha Dane, 22, studies human resources (HR) management at Manchester Metropolitan University all week, and works as a sports-centre supervisor at weekends.
It’s hard enough now being a cash-strapped student, but I pity the ones who will face almost triple the tuition fees. Although I earn £300 a month as a part-time supervisor at a leisure centre, I still have trouble making ends meet.
A loan takes care of my degree fees, a maintenance loan (£2,000 a term) covers the rent of my city-centre flat-share, and I get a bursary of £1,000 a year. It sounds manageable, until you consider the high cost of living, and hidden extras such as the £400 deposit I needed to secure a flat last summer. This, my third and final year, is the most expensive yet because I have to fork out for more books, while it costs £50 to get my dissertation bound and £100 to hire a graduation cap and gown.
The majority of students I know need to work part time and have jobs in supermarkets and bars. In fact, my university supports it, letting any students with jobs take one less module a year in order to cope. I started at the leisure centre while resitting an A-level after school, and within a year I’d been promoted from lifeguard to supervisor, managing between two and five members of staff each shift. This meant my hourly rate went up by £2 an hour (it’s now £8), plus I’m gaining managerial experience that will hopefully help win me a job.
When I got into uni, my boss allowed me to go from full time to weekends. This means it doesn’t affect the six hours of lectures I have a week, or my coursework. I work full time during the holidays and save money to pay for the year ahead. My boss understands that uni is my priority, but knows I’m a hard worker, so he didn’t want to lose me.
Having a responsible job at an early age meant that I never expected my mum (a housewife) and dad (a mechanic) to support me. They help when I’m really stuck.
I’ve applied for graduate schemes in HR at Marks & Spencer and Rolls-Royce so hopefully I’ll have a job when I leave. Hanging over me is the £20,000-plus in loans that I’ll have to pay back as soon as I’m earning £15,000 a year – the only comfort is that everyone I know is in the same boat.
Lauren Moulsley, 19, is juggling an event management degree at Bournemouth University with selling Avon cosmetics.
On my first day at university, I came into campus with a stack of books under one arm and a pile of catalogues under the other. As everyone else introduced themselves,
I took the chance to promote my Avon business, signing up fellow students as new customers. There are about 110 people on my course, all of them women, and the majority now buy their beauty and skincare from me. While most students I know are deep into their overdraft, my business venture means I’ve always been in the black. This is more important now than ever because my mum was recently made redundant so my parents don’t need me asking for handouts.
I started my own Avon business on my 18th birthday, while still at school. The flexi hours appealed and I’m passionate about make-up. I was assigned the Reading street I lived in, and within a month orders were flooding in. While friends had to give up part-time jobs when they relocated for uni, I was able to continue mine, keeping my original customers (who I sell to when I’m home) and adding new ones. I live in a hall of residence with 500 other students, so I’m never short of doors to knock on.
I deliver catalogues, pick up orders and bag products in the evenings, for around three hours a week, which doesn’t interfere with the 13 hours of lectures I have. My tutors think it’s fantastic that I’m running my own business.
I make around £60 a week, which pays for food, bus fares and stationery. Although my tuition fees are covered by a government loan, the maintenance loan of £3,560 a year doesn’t cover my rent, which is £4,050. My mum and dad (who works in marketing) cover the deficit, but earning extra means I don’t have to ask them for additional money. I feel bad enough that they’re contributing to my rent, but they insist on helping as they know I’ll be in debt to the tune of £30,000 on leaving uni (I’m in my first year of a four-year degree).
There are always ways to earn extra, which I did recently to cover the cost of buying two printer cartridges. I ran a promotion giving customers a free perfume sample for every £5 they spent and sales doubled that week. When I graduate I want to organise charity functions, but will keep Avon on the side. It’s taught me so much about selling, promotion, accounts and deadlines. I used to be shy, but having to knock on strangers’ doors has boosted my confidence.
Source: Ruth Tierney, Dailymail.co.uk, Saturday 28th May 2011
Saturday 28 May 2011
Meerkat ambassador job bagged by student Josh Mitchell
Undergraduate Josh Mitchell has landed a £40,000-a-year job as ‘ambassador’ to the television meerkats.
Mitchell will represent the creatures from the comparethemeerkat.com adverts at sporting and musical events.
He beat off competition from 1,500 other applicants to get the bizarre role after setting up a website and putting promotional videos on YouTube.
His campaign to get the job was supported by DJ Sara Cox and television presenter Davina McCall.
‘I graduate this summer and I’ve landed a dream job in an increasingly competitive market,’ said Mr Mitchell, of Hayling Island, Hampshire.
‘My life has just changed.’
Rival applicants for the role of representing the Russian creatures included Russian exiles in Britain, a surfer, a former officer in the Royal Navy and a Cambridge graduate.
Mr Mitchell, who is studying international hospitality at the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff, will go on promotional trips to Wimbledon tennis championships and Lord’s cricket ground with his new job.
His summer rota will also include visits to the Glastonbury music festival and the Last Night of the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Mr Mitchell’s other duties include organising social media campaigns for the meerkat family, headed by Aleksander Orlov.
Mitchell will represent the creatures from the comparethemeerkat.com adverts at sporting and musical events.
He beat off competition from 1,500 other applicants to get the bizarre role after setting up a website and putting promotional videos on YouTube.
His campaign to get the job was supported by DJ Sara Cox and television presenter Davina McCall.
‘I graduate this summer and I’ve landed a dream job in an increasingly competitive market,’ said Mr Mitchell, of Hayling Island, Hampshire.
‘My life has just changed.’
Rival applicants for the role of representing the Russian creatures included Russian exiles in Britain, a surfer, a former officer in the Royal Navy and a Cambridge graduate.
Mr Mitchell, who is studying international hospitality at the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff, will go on promotional trips to Wimbledon tennis championships and Lord’s cricket ground with his new job.
His summer rota will also include visits to the Glastonbury music festival and the Last Night of the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Mr Mitchell’s other duties include organising social media campaigns for the meerkat family, headed by Aleksander Orlov.
Source: Joel Taylor, Metro.co.uk, Thursday 26th May 2011
Friday 27 May 2011
Third of government website internships 'unpaid'
Almost one in three internships on a government website for graduate job-hunters this year has been unpaid, a Freedom of Information request shows.
In a political row earlier this year Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg called for interns to be paid.
But the Graduate Talent Pool website, set up by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), continues to offer many unpaid internships.
A BIS spokesman said businesses should be open and fair about what is offered.
University leavers face tough competition in the jobs market - and internships are seen as a way of getting a foot on the ladder.
But a Freedom of Information request, submitted by a graduate recruitment company called Give A Grad A Go, shows that 30% of the internships advertised so far this year on the government's official Graduate Talent Pool website have been unpaid.
Up to 6 May, more than 2,200 vacancies advertised on the website, out of a total of more than 7,600, were unpaid.
The website itself shows that out of the 2,239 vacancies currently available, only 1,235 are paid vacancies.
Among the unpaid internships are full-time posts lasting for several months, with a number of agencies appearing to use the website to recruit such unpaid interns.
The Graduate Talent Pool website was set up by the government as a way of connecting graduates with internships being offered by businesses.
But there have been criticisms over how internships can be misused as unpaid labour by some employers - and warnings about the need for them to comply with the minimum-wage regulations.
There have been particular warnings about the impact of the intern system on social mobility - with claims that it gives an unfair advantage to the well-connected and those who can afford to work without being paid or only receiving minimal expenses.
Mr Clegg highlighted his concerns in his social-mobility strategy - sparking a political row about his own access to work experience and differences of opinion with the prime minister.
"We want to improve understanding of the application of national minimum-wage legislation to internships and ensure that employers comply with it," said Mr Clegg's social-mobility proposals.
"Where an individual is entitled to the minimum wage they should receive it and we take failure to do so very seriously."
The Graduate Talent Pool website also warns employers that: "If an intern is effectively performing as a 'worker', then in most cases they will be entitled to the national minimum wage."
Cary Curtis, managing director of Give A Grad A Go, said: "Recent social-mobility debate between the prime minister and his deputy has highlighted the lack of a coherent approach to internships and work placements.
"Nick Clegg's new Social Mobility Strategy is a step in the right direction, as we believe all graduates should be treated as employees and paid accordingly, regardless of the position's label or their social standing.
"The word 'internship' carries no legal definition and therefore often leads to graduate exploitation," said Mr Curtis.
He also criticised the finding that the government department did not keep a record of how many graduates found a job through its internship website.
A spokesperson for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills said: "We encourage businesses to offer internships openly and transparently and to provide financial support to ensure fair access.
"Some interns don't qualify for the national minimum wage and we encourage employers to pay reasonable out-of-pocket expenses in these cases."
A spokesman for the Deputy Prime Minister urged employers of interns to pay heed to minimum wage legislation, and to consider paying the minimum wage or out of pocket expenses to "ensure fair access".
"But this is as much about opportunity as it is about money," the spokesman said.
"Too often, such opportunities can only be taken by well off, well connected families," he said, adding that the deputy prime minister "welcomes schemes like the Graduate Talent Pool that provide an open and transparent means for people from any background to find the right opportunity for them".
In a political row earlier this year Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg called for interns to be paid.
But the Graduate Talent Pool website, set up by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), continues to offer many unpaid internships.
A BIS spokesman said businesses should be open and fair about what is offered.
University leavers face tough competition in the jobs market - and internships are seen as a way of getting a foot on the ladder.
But a Freedom of Information request, submitted by a graduate recruitment company called Give A Grad A Go, shows that 30% of the internships advertised so far this year on the government's official Graduate Talent Pool website have been unpaid.
Up to 6 May, more than 2,200 vacancies advertised on the website, out of a total of more than 7,600, were unpaid.
The website itself shows that out of the 2,239 vacancies currently available, only 1,235 are paid vacancies.
Among the unpaid internships are full-time posts lasting for several months, with a number of agencies appearing to use the website to recruit such unpaid interns.
The Graduate Talent Pool website was set up by the government as a way of connecting graduates with internships being offered by businesses.
But there have been criticisms over how internships can be misused as unpaid labour by some employers - and warnings about the need for them to comply with the minimum-wage regulations.
There have been particular warnings about the impact of the intern system on social mobility - with claims that it gives an unfair advantage to the well-connected and those who can afford to work without being paid or only receiving minimal expenses.
Mr Clegg highlighted his concerns in his social-mobility strategy - sparking a political row about his own access to work experience and differences of opinion with the prime minister.
"We want to improve understanding of the application of national minimum-wage legislation to internships and ensure that employers comply with it," said Mr Clegg's social-mobility proposals.
"Where an individual is entitled to the minimum wage they should receive it and we take failure to do so very seriously."
The Graduate Talent Pool website also warns employers that: "If an intern is effectively performing as a 'worker', then in most cases they will be entitled to the national minimum wage."
Cary Curtis, managing director of Give A Grad A Go, said: "Recent social-mobility debate between the prime minister and his deputy has highlighted the lack of a coherent approach to internships and work placements.
"Nick Clegg's new Social Mobility Strategy is a step in the right direction, as we believe all graduates should be treated as employees and paid accordingly, regardless of the position's label or their social standing.
"The word 'internship' carries no legal definition and therefore often leads to graduate exploitation," said Mr Curtis.
He also criticised the finding that the government department did not keep a record of how many graduates found a job through its internship website.
A spokesperson for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills said: "We encourage businesses to offer internships openly and transparently and to provide financial support to ensure fair access.
"Some interns don't qualify for the national minimum wage and we encourage employers to pay reasonable out-of-pocket expenses in these cases."
A spokesman for the Deputy Prime Minister urged employers of interns to pay heed to minimum wage legislation, and to consider paying the minimum wage or out of pocket expenses to "ensure fair access".
"But this is as much about opportunity as it is about money," the spokesman said.
"Too often, such opportunities can only be taken by well off, well connected families," he said, adding that the deputy prime minister "welcomes schemes like the Graduate Talent Pool that provide an open and transparent means for people from any background to find the right opportunity for them".
Source: Sean Coughlan, BBC.co.uk, Friday 27th May 2011
Thursday 26 May 2011
Dramatic rise in graduate job applications, yet graduates fail to find suitable employment
A recent survey has revealed a dramatic 33% increase in graduate job applications over the past year. Yet despite this renewed initiative and confidence in the graduate recruitment market, data has also revealed that 60% of recent graduates have failed to find a graduate job, and are either unemployed or in jobs which do not match their skill level or qualifications.
The two contrasting data sets reveal the uncertainty that still remains in the graduate job sector, which is slowly regaining strength but remains precarious and highly competitive.
Data released by independent research company High Fliers Research has revealed an unprecedented 33% rise in the overall number of graduate job applications made in 2010-2011. Students at the thirty universities surveyed by High Fliers made approximately 343,000 job applications this year in comparison with only 257,000 in 2010 and 244,000 in 2008.
The High Fliers Research also showed that a record 37% of final year students had made early job applications and started applying to graduate employers at the very start of their final year at university. Only 31% applied early in 2009 and 28% in 2006.
However a survey by SHL revealed that 60% of graduates over the past three years have not yet found a graduate job and are either unemployed or underemployed. This accounts for up to 611,682 who were unsuccessful in their search for graduate employment.
WikiJob co-founder, Ed Mellett, suggests that the two sets of results are evidence of the precarious and fluctuating state of the graduate job market. ‘University students are clearly very aware of the perilous state of the job market and by putting in early applications for graduate positions are making a very positive step’, says Ed. ‘However, this increase in competition and applications will mean a lot of disappointed graduates and perhaps an exacerbation of the youth unemployment crisis. There should be an equivalent rise in the number of graduate positions offered by firms. We are already seeing this in the accountancy sector where PwC and Ernst & Young have increased graduate uptake, and hopefully this will continue throughout the employment market’.
The two contrasting data sets reveal the uncertainty that still remains in the graduate job sector, which is slowly regaining strength but remains precarious and highly competitive.
Data released by independent research company High Fliers Research has revealed an unprecedented 33% rise in the overall number of graduate job applications made in 2010-2011. Students at the thirty universities surveyed by High Fliers made approximately 343,000 job applications this year in comparison with only 257,000 in 2010 and 244,000 in 2008.
The High Fliers Research also showed that a record 37% of final year students had made early job applications and started applying to graduate employers at the very start of their final year at university. Only 31% applied early in 2009 and 28% in 2006.
However a survey by SHL revealed that 60% of graduates over the past three years have not yet found a graduate job and are either unemployed or underemployed. This accounts for up to 611,682 who were unsuccessful in their search for graduate employment.
WikiJob co-founder, Ed Mellett, suggests that the two sets of results are evidence of the precarious and fluctuating state of the graduate job market. ‘University students are clearly very aware of the perilous state of the job market and by putting in early applications for graduate positions are making a very positive step’, says Ed. ‘However, this increase in competition and applications will mean a lot of disappointed graduates and perhaps an exacerbation of the youth unemployment crisis. There should be an equivalent rise in the number of graduate positions offered by firms. We are already seeing this in the accountancy sector where PwC and Ernst & Young have increased graduate uptake, and hopefully this will continue throughout the employment market’.
Source: Onrec.com, Thursday 26th May 2011
Wednesday 25 May 2011
Graduates more hopeful about their job chances
Students about to leave Britain's universities are as optimistic about their job prospects as they have been at any time in the past decade, according to research published today.
The class of 2011 also expects to earn higher starting salaries – £22,600 a year on average – after two years in which pay has been frozen at £22,000 as they embark upon a headlong rush for jobs.
A study of 17,851 final-year students at 30 of the country's leading universities shows they have put investment banking top of their list for job applications for the first time since 2008.
No-go areas for graduates include the police force, the armed services and working in government or the public sector – where applications are down by a fifth.
The police force is the least popular occupation with only one in 200 making an application to join – compared to 17 seeking a job in investment banking.
Today's graduates are also much better prepared for entering the graduate market with a record 37 per cent making early job applications – applying in September or October last year. On average, they have sent in 6.8 applications – compared with 5.7 last year.
In all, 40 per cent expect to either have a graduate job by the autumn – or still be confidently searching for one. This compares to 36 per cent last year.
Martin Burchall, managing director of High Fliers Research, which conducted the research, said: "During the worst of the recession, many of the country's brightest university leavers opted out of job hunting and instead enrolled for further study or went travelling after graduating in the hope that employment prospects would be better when they returned.
"Our latest survey of final-year students shows that confidence in the graduate job market is finally improving and that more of the UK's top students are expecting to find work after graduation."
Today's survey also reveals that just over half – 51 per cent – say they would not have gone to university if fees had already gone up to £9,000 at the time they were seeking a place.
They are also graduating with an average debt of £18,700.
The class of 2011 also expects to earn higher starting salaries – £22,600 a year on average – after two years in which pay has been frozen at £22,000 as they embark upon a headlong rush for jobs.
A study of 17,851 final-year students at 30 of the country's leading universities shows they have put investment banking top of their list for job applications for the first time since 2008.
No-go areas for graduates include the police force, the armed services and working in government or the public sector – where applications are down by a fifth.
The police force is the least popular occupation with only one in 200 making an application to join – compared to 17 seeking a job in investment banking.
Today's graduates are also much better prepared for entering the graduate market with a record 37 per cent making early job applications – applying in September or October last year. On average, they have sent in 6.8 applications – compared with 5.7 last year.
In all, 40 per cent expect to either have a graduate job by the autumn – or still be confidently searching for one. This compares to 36 per cent last year.
Martin Burchall, managing director of High Fliers Research, which conducted the research, said: "During the worst of the recession, many of the country's brightest university leavers opted out of job hunting and instead enrolled for further study or went travelling after graduating in the hope that employment prospects would be better when they returned.
"Our latest survey of final-year students shows that confidence in the graduate job market is finally improving and that more of the UK's top students are expecting to find work after graduation."
Today's survey also reveals that just over half – 51 per cent – say they would not have gone to university if fees had already gone up to £9,000 at the time they were seeking a place.
They are also graduating with an average debt of £18,700.
Source: Independent.co.uk, Wednesday 18th May 2011
Tuesday 24 May 2011
Academics lose confidence in government's lack of direction
Oxford dons are lining up to vote in a no confidence motion against David Willetts. So what does this mean for the government's higher education strategy? Asks Jonathan Black.
Oxford dons are to vote on a motion of no confidence in David Willetts, but I believe behind this discontent is an increasing loss of confidence – in the purest sense of the word – in the coalition government and, just perhaps, in the direction of our society. It remains unclear whether the government has a joined-up strategy for higher education, economic wellbeing and quality of life. These are big, national issues that the government is expected to address, debate and lead on. Instead, there is disappointment and some disbelief that over this first year in office, ministers have been distracted by single issues that they engage on with rapidly considered solutions and little apparent thought as to the knock-on effects on other parts of the economy or society. Are ministers capable of developing strategy, specifically in higher education, to address long-term economic and social doldrums? Or are we collectively condemned to four more years of frenetic trench warfare between government, universities, schools and students, against a background of continuing gradual national decline?
The result of the last few months in higher education funding policy has been to convince students that university is a financial transaction: £27,000 cost set against a future profit of a graduate salary premium. Reducing education to the implicit but increasingly flawed "learn to earn" contract is having its effect: this year's national student survey reported that gaining employability skills has become one of the highest priorities for students.
Senior university administrators are becoming concerned about students' rising preoccupation with jobs, to the seeming exclusion of all the long-term benefit a university education offers. Furthermore, we see evidence that should be alleviating students' concern: HighFliers' recent report and our latest vacancy data show both a historic and forecast growth in graduate jobs.
So, if there are more opportunities and increasing engagement with employability issues, what purpose is served by making students more focused on short-term job prospects?
Like student careers, economies are long games. Others have written extensively on the relative merits of the UK focusing on financial services while Germany, China and others have built economies on manufacturing. The Bank of England foresees several years of low growth. While not advocating a central command economy, perhaps the collective loss of confidence lies in the absence of any sense of overall direction, neither signing up to today's situation nor rejecting it, but relying on the invisible hand of the market.
Maybe Oxford dons' confidence could be restored if there were a clear sense of strategic direction from which an internally consistent plan for all parts of our nation, including higher education, would clearly flow. Doing nothing will leave UK plc with business as usual: high pay attracting the brightest students to the City. For the students, it is definitely not business as usual. Tripling fees will be counter-productive, increasing anxiety, leaving social mobility unchanged and driving short-term behaviour: £50K jobs in the City will usually trump science, engineering, teaching and healthcare graduate jobs.
Confidence is dropping in ministers' ability to set strategies for how higher education can support the long-term health, wealth and happiness of us all. As we have seen, this government is evidently capable of pausing, reviewing and even reversing its initial plans: it may not be too late to take time now to initiate a strategic review, with a full and open discussion on how higher education can help to build a cohesive, functional, content and economically buoyant society.
Oxford dons are to vote on a motion of no confidence in David Willetts, but I believe behind this discontent is an increasing loss of confidence – in the purest sense of the word – in the coalition government and, just perhaps, in the direction of our society. It remains unclear whether the government has a joined-up strategy for higher education, economic wellbeing and quality of life. These are big, national issues that the government is expected to address, debate and lead on. Instead, there is disappointment and some disbelief that over this first year in office, ministers have been distracted by single issues that they engage on with rapidly considered solutions and little apparent thought as to the knock-on effects on other parts of the economy or society. Are ministers capable of developing strategy, specifically in higher education, to address long-term economic and social doldrums? Or are we collectively condemned to four more years of frenetic trench warfare between government, universities, schools and students, against a background of continuing gradual national decline?
The result of the last few months in higher education funding policy has been to convince students that university is a financial transaction: £27,000 cost set against a future profit of a graduate salary premium. Reducing education to the implicit but increasingly flawed "learn to earn" contract is having its effect: this year's national student survey reported that gaining employability skills has become one of the highest priorities for students.
Senior university administrators are becoming concerned about students' rising preoccupation with jobs, to the seeming exclusion of all the long-term benefit a university education offers. Furthermore, we see evidence that should be alleviating students' concern: HighFliers' recent report and our latest vacancy data show both a historic and forecast growth in graduate jobs.
So, if there are more opportunities and increasing engagement with employability issues, what purpose is served by making students more focused on short-term job prospects?
Like student careers, economies are long games. Others have written extensively on the relative merits of the UK focusing on financial services while Germany, China and others have built economies on manufacturing. The Bank of England foresees several years of low growth. While not advocating a central command economy, perhaps the collective loss of confidence lies in the absence of any sense of overall direction, neither signing up to today's situation nor rejecting it, but relying on the invisible hand of the market.
Maybe Oxford dons' confidence could be restored if there were a clear sense of strategic direction from which an internally consistent plan for all parts of our nation, including higher education, would clearly flow. Doing nothing will leave UK plc with business as usual: high pay attracting the brightest students to the City. For the students, it is definitely not business as usual. Tripling fees will be counter-productive, increasing anxiety, leaving social mobility unchanged and driving short-term behaviour: £50K jobs in the City will usually trump science, engineering, teaching and healthcare graduate jobs.
Confidence is dropping in ministers' ability to set strategies for how higher education can support the long-term health, wealth and happiness of us all. As we have seen, this government is evidently capable of pausing, reviewing and even reversing its initial plans: it may not be too late to take time now to initiate a strategic review, with a full and open discussion on how higher education can help to build a cohesive, functional, content and economically buoyant society.
Source: Jonathan Black, Guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 24th May 2011
Monday 23 May 2011
'Most jobs' have an element of remote working
University-leavers looking for graduate vacancies should try to find a job that can accommodate an aspect of flexibility, as "most jobs" can be worked remotely, according to the Telework Association.
Peter Thomson, director of research at the organisation, said managerial doubts about the suitability of their employees' jobs for flexible working were "overplayed".
"I think part of the prejudice is a feeling that because it can't be done permanently from home, it can't be done from home at all, but a portion of most jobs, even hands-on jobs, can be done remotely," he said.
The growth of home-working stalled during the recent recession, according to the TUC's analysis of official figures to mark National Work from Home Day.
However, the latest batch of graduates will be one of the first to leave university as the economy is recovering. This means that many graduate vacancies could be advertised with an aspect of remote working.
Peter Thomson, director of research at the organisation, said managerial doubts about the suitability of their employees' jobs for flexible working were "overplayed".
"I think part of the prejudice is a feeling that because it can't be done permanently from home, it can't be done from home at all, but a portion of most jobs, even hands-on jobs, can be done remotely," he said.
The growth of home-working stalled during the recent recession, according to the TUC's analysis of official figures to mark National Work from Home Day.
However, the latest batch of graduates will be one of the first to leave university as the economy is recovering. This means that many graduate vacancies could be advertised with an aspect of remote working.
Source: Gradplus.com, Monday 23rd May 2011
Sunday 22 May 2011
'Swathes of red tape' slowing graduate job creation
Graduate opportunities in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are being lessened by "swathes of red tape and stifling levels of bureaucracy", Hays has warned.
Charles Logan, director of the organisation's UK arm, said that the increase in employment seen in the latest official figures was "a step in the right direction" but cautioned that private sector gains were being cancelled out by losses in the public sector.
"In order for our economy to recover, the government has stressed the need for private sector job creation to placate public sector job losses," he said.
"Most of this is expected to come from small and medium-sized enterprises. But with swathes of red tape and stifling levels of bureaucracy still in place, many SMEs are struggling to create these jobs."
The employment rate for the three months to March 2011 was 70.7 per cent, up 0.2 on the previous quarter, according to findings released this week by the Office for National Statistics.
Charles Logan, director of the organisation's UK arm, said that the increase in employment seen in the latest official figures was "a step in the right direction" but cautioned that private sector gains were being cancelled out by losses in the public sector.
"In order for our economy to recover, the government has stressed the need for private sector job creation to placate public sector job losses," he said.
"Most of this is expected to come from small and medium-sized enterprises. But with swathes of red tape and stifling levels of bureaucracy still in place, many SMEs are struggling to create these jobs."
The employment rate for the three months to March 2011 was 70.7 per cent, up 0.2 on the previous quarter, according to findings released this week by the Office for National Statistics.
Source: Gradplus.com, Friday 20th May 2011
Saturday 21 May 2011
Steel firm to axe 1,500 jobs in UK
A Government task force has been set up to help workers at steel giant Tata after the firm dealt a "devastating blow" by announcing 1,500 job losses.
The Indian company said it was proposing to close or mothball part of its Scunthorpe plant, putting at risk 1,200 jobs, as well as cutting 300 jobs at its site on Teesside.
Tata blamed a decline in the construction industry for the cuts, but it also announced that it will invest £400 million in its Long Products business over the next five years.
Unions said the jobs losses amounted to 8% of Tata's UK workforce, pledging to try to mitigate the impact of the decision, while Labour said it was a "hugely worrying" sign for industry.
Tata, which completed the sale of its Teesside Cast Products site in Redcar to Thai steel firm SSI earlier this year, launched a 90-day consultation with unions before the redundancies will start.
The firm said it was "reasonably confident" of achieving most of the job losses through voluntary redundancies, although it could not rule out compulsory lay offs.
Business Secretary Vince Cable said the news was "disappointing", adding: "This will be a worrying time for workers at Scunthorpe in particular, and also in Teesside. I have asked our local team to establish a task force to work closely with Tata so everything is done to mitigate the impact on jobs and on the local communities."
Tata said its Long Products division had made losses over the past two years, citing a decline in some of its major markets, particularly the construction industry.
Demand for structural steel in the UK was only two-thirds of the 2007 level and was not expected to recover fully within the next five years.
The Indian company said it was proposing to close or mothball part of its Scunthorpe plant, putting at risk 1,200 jobs, as well as cutting 300 jobs at its site on Teesside.
Tata blamed a decline in the construction industry for the cuts, but it also announced that it will invest £400 million in its Long Products business over the next five years.
Unions said the jobs losses amounted to 8% of Tata's UK workforce, pledging to try to mitigate the impact of the decision, while Labour said it was a "hugely worrying" sign for industry.
Tata, which completed the sale of its Teesside Cast Products site in Redcar to Thai steel firm SSI earlier this year, launched a 90-day consultation with unions before the redundancies will start.
The firm said it was "reasonably confident" of achieving most of the job losses through voluntary redundancies, although it could not rule out compulsory lay offs.
Business Secretary Vince Cable said the news was "disappointing", adding: "This will be a worrying time for workers at Scunthorpe in particular, and also in Teesside. I have asked our local team to establish a task force to work closely with Tata so everything is done to mitigate the impact on jobs and on the local communities."
Tata said its Long Products division had made losses over the past two years, citing a decline in some of its major markets, particularly the construction industry.
Demand for structural steel in the UK was only two-thirds of the 2007 level and was not expected to recover fully within the next five years.
Source: Msn.co.uk, Saturday 21st May 2011
Friday 20 May 2011
Many top graduates left to line up outside the Jobcentre
There is a steady stream of graduates lining up outside Jobcentres who are unable to find a graduate role and turning to claiming benefits.
A recent survey undertaken by Randstad found graduates are confident in obtaining a graduate role within 6 months. However the BBC has found that many students that graduated in 2010 are still unemployed and started looking for customer service roles at coffee shops etc.
With graduate unemployment at its highest level for a decade, and the graduates of 2011 soon to enter the graduate job market, there will be fierce competition for the small amount of graduate jobs available.
Unemployed graduates in 2011 will also have to compete with individuals being made redundant in the private and public sector, as the coalition continues to try and plug the economic deficit.
Many graduates refuse to claim benefits because this may force the highly skilled and qualified individuals to obtain unskilled roles in retail, catering and hospitality. Yet due to the current job market these are the only jobs available to many, and they are left with no choice.
With the unemployment rate of 16-24 year olds increasing by 0.8% on the quarter to reach 20.6%, an increase of 30,000 to reach a total of 974,000. Surprisingly the number of people claiming Jobseekers allowance fell by 10,200 to reach 1.45 million.
A recent survey undertaken by Randstad found graduates are confident in obtaining a graduate role within 6 months. However the BBC has found that many students that graduated in 2010 are still unemployed and started looking for customer service roles at coffee shops etc.
With graduate unemployment at its highest level for a decade, and the graduates of 2011 soon to enter the graduate job market, there will be fierce competition for the small amount of graduate jobs available.
Unemployed graduates in 2011 will also have to compete with individuals being made redundant in the private and public sector, as the coalition continues to try and plug the economic deficit.
Many graduates refuse to claim benefits because this may force the highly skilled and qualified individuals to obtain unskilled roles in retail, catering and hospitality. Yet due to the current job market these are the only jobs available to many, and they are left with no choice.
With the unemployment rate of 16-24 year olds increasing by 0.8% on the quarter to reach 20.6%, an increase of 30,000 to reach a total of 974,000. Surprisingly the number of people claiming Jobseekers allowance fell by 10,200 to reach 1.45 million.
Source: Pareto.co.uk, Friday 20th May 2011
Thursday 19 May 2011
Demand for graduate jobs at an all-time high
A major new survey of university undergraduates published today shows that students graduating from Britain's top universities this summer have made a record number of job applications.
The UK Graduate Careers Survey 2011 by High Fliers Research revealed that there were 343,000 graduate job applications in the 2010-11 academic year, up one-third from the previous year.
The news comes as official employment figures from the Office of National Statistics, also out today, showed that Britain's unemployment rate has fallen marginally from 7.8% to 7.7%, with the number of 16- to 24-year-olds out of work falling by 30,000.
The High Fliers survey of 17,851 students from 30 UK universities revealed that the average starting salary expected by graduates is £22,600 and that investment banking is the most popular career choice for this year's university-leavers.
Other popular choices for graduates are expected to be careers in the media, teaching and marketing.
Additionally, the survey found that: a further 25% of the "class of 2011" are planning to remain at university for postgraduate study; 8% expect to take temporary or voluntary work; 13% are preparing to take time off or go travelling; and 14% of finalists have yet to decide what to do next.
Fewer finalists have applied for graduate positions in the police and the armed forces, while the number of graduate job hunters keen to work for the Government or elsewhere in the public sector has dropped by one-fifth, perhaps a reflection of the dramatic cost-cutting measures across the public sector currently being implemented by the coalition.
The survey also found that, after five years in work, graduates expect to be earning an average of £39,900 and one-sixth of this year's university-leavers believe that their salary will be £100,000 or more by the age of 30.
Martin Birchall, managing director of High Fliers Research, said the survey "shows that confidence in the graduate job market is finally improving and that more of the UK's top students are expecting to find work after graduation.
"It's particularly encouraging to see that a record number of students have made job hunting a key priority during their studies and started researching their career options in the first or second year of their degree, rather than leaving their job search until their final 12 months at university," he added.
The UK Graduate Careers Survey 2011 by High Fliers Research revealed that there were 343,000 graduate job applications in the 2010-11 academic year, up one-third from the previous year.
The news comes as official employment figures from the Office of National Statistics, also out today, showed that Britain's unemployment rate has fallen marginally from 7.8% to 7.7%, with the number of 16- to 24-year-olds out of work falling by 30,000.
The High Fliers survey of 17,851 students from 30 UK universities revealed that the average starting salary expected by graduates is £22,600 and that investment banking is the most popular career choice for this year's university-leavers.
Other popular choices for graduates are expected to be careers in the media, teaching and marketing.
Additionally, the survey found that: a further 25% of the "class of 2011" are planning to remain at university for postgraduate study; 8% expect to take temporary or voluntary work; 13% are preparing to take time off or go travelling; and 14% of finalists have yet to decide what to do next.
Fewer finalists have applied for graduate positions in the police and the armed forces, while the number of graduate job hunters keen to work for the Government or elsewhere in the public sector has dropped by one-fifth, perhaps a reflection of the dramatic cost-cutting measures across the public sector currently being implemented by the coalition.
The survey also found that, after five years in work, graduates expect to be earning an average of £39,900 and one-sixth of this year's university-leavers believe that their salary will be £100,000 or more by the age of 30.
Martin Birchall, managing director of High Fliers Research, said the survey "shows that confidence in the graduate job market is finally improving and that more of the UK's top students are expecting to find work after graduation.
"It's particularly encouraging to see that a record number of students have made job hunting a key priority during their studies and started researching their career options in the first or second year of their degree, rather than leaving their job search until their final 12 months at university," he added.
Source: Beth Holmes, PersonnelToday.com, Wednesday 18th May 2011
Wednesday 18 May 2011
Graduate jobs market is 'tough competition'
Students leaving university this year are going to face intense competition for jobs - with a survey indicating a 33% increase in applications.
The High Fliers recruitment survey suggests students are applying more often and earlier for graduate jobs.
The survey was based on the experiences of almost 18,000 final-year students at 30 leading UK universities.
The study also indicates confidence is returning in the graduate jobs market after the gloom of the recession.
Students in the universities taking part are expected to send out a total of 343,000 applications - up by a third on last year and 75% compared with 2004.
And 40% expect to begin graduate jobs this year - compared with 36% last year, 25% expect to move on to postgraduate study, and 35% are planning to travel or take temporary or voluntary jobs or have not yet decided.
For the first time in three years, graduates are expecting starting salaries to increase - and investment banking has once again become a popular careers option.
Public-sector jobs, a more attractive choice during the recession that followed the financial crisis of 2008, have less appeal for this year's university leavers - with applications dropping by a fifth.
While many students in Belfast and Glasgow intend to stay and work in those areas, the survey shows a strong pattern across England for new graduates to gravitate to London.
In 25 of the universities surveyed, London was the first-choice destination for jobs.
Martin Birchall, managing director of High Fliers Research, said: "During the worst of the recession, many of the country's brightest university-leavers opted out of job hunting and instead enrolled for further study or went travelling after graduating, in the hope that employment prospects would be better when they returned.
"Our latest survey of final years students shows that confidence in the graduate job market is finally improving."
Universities Minister David Willetts said: "I am pleased to see indications of increasing confidence in the graduate employment market.
"As this report demonstrates, graduates are rising to the challenge of a difficult market with a record number making early job applications. A degree remains a good investment and is one of the best pathways to achieving a good job and rewarding career.
"Improving information for prospective students about what they can expect at university and from their degrees is a key part of our future plans for higher education."
Source: Sean Coughlan, BBC.co.uk, Wednesday 18th May 2011
The High Fliers recruitment survey suggests students are applying more often and earlier for graduate jobs.
The survey was based on the experiences of almost 18,000 final-year students at 30 leading UK universities.
The study also indicates confidence is returning in the graduate jobs market after the gloom of the recession.
Students in the universities taking part are expected to send out a total of 343,000 applications - up by a third on last year and 75% compared with 2004.
And 40% expect to begin graduate jobs this year - compared with 36% last year, 25% expect to move on to postgraduate study, and 35% are planning to travel or take temporary or voluntary jobs or have not yet decided.
For the first time in three years, graduates are expecting starting salaries to increase - and investment banking has once again become a popular careers option.
Public-sector jobs, a more attractive choice during the recession that followed the financial crisis of 2008, have less appeal for this year's university leavers - with applications dropping by a fifth.
While many students in Belfast and Glasgow intend to stay and work in those areas, the survey shows a strong pattern across England for new graduates to gravitate to London.
In 25 of the universities surveyed, London was the first-choice destination for jobs.
Martin Birchall, managing director of High Fliers Research, said: "During the worst of the recession, many of the country's brightest university-leavers opted out of job hunting and instead enrolled for further study or went travelling after graduating, in the hope that employment prospects would be better when they returned.
"Our latest survey of final years students shows that confidence in the graduate job market is finally improving."
Universities Minister David Willetts said: "I am pleased to see indications of increasing confidence in the graduate employment market.
"As this report demonstrates, graduates are rising to the challenge of a difficult market with a record number making early job applications. A degree remains a good investment and is one of the best pathways to achieving a good job and rewarding career.
"Improving information for prospective students about what they can expect at university and from their degrees is a key part of our future plans for higher education."
Source: Sean Coughlan, BBC.co.uk, Wednesday 18th May 2011
Tuesday 17 May 2011
Graduates fail to land graduate jobs
Six in 10 of those who graduated in the past three years have not found a graduate job, according to research from talent management provider SHL.
The survey, which polled 1,000 recent graduates and 350 graduate recruiters, also finds 40% would not have gone to university if they had to pay £9k fees each year. Almost three in four (73%) of graduates would consider moving abroad to find work, with better salary the main driver.
Sean Howard, vice-president business solutions, SHL, says: “The UK is failing its graduates. School leavers are faced with difficult decisions, not only has the cost of going to university risen, but UK employment options are bleak.
“Understandably our graduates are open to the idea of seeking their career abroad and the UK industry is faced with a potential brain drain. If the government won’t reconsider the tuition fees, our recruiters need to reconsider their hiring criteria.”
The survey, which polled 1,000 recent graduates and 350 graduate recruiters, also finds 40% would not have gone to university if they had to pay £9k fees each year. Almost three in four (73%) of graduates would consider moving abroad to find work, with better salary the main driver.
Sean Howard, vice-president business solutions, SHL, says: “The UK is failing its graduates. School leavers are faced with difficult decisions, not only has the cost of going to university risen, but UK employment options are bleak.
“Understandably our graduates are open to the idea of seeking their career abroad and the UK industry is faced with a potential brain drain. If the government won’t reconsider the tuition fees, our recruiters need to reconsider their hiring criteria.”
Source: Recruiter.co.uk, Tuesday 17th May 2011
Monday 16 May 2011
Graduate job seekers more likely to utilise social media
Two recent surveys have come up with contrasting results on whether job seekers in the UK are using social media to find employment.
The Kelly Global Workforce Survey has revealed that only 20% of UK job seekers use social media to find work; making them amongst the least likely in the world to do so.
However a poll by graduate careers website WikiJob found that around two thirds of its users are on Linkedin, suggesting that graduates are more familiar with the job seeking potential of social media than the wider UK population.
The Kelly Global Workforce Survey found that only 20% of British job seekers search for jobs on social media networks and only 1% of those surveyed had obtained a job through social networking. This places Britain 25th in the Kelly Workforce Survey’s global rankings.
In contrast WikiJob’s poll showed that around 63% of respondents are on Linkedin. This suggests that graduates, who are more familiar with social media, are more willing to use it as a job seeking tool. These graduates may be more aware of the potential of social media as both a form of self advertisement and a way of networking with employers.
Ed Mellett, co-founder of WikiJob, said: ‘These results are evidence of the way in which graduates may have an advantage as the employment landscape changes. HR managers and recruiters generally agree that using social media can be an extremely fruitful job seeking method. More and more employers are utilising social media to find out more about applicants before the interview process. Networking online will give graduates access to an otherwise hidden job market, and the results from our user poll indicate it is likely that a large proportion of graduates are already actively pursuing these opportunities. Maintaining a professional presence on Linkedin, Twitter and Facebook will give graduates job seekers a major advantage.’
The Kelly Global Workforce Survey has revealed that only 20% of UK job seekers use social media to find work; making them amongst the least likely in the world to do so.
However a poll by graduate careers website WikiJob found that around two thirds of its users are on Linkedin, suggesting that graduates are more familiar with the job seeking potential of social media than the wider UK population.
The Kelly Global Workforce Survey found that only 20% of British job seekers search for jobs on social media networks and only 1% of those surveyed had obtained a job through social networking. This places Britain 25th in the Kelly Workforce Survey’s global rankings.
In contrast WikiJob’s poll showed that around 63% of respondents are on Linkedin. This suggests that graduates, who are more familiar with social media, are more willing to use it as a job seeking tool. These graduates may be more aware of the potential of social media as both a form of self advertisement and a way of networking with employers.
Ed Mellett, co-founder of WikiJob, said: ‘These results are evidence of the way in which graduates may have an advantage as the employment landscape changes. HR managers and recruiters generally agree that using social media can be an extremely fruitful job seeking method. More and more employers are utilising social media to find out more about applicants before the interview process. Networking online will give graduates access to an otherwise hidden job market, and the results from our user poll indicate it is likely that a large proportion of graduates are already actively pursuing these opportunities. Maintaining a professional presence on Linkedin, Twitter and Facebook will give graduates job seekers a major advantage.’
Source: Onrec.com, Monday 16th May 2011
Sunday 15 May 2011
People with more than one job 'mustn't let their standards slip'
People who turn to second jobs in order to boost their income must be careful they don't let their standards slip in their main role, according to a career guidance expert.
Denise Taylor, author of How to Get a Job in a Recession, suggested employers may not be very lenient in letting poor performances due to job-juggling go.
It was revealed recently by the same firm that increasing numbers of people have to take more than one job to make ends meet. For university-leavers, this could include one graduate placement and one job that pays more money.
"If you do end up doing two jobs, it's a case of being a bit quiet about the second job in your main job and making sure, if people are aware of it, that you don't let your standards slip," Ms Taylor explained.
"Even if it is not because of the second job, if you are not putting the 100 per cent in that you were doing in the past people will connect the two."
A survey by Santander Mortgages found recently that 28 per cent of first-time buyers are now taking on second jobs or overtime to boost their deposit fund.
It was revealed recently by the same firm that increasing numbers of people have to take more than one job to make ends meet. For university-leavers, this could include one graduate placement and one job that pays more money.
"If you do end up doing two jobs, it's a case of being a bit quiet about the second job in your main job and making sure, if people are aware of it, that you don't let your standards slip," Ms Taylor explained.
"Even if it is not because of the second job, if you are not putting the 100 per cent in that you were doing in the past people will connect the two."
A survey by Santander Mortgages found recently that 28 per cent of first-time buyers are now taking on second jobs or overtime to boost their deposit fund.
Source: Gradplus.com, Friday 13th May 2011
Saturday 14 May 2011
Graduate view: 200 rejection letters and counting
After being turned down - or just plain ignored - for 200 job applications, Rosie Percy asks what has a graduate got to do to get noticed?
A year ago I was still a student, clawing my way through my final year in an attempt to rectify the previous months of oversleeping and under working. The last few months of my studies were a blur of scrawled notes and endless research, and the biggest obstacle I faced was battling the occasional all-consuming hangover. However I was urged on through the long slog by the chorus of 'it'll all be worth it in the end' chirped at me by hopeful parents and lecturers desperate to keep up their stellar pass rate.
I was promised that the hard work and 4am bedtimes would be worth the degree earned at the end which would be my fast-track golden ticket to my dream career, so I kept my eyes patiently focused on the promises of freedom and success that glimmered on the horizon.
Fast forward to present day and I'm a graduate going nowhere; I'm employed in a monotonous, mind-numbing temping role despite submitting and promptly getting rejected from more than 200 jobs.
Despite my optimism level reaching a dangerous low, I still start each application with a deep breath, a renewed sense of positivity and the fresh hope that maybe this time will be different.
For every 30 applications I receive one generic rejection and the rest are ignored. My inbox now almost gives me a sympathetic smile and braces for the worst each time I excitedly open an email from a prospective employer. From my endless applications I have only received feedback twice which vaguely informs me that the company loved my personality, but they've selected someone with more experience. Companies often generate an automated response informing me that I have not been successful on this occasion, and cannot provide any further feedback at this time – without any advice on how to progress, how should I know what I'm doing wrong?
In the hope of improving my chances I signed up for instant job alerts, joined endless recruitment agencies and use Twitter to follow media recruiters to hopefully spot a golden opportunity, but to no avail. These sites provide more opportunities, but I'm still knocked back from them without so much as a 'no thank you'.
I emerge from the settling dust generated by my constant crazed job search and find myself asking why I am so easy to reject and where is the job that I was always promised was waiting for me?
I come to the conclusion that it must be one of two things: either my deodorant has stopped working or my application's aren't up to scratch.
Bouncing back from countless rejections is difficult, but after realising that an hour spent face down in a gallon of Haagen Dazs isn't helping my career or my waistline, I decide to take action and start with the root cause of potential problems – my CV.
More than just a Word document, a great CV is the Holy Grail that every graduate aspires to and hopes will lead to a brighter, better career. To develop a CV that would hopefully grab potential employers by the gonads and shout 'HIRE ME' like it should do, I began to adapt my CV to suit each application individually.
I had already listed my personal details and had underlined the relativity and extent of my experience, but now adapted the content to reflect my passion for fashion when applying for a retail role, my love of broadcasting when applying to television roles and so forth. This isn't a case of 'padding out' a CV to hopefully blag a role that you have skills for, but honing the content to suit a specific job and highlight the attributes required for the role. I now have a saved selection of specific-to-sector CV's that are ready submission at a moment's notice and should have hopefully helped me rise above the swelling sea of graduates applying for the same position by now.
However despite my best efforts to overcome rejection and adapt my applications, I find myself still crawling through the unending swamp of unanswered emails and generic job sites in the hope that my efforts won't go unrewarded. The thought enters my mind that the next step to get noticed may be to waltz into an employer's office with my CV painted across my naked flesh, but even then I'm sure they'd find fault in the fact that my employment history is slightly obscured by my bum-crack and would usher me out quietly and assure me that they would keep my details on file for six months.
I have received reams of messages from those who find themselves in the same post-study slump as I, and are all doing their utmost to appeal to employers and excel above the others. However when we try our hardest to overcome the rejections and try to fight our way to an interview but are still ignored, we're finding ourselves all posing the same question: what's a graduate have to do?
Source: Rosie Percy, Guardian.co.uk, Friday 13th May 2011
A year ago I was still a student, clawing my way through my final year in an attempt to rectify the previous months of oversleeping and under working. The last few months of my studies were a blur of scrawled notes and endless research, and the biggest obstacle I faced was battling the occasional all-consuming hangover. However I was urged on through the long slog by the chorus of 'it'll all be worth it in the end' chirped at me by hopeful parents and lecturers desperate to keep up their stellar pass rate.
I was promised that the hard work and 4am bedtimes would be worth the degree earned at the end which would be my fast-track golden ticket to my dream career, so I kept my eyes patiently focused on the promises of freedom and success that glimmered on the horizon.
Fast forward to present day and I'm a graduate going nowhere; I'm employed in a monotonous, mind-numbing temping role despite submitting and promptly getting rejected from more than 200 jobs.
Despite my optimism level reaching a dangerous low, I still start each application with a deep breath, a renewed sense of positivity and the fresh hope that maybe this time will be different.
For every 30 applications I receive one generic rejection and the rest are ignored. My inbox now almost gives me a sympathetic smile and braces for the worst each time I excitedly open an email from a prospective employer. From my endless applications I have only received feedback twice which vaguely informs me that the company loved my personality, but they've selected someone with more experience. Companies often generate an automated response informing me that I have not been successful on this occasion, and cannot provide any further feedback at this time – without any advice on how to progress, how should I know what I'm doing wrong?
In the hope of improving my chances I signed up for instant job alerts, joined endless recruitment agencies and use Twitter to follow media recruiters to hopefully spot a golden opportunity, but to no avail. These sites provide more opportunities, but I'm still knocked back from them without so much as a 'no thank you'.
I emerge from the settling dust generated by my constant crazed job search and find myself asking why I am so easy to reject and where is the job that I was always promised was waiting for me?
I come to the conclusion that it must be one of two things: either my deodorant has stopped working or my application's aren't up to scratch.
Bouncing back from countless rejections is difficult, but after realising that an hour spent face down in a gallon of Haagen Dazs isn't helping my career or my waistline, I decide to take action and start with the root cause of potential problems – my CV.
More than just a Word document, a great CV is the Holy Grail that every graduate aspires to and hopes will lead to a brighter, better career. To develop a CV that would hopefully grab potential employers by the gonads and shout 'HIRE ME' like it should do, I began to adapt my CV to suit each application individually.
I had already listed my personal details and had underlined the relativity and extent of my experience, but now adapted the content to reflect my passion for fashion when applying for a retail role, my love of broadcasting when applying to television roles and so forth. This isn't a case of 'padding out' a CV to hopefully blag a role that you have skills for, but honing the content to suit a specific job and highlight the attributes required for the role. I now have a saved selection of specific-to-sector CV's that are ready submission at a moment's notice and should have hopefully helped me rise above the swelling sea of graduates applying for the same position by now.
However despite my best efforts to overcome rejection and adapt my applications, I find myself still crawling through the unending swamp of unanswered emails and generic job sites in the hope that my efforts won't go unrewarded. The thought enters my mind that the next step to get noticed may be to waltz into an employer's office with my CV painted across my naked flesh, but even then I'm sure they'd find fault in the fact that my employment history is slightly obscured by my bum-crack and would usher me out quietly and assure me that they would keep my details on file for six months.
I have received reams of messages from those who find themselves in the same post-study slump as I, and are all doing their utmost to appeal to employers and excel above the others. However when we try our hardest to overcome the rejections and try to fight our way to an interview but are still ignored, we're finding ourselves all posing the same question: what's a graduate have to do?
Source: Rosie Percy, Guardian.co.uk, Friday 13th May 2011
Friday 13 May 2011
Are graduate jobs becoming more accessible?
It seems that despite three million people in the UK being unemployed, the chances of finding a job after graduating from university have actually increased, despite recent trends.
Legal recruitment, for example, has shown signs of an increase in demand: we have seen that even the law firms that once didn't offer any training contracts two years ago are beginning to recruit again. Equally, the graduates that had to be deferred are now finally starting contracts agreed before the recession hit. It is important to remember that the competition for law work is intense and the squeeze on job vacancies hasn't helped this problem. For those who may not have received the job they wanted, positions as a paralegal are in good supply; a job that gives graduates good practical experience in the field of law.
For graduates once worried that the blood, sweat and tears in earning a degree would be for nothing, then, there is some hope that their effort wouldn't have been for nothing. Other sectors have also enjoyed a rise in job vacancies, many of which are being tailored to those first entering the world of work. There have been increases in employment opportunities in sectors as diverse as engineering and marketing, for example.
The media industry has also become slightly more welcoming to prospective journalists thanks to the boom in online media. The prospects for graduates attempting to obtain a career in the media industry are now arguably better than they ever have been. With the influence of social media particularly prominent, journalism as a sector is beginning to explore new ways of connecting with readers. As a result, the training that new reporters will have received in the world of online writing will come into good use for the new job positions appearing.
Firms are requiring PR assistants, trainee editors, website designers, junior copywriters, trainee graphic designers and more to take on roles that have developed as the way the media operates has changed. This once again has been influenced by the prominence of new communication platforms such as the Internet in society. It would appear that the smaller media agencies are seriously considering the recruitment of graduates so their businesses can better handle the intense daily workloads of current employees in their job.
It's certainly worth mentioning, however, that the public sector seems to be the outcast. Most industries are beginning to take on new graduates, but with a new government, new policy and the uncertain future of many public institutions, the prospects for graduates in the public sector are not quite as forward-looking as others.
Some public sector organisations are choosing to postpone their graduate jobs schemes, while others are recruiting for the following year without even considering whether or not the organisation actually has a future. Many quangos have faced the axe, so employment is a rather sore topic for the bosses of these institutions.
The government has announced, however, that recruitment will continue in the civil service for the following year, despite there being uncertainty over the final numbers of job vacancies which will be available.
On the other hand, retail is showing perhaps some of the most promising prospects for staff recruitment. As we find ourselves leaving the global economic slump, spending has increased and businesses are leaving behind the difficult times of the recession. Of course, with increased spending we see better stability in the retail world and hence an increase in jobs.
What will be interesting to see is how well large retail firms recover and how many people they recruit to begin dealing with the sector's ever-growing online presence; we've seen over the last few years that online shopping has become nearly as large as store-based retail, and hence more people are going to be required to deal with networking, infrastructure and online sales and marketing.
If you are finding the prospect of employment a challenge, freelancer websites give you access to thousands of jobs that align with your skill set for a monthly subscription. Using these services, you can generate your own work, and establish a reputation for yourself that will be an impressive addition to the CV. Also, with the help and support available from many charities and voluntary organisations, creating a small business might be easier than you think.
The fact is, for graduates, even finding part time jobs is becoming that little bit easier. That said; you shouldn't be complacent about finding a job just yet. The best thing to do is to keep searching and to ensure all of your options are left as open as possible. Good luck!
Source: Johnogroat-journal.co.uk, Friday 13th May 2011
Legal recruitment, for example, has shown signs of an increase in demand: we have seen that even the law firms that once didn't offer any training contracts two years ago are beginning to recruit again. Equally, the graduates that had to be deferred are now finally starting contracts agreed before the recession hit. It is important to remember that the competition for law work is intense and the squeeze on job vacancies hasn't helped this problem. For those who may not have received the job they wanted, positions as a paralegal are in good supply; a job that gives graduates good practical experience in the field of law.
For graduates once worried that the blood, sweat and tears in earning a degree would be for nothing, then, there is some hope that their effort wouldn't have been for nothing. Other sectors have also enjoyed a rise in job vacancies, many of which are being tailored to those first entering the world of work. There have been increases in employment opportunities in sectors as diverse as engineering and marketing, for example.
The media industry has also become slightly more welcoming to prospective journalists thanks to the boom in online media. The prospects for graduates attempting to obtain a career in the media industry are now arguably better than they ever have been. With the influence of social media particularly prominent, journalism as a sector is beginning to explore new ways of connecting with readers. As a result, the training that new reporters will have received in the world of online writing will come into good use for the new job positions appearing.
Firms are requiring PR assistants, trainee editors, website designers, junior copywriters, trainee graphic designers and more to take on roles that have developed as the way the media operates has changed. This once again has been influenced by the prominence of new communication platforms such as the Internet in society. It would appear that the smaller media agencies are seriously considering the recruitment of graduates so their businesses can better handle the intense daily workloads of current employees in their job.
It's certainly worth mentioning, however, that the public sector seems to be the outcast. Most industries are beginning to take on new graduates, but with a new government, new policy and the uncertain future of many public institutions, the prospects for graduates in the public sector are not quite as forward-looking as others.
Some public sector organisations are choosing to postpone their graduate jobs schemes, while others are recruiting for the following year without even considering whether or not the organisation actually has a future. Many quangos have faced the axe, so employment is a rather sore topic for the bosses of these institutions.
The government has announced, however, that recruitment will continue in the civil service for the following year, despite there being uncertainty over the final numbers of job vacancies which will be available.
On the other hand, retail is showing perhaps some of the most promising prospects for staff recruitment. As we find ourselves leaving the global economic slump, spending has increased and businesses are leaving behind the difficult times of the recession. Of course, with increased spending we see better stability in the retail world and hence an increase in jobs.
What will be interesting to see is how well large retail firms recover and how many people they recruit to begin dealing with the sector's ever-growing online presence; we've seen over the last few years that online shopping has become nearly as large as store-based retail, and hence more people are going to be required to deal with networking, infrastructure and online sales and marketing.
If you are finding the prospect of employment a challenge, freelancer websites give you access to thousands of jobs that align with your skill set for a monthly subscription. Using these services, you can generate your own work, and establish a reputation for yourself that will be an impressive addition to the CV. Also, with the help and support available from many charities and voluntary organisations, creating a small business might be easier than you think.
The fact is, for graduates, even finding part time jobs is becoming that little bit easier. That said; you shouldn't be complacent about finding a job just yet. The best thing to do is to keep searching and to ensure all of your options are left as open as possible. Good luck!
Source: Johnogroat-journal.co.uk, Friday 13th May 2011
Thursday 12 May 2011
More graduates taking low-skill jobs
University leavers are increasingly taking non-graduate jobs, according to research.
Six months after leaving university, about 40% of last year's graduates were "underemployed" in lower-skilled jobs, up from about 30% four years before. The research, published by the Association of Accounting Technicians, says new graduates have been among the worst hit by the economic downturn.
A degree remains a "good investment", says a government spokesman. The research, carried out by the Centre for Economics and Business Research, forecasts a worsening jobs market for graduates who will leave this summer.
Higher fees
It warns that 55% of the next wave of university leavers will either be working in non-graduate jobs, or will be unemployed, six months after they finish at university. The report says this raises doubts about the financial value of degrees. "If we are asking people to invest £9,000 a year on tuition fees, they should expect a credible return on that investment," said Jane Scott Paul, the association's chief executive.
The report concludes that "many university subjects are offering very poor returns in terms of improved job prospects". The analysis looks at what it says is the growing trend for "underemployment", in which graduates are in low-skilled jobs where a degree is not required.
Four years ago, there were 32% of university leavers in low-skilled jobs six months after graduating. The study forecasts that this will rise to 42%, for graduates leaving this summer.
Subject to change
There are variations between different subject areas, with history and philosophy graduates are most likely to be "underemployed". Graduates in medicine, dentistry and veterinary science are the most likely to be in graduate employment.
The report also looks at graduate unemployment - warning that since the financial crash of 2008 "unemployment among new graduates has risen drastically". The figure for those without jobs six months after graduating has risen from about 11% in 2007 to 20% for those graduating in 2010.
The study estimates that about 59,000 of last year's graduates have not found jobs, and that unemployment among new graduates is rising to levels not seen since the mid-1990s. However the study shows that over a longer period graduates are still less likely to be unemployed compared to the national average.
Recent graduate job surveys have suggested that the employment market has begun to improve, after a deep decline during the financial downturn. The Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR) reported a growth in job vacancies earlier this year after "many months of misery for graduates".
But competition remains intense - with the AGR reporting that last summer many graduate employers were setting a 2:1 degree grade as a minimum entry level. A spokesman for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills said: "A degree is a good investment and is one of the best pathways to achieving a good job and rewarding career.
"Not only do employers prize the highly-developed skills and talents graduates can bring to their businesses, but research has shown that graduates earn, on average, more than £100,000 more over their working life."
Source: Sean Coughlan - BBC News Education Correspondent - 12th May 2011
Wednesday 11 May 2011
Job market for MBA graduates greatly improved
MBA students have reason to celebrate this year as the job market continues to improve and recruiters predict a substantial increase in hiring of business school graduates.
Though the news was widely expected, confirmation from the latest recruiter survey by GMAC, the Graduate Management Admissions Council, will allay many of the concerns experienced by MBA programme directors in recent years.
GMAC’s corporate recruiter survey shows that MBA hiring is up 5 per cent over 2010, to 67 per cent. Recruitment is particularly strong in the finance, accounting, manufacturing and energy sectors, according to the report.
The other good news is that salaries are up, especially in Europe. The salaries offered by European recruiters to new MBA recruits is $91,693, marginally higher than the $91,433 offered by US recruiters.
Participants on MBA programmes echo the optimism. More than half (54 per cent) had at least one job offer at the time the GMAC research was conducted in March, several weeks before graduation. This compares to 32 per cent of respondents to the 2010 survey. But there are regional variations. Students in the Asia-Pacific region were the most likely to have received job offers (67 per cent) compared to 54 per cent in the US.
The corporate recruiter report surveyed 1,509 participants in 905 companies in 51 countries. The graduate survey was compiled from nearly 5,000 (4,794) graduating masters level business students (88 per cent of whom were MBAs) at 156 business schools. Some 80 per cent of the business schools were in the US, as were 65 per cent of the respondents.
Though the news was widely expected, confirmation from the latest recruiter survey by GMAC, the Graduate Management Admissions Council, will allay many of the concerns experienced by MBA programme directors in recent years.
GMAC’s corporate recruiter survey shows that MBA hiring is up 5 per cent over 2010, to 67 per cent. Recruitment is particularly strong in the finance, accounting, manufacturing and energy sectors, according to the report.
The other good news is that salaries are up, especially in Europe. The salaries offered by European recruiters to new MBA recruits is $91,693, marginally higher than the $91,433 offered by US recruiters.
Participants on MBA programmes echo the optimism. More than half (54 per cent) had at least one job offer at the time the GMAC research was conducted in March, several weeks before graduation. This compares to 32 per cent of respondents to the 2010 survey. But there are regional variations. Students in the Asia-Pacific region were the most likely to have received job offers (67 per cent) compared to 54 per cent in the US.
The corporate recruiter report surveyed 1,509 participants in 905 companies in 51 countries. The graduate survey was compiled from nearly 5,000 (4,794) graduating masters level business students (88 per cent of whom were MBAs) at 156 business schools. Some 80 per cent of the business schools were in the US, as were 65 per cent of the respondents.
Source: Della Bradshaw, FT.com, Tuesday 10th May 2011
Tuesday 10 May 2011
UK’s economic recovery set to continue in 2011
The UK economy is forecast to show continued growth throughout 2011 according to the Director of the confederation of British industry
John Cridland, The director-general of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said the recovery for the UK from recession will be ‘modest, patchy, difficult and rather bumpy’. With many graduate jobs frozen, many graduates hope that 2011 would be a good year for strong growth yet John Cridland believes;
“Although there are a number of risks to the UK’s economic outlook we continue to expect that the recovery will make further headway this year and next – but the pace will be sluggish.”
He also went on to say that the economy is ‘battling headwinds’ from necessary government cuts and household budgets. John Cridland believes that the Chancellors plans were the right ones, the methods to reduce the deficit were imperative to stabilising the economy.
GDP growth rate is predicted to be 1.7% and growth expected to be around 2.2% for 2012, Recent reports have outlined that businesses are increasingly optimistic about the economy and sales in the UK services sector have risen to the highest level in over a year.
The CBI also predicted that domestic spending will increase as wages rise and inflation falls owing to wage freezes since the start of the recession.
John Cridland, The director-general of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said the recovery for the UK from recession will be ‘modest, patchy, difficult and rather bumpy’. With many graduate jobs frozen, many graduates hope that 2011 would be a good year for strong growth yet John Cridland believes;
“Although there are a number of risks to the UK’s economic outlook we continue to expect that the recovery will make further headway this year and next – but the pace will be sluggish.”
He also went on to say that the economy is ‘battling headwinds’ from necessary government cuts and household budgets. John Cridland believes that the Chancellors plans were the right ones, the methods to reduce the deficit were imperative to stabilising the economy.
GDP growth rate is predicted to be 1.7% and growth expected to be around 2.2% for 2012, Recent reports have outlined that businesses are increasingly optimistic about the economy and sales in the UK services sector have risen to the highest level in over a year.
The CBI also predicted that domestic spending will increase as wages rise and inflation falls owing to wage freezes since the start of the recession.
Source: Pareto.co.uk, Tuesday 10th May 2011
Monday 9 May 2011
Maths graduate who couldn't get a job scoops £800,000 win after turning to poker
A jobless economics graduate has had the last laugh on employers who turned him down by winning more than £800,000 in a top poker tournament.
24-year-old Rupert Elder hoped to become a computer programmer or a stock market trader after finishing his studies at Warwick University.
24-year-old Rupert Elder hoped to become a computer programmer or a stock market trader after finishing his studies at Warwick University.
But after failing to land a job he turned his favourite pastime into a career by becoming a professional poker player.
Now the former student has scooped a huge £828,000 jackpot by winning a European Poker Tour tournament in San Remo, Italy.
Yet the stunning success has not gone to his head - for he has only bought a £75 hoodie with his life-changing prize money.
The Maths whizz is now set to take the poker world by storm, despite a rocky start to his career.
'I first started playing when I was in Sixth Form college when I was 16 or 17, but I was terrible,' he said.
'For maybe the first three years I played I was definitely a losing player.
'When I went to Warwick University, I studied Economics, but I use the word "studied" in the loosest way possible, since I spent a lot of time playing poker and only ended up with a pass degree.
'I wanted to be a programmer or a trader, but after applying to jobs no-one wanted me.
'After graduating, I decided to turn pro. My parents were fine with it, but I think my dad always hopes that I will get a 'real' job one day.'
Rupert became a regular winner playing online, before taking part in live tournaments all over the world.
After live success in Macau, Estonia, France and the Philippines in 2010 he won £8,000 at a tournament in Berlin this year.
Just two weeks later he headed to Italy for the biggest tournament of his life.
'Going into San Remo, I thought I had as much of a chance as I did in previous events,' he said.
'To win the tournament just felt awesome, especially since it was a larger than normal field.
'But I didn't go too wild when I took down the cash, I just went for a few beers and a barbecue with lots of friends.'
The frugal poker champion added: 'I just want to concentrate on improving my game, play in more European Poker Tour events, and play big cash games online.
'There are lots of great things about being a poker pro, the freedom, travelling the world, making good money.
'But it has its downsides too. Having to turn up at 12pm every day and play until late, always being on the road and losing lots of money from time to time.
'I've had big wins in online games, taking down £6,000 in one day, but there have been days when I've lost £2,000.'
Even though single Rupert has tasted the champagne lifestyle of an international poker champion, he still lives with his parents in the house he grew up in Bury St Edmunds.
'We're just a regular family,' he said.
'No-one else in the family plays poker, my sister's got the brains and is studying for a PhD at Cambridge. My dad David is self-employed and sells farm weighing equipment.
'My mum looks after us all. She even does all my washing every time I come home!'
Now the former student has scooped a huge £828,000 jackpot by winning a European Poker Tour tournament in San Remo, Italy.
Yet the stunning success has not gone to his head - for he has only bought a £75 hoodie with his life-changing prize money.
The Maths whizz is now set to take the poker world by storm, despite a rocky start to his career.
'I first started playing when I was in Sixth Form college when I was 16 or 17, but I was terrible,' he said.
'For maybe the first three years I played I was definitely a losing player.
'When I went to Warwick University, I studied Economics, but I use the word "studied" in the loosest way possible, since I spent a lot of time playing poker and only ended up with a pass degree.
'I wanted to be a programmer or a trader, but after applying to jobs no-one wanted me.
'After graduating, I decided to turn pro. My parents were fine with it, but I think my dad always hopes that I will get a 'real' job one day.'
Rupert became a regular winner playing online, before taking part in live tournaments all over the world.
After live success in Macau, Estonia, France and the Philippines in 2010 he won £8,000 at a tournament in Berlin this year.
Just two weeks later he headed to Italy for the biggest tournament of his life.
'Going into San Remo, I thought I had as much of a chance as I did in previous events,' he said.
'To win the tournament just felt awesome, especially since it was a larger than normal field.
'But I didn't go too wild when I took down the cash, I just went for a few beers and a barbecue with lots of friends.'
The frugal poker champion added: 'I just want to concentrate on improving my game, play in more European Poker Tour events, and play big cash games online.
'There are lots of great things about being a poker pro, the freedom, travelling the world, making good money.
'But it has its downsides too. Having to turn up at 12pm every day and play until late, always being on the road and losing lots of money from time to time.
'I've had big wins in online games, taking down £6,000 in one day, but there have been days when I've lost £2,000.'
Even though single Rupert has tasted the champagne lifestyle of an international poker champion, he still lives with his parents in the house he grew up in Bury St Edmunds.
'We're just a regular family,' he said.
'No-one else in the family plays poker, my sister's got the brains and is studying for a PhD at Cambridge. My dad David is self-employed and sells farm weighing equipment.
'My mum looks after us all. She even does all my washing every time I come home!'
Source: DailyMail.co.uk, Monday 9th May 2011
Sunday 8 May 2011
FDM Group continues to battle Catch-22 Culture
Following Nick Clegg’s criticism of unpaid internships and their impact on social mobility, a national debate on what is often the only option for graduates has ensued.
According to a YouGov survey carried out on behalf of Internocracy, 17% of businesses confessed to using interns as a form of cheap labour throughout the recession, despite the fact that 95% of the UK managers who responded agreed that interns were "useful to their organisation."
But not all companies are seeking to exploit bright graduates throughout this time of economic turmoil.
Award winning international IT services provider FDM Group works to overcome the Catch-22 hurdle of qualifications without experience that so many University leavers face.
Sheila Flavell, Chief Operating Officer at FDM said, “Here at FDM we realise how difficult it is for graduates, especially those seeking to break into the IT sector, to land a paid role without experience. Our aim is to bridge this gap between academia and employment aiding graduates with valuable skills as well as paid experience.“
Not only does the company offer a fast track 12-16 week training programme which provides graduates with practical qualifications, FDM also works to place graduates into roles within one or more of the 200 blue chip companies it is proud to call clients.
Brian Pitts said, “Although I had good academic qualifications, I found it very difficult to get the kind of development job I wanted without work experience. FDM provided both the training and the experience I needed. I’ve worked in roles that I’d never be able to get without FDM’s backing.”
But what makes FDM’s ethos stand out from the crowd is its ability to offer graduates the stability of a competitive salary for 2 years once training is complete and a placement has been achieved.
The company, which has launched over 2,500 graduate careers to date, now also offers a fully funded MSc in Applied Computer Science in partnership with the University of Brighton. This latest initiative further aids passionate graduates in achieving valuable qualifications whilst working within prestigious companies and receiving a worthy salary.
Source: Gradplus.com, Friday 6th May 2011
According to a YouGov survey carried out on behalf of Internocracy, 17% of businesses confessed to using interns as a form of cheap labour throughout the recession, despite the fact that 95% of the UK managers who responded agreed that interns were "useful to their organisation."
But not all companies are seeking to exploit bright graduates throughout this time of economic turmoil.
Award winning international IT services provider FDM Group works to overcome the Catch-22 hurdle of qualifications without experience that so many University leavers face.
Sheila Flavell, Chief Operating Officer at FDM said, “Here at FDM we realise how difficult it is for graduates, especially those seeking to break into the IT sector, to land a paid role without experience. Our aim is to bridge this gap between academia and employment aiding graduates with valuable skills as well as paid experience.“
Not only does the company offer a fast track 12-16 week training programme which provides graduates with practical qualifications, FDM also works to place graduates into roles within one or more of the 200 blue chip companies it is proud to call clients.
Brian Pitts said, “Although I had good academic qualifications, I found it very difficult to get the kind of development job I wanted without work experience. FDM provided both the training and the experience I needed. I’ve worked in roles that I’d never be able to get without FDM’s backing.”
But what makes FDM’s ethos stand out from the crowd is its ability to offer graduates the stability of a competitive salary for 2 years once training is complete and a placement has been achieved.
The company, which has launched over 2,500 graduate careers to date, now also offers a fully funded MSc in Applied Computer Science in partnership with the University of Brighton. This latest initiative further aids passionate graduates in achieving valuable qualifications whilst working within prestigious companies and receiving a worthy salary.
Source: Gradplus.com, Friday 6th May 2011
Saturday 7 May 2011
Kenexa wins contract to recruit 500 graduates per year for Standard Chartered Bank
International bank uses Kenexa’s global recruitment expertise to appoint its next generation of leaders.
Kenexa (NASDAQ:KNXA), a global provider of business solutions for human resources, is helping Standard Chartered Bank, the emerging markets bank, to recruit 500 graduates per year in 30 countries across Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
The multi-language, multi-location recruitment initiative will help the bank to select candidates for two graduate intake programmes: a two-year international management programme, for the future leaders of six business functions in the bank, and a one-year fast-track programme for relationship managers in local countries.
"To help us become the world’s best international bank, we want to recruit graduates from different backgrounds who have the potential to be great future people, product and thought leaders and who can deliver great customer service,” said Eden Britt, Head of Talent Acquisition for Consumer Banking at Standard Chartered.
Greg Barber, Head of MA and Graduate Talent Acquisition at Standard Chartered, said: "Kenexa’s global capability will help us to reduce our hiring costs, improve our recruitment process and ensure that we achieve greater consistency over the quality of the candidates we hire. Through their research and leadership work in emerging markets, they have a great understanding of which applicants are likely to be the best fit for our business. Their service will also help us to provide an improved recruitment experience for candidates.”
Kenexa will recruit around 300 candidates per year for the bank’s International Graduate programme, which aims to develop future leaders in the consumer banking, wholesale banking, finance, human resources, corporate real estate services and group internal audit functions.
"Our strategic focus is to continue our growth in Asia, Africa and the Middle East,” said Greg Barber. "Kenexa will help us to appoint top level graduates who can work in international teams in these exciting and high growth markets. This programme is a springboard to becoming a future leader of the bank.”
A further 200 graduates will be recruited for the fast-track consumer banking programme.
"Frontline leaders are critical to the success of consumer banking,” said Eden Britt. "Kenexa will help us to recruit local undergraduates who will become 'bankers’ in their own country. We’re looking for relationship builders who can empathise and engage with customers and lead teams. They will become the face of the bank in their local community.”
For each intake programme, candidates apply online through the bank’s website. They undertake online assessments including logical and numerical reasoning tests and personality profiling. Kenexa analyses the results of these assessments and conducts an initial telephone screening interview. A shortlist of qualified candidates is then passed back to the bank for the final stage of the process, which usually includes a face-to-face interview, further assessments and group exercises.
Amanda Wu, Operations Director at Kenexa, said: “The challenge of hiring graduates is that on the surface they all have great qualifications and there is little to distinguish between them. Our role is to help Standard Chartered to identify who the best candidates are and, at the same time, to save the bank time, effort and money in its recruitment.”
Source: Gradplus.com, Thursday 5th May 2011
Friday 6 May 2011
Jobs to be created in Kent if energy centre approved
Hundreds of green jobs, possibly including graduate vacancies, could be created in Kent if plans for a green energy centre are approved.
The development, which is proposed for a site in Richborough, near Sandwich, will include a recycling centre, a 'sludge plant' and a plastic processing yard, according to the This is Kent website.
Before the centre opens, hundred of jobs will be created in the construction industry, while there will be 60 green job vacancies opening once the energy park gets up and running.
Gary Lever, the development director for BFL Management, who commissioned the plan, told the news provider that he hopes the public will support the building.
"At this stage we are very keen to ensure our plans and aspirations for the site are drawn up in conjunction with Kent County Council and the local authorities, Thanet and Dover, as well as local residents and interest groups," he said.
Last month, the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering said it is "vital" that the government continues to show commitment to environmentally-friendly schemes such as the green investment bank.
Source: Gradplus.com, Thursday 5th May 2011
The development, which is proposed for a site in Richborough, near Sandwich, will include a recycling centre, a 'sludge plant' and a plastic processing yard, according to the This is Kent website.
Before the centre opens, hundred of jobs will be created in the construction industry, while there will be 60 green job vacancies opening once the energy park gets up and running.
Gary Lever, the development director for BFL Management, who commissioned the plan, told the news provider that he hopes the public will support the building.
"At this stage we are very keen to ensure our plans and aspirations for the site are drawn up in conjunction with Kent County Council and the local authorities, Thanet and Dover, as well as local residents and interest groups," he said.
Last month, the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering said it is "vital" that the government continues to show commitment to environmentally-friendly schemes such as the green investment bank.
Source: Gradplus.com, Thursday 5th May 2011
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)