Key Issues

Light at the End of the Tunnel – Advice to Graduates in Testing Times

With news of jobs cuts and a salary freezes, graduates are naturally worried about their prospects in 2009. It is admittedly tougher to get your first career break than a few years ago, but the years of study will not go to waste if you heed advice from recruiters on how to stand out from the crowd.

Business as usual
The recent Association of Graduate Recruiters Winter Review found that over 80% of employers are continuing 'business as usual' on their graduate recruitment drive, with only a few recruiters expected to decrease numbers on their graduate programme. With an expected 8.3% rise in jobs, the engineering sector is set to be popular this year.

Many employers understand the need to keep their talent pool topped up. In the last recession in 2002/03 many halted their graduate training schemes, which had serious implications when the economy recovered. One recruiter explained that stopping graduate recruitment now would leave a ‘massive gaping hole in years to come.’

Alternatives to a graduate role
For those graduates who are not able to secure their ideal job quickly, the advice was very clear; two thirds of employers said that securing temporary paid employment was a desirable alternative and 54.4% recommended gaining graduate-level experience in another sector.

Recruiters urged this year’s cohort of graduates not to automatically consider returning to university or taking a year out as the first alternative when the job search gets tough unless they believe it will add to their employability – just 40% thought this was a sensible move.

30% of employers thought further study would give graduates an edge in the job hunt. With applications to postgraduate courses up sharply in recent months, this seems to be a favoured option by graduates. There has also been an increase in Career Development Loan provision.

Standing out from the crowd
The survey also asked employers to advise graduates on how to tackle the jobs market. 65% urged graduates to conduct rigorous research into potential employers and sectors so that there was less of a mismatch between applicant and employer expectations. Half said applying early was particularly important this year and 44% suggested applicants should be willing to relocate. One third advised graduates to widen their jobs criteria. Nearly 30% also suggested undertaking an industrial placement, something that the government is on hand to help with.

John Denham, Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills, recently announced plans to launch a graduate internship programme and four well-known companies - including Barclays and Microsoft - have already agreed to take part, provisionally called the National Internship Scheme.

Mr Denham told The Daily Telegraph that the National Internship Scheme will provide help for the thousands leaving university in ‘challenging’ times. While the internships will not pay a full starting salary, graduates can be given up to three months paid work. Details are still to be confirmed but pay levels will hopefully be set slightly above the combined total that a student would earn in that time from a grant and a loan so that interns do not suffer a cut in income. Currently, the maximum annual student grant is £2,835 a year, while the maximum annual maintenance loan is worth £6,475.

The idea is that some placements will lead to permanent work, while all of those taking part in the scheme will benefit from the experience and opportunity to improve their CV. Mr Denham said: ‘At the end, they will be more employable, and some of them will get jobs. Employers won’t want to let good people go.’

Summary
Despite speculation on the recession there are still jobs out there, with the engineering sector bucking the trend for caution and expecting a rise in jobs. In this more competitive market graduates need to prove they are right for the job. Keep up to date with sector news, research the company and make sure your applications are in early. Apply to any internship programmes at the same company as an alternative way to get a foot on the door. However, if you still find yourself struggling, the preferred CV addition is temporary work in a similar environment. You never know who you might meet and what opportunities may arise.

Many companies have already introduced their own graduate internship programmes. Visit the Work Experience pages for the latest opportunities.

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