Recent Graduate Guide

Most of the recruitment sections on a company's website will contain the information but it really is worth calling and speaking to people. They can provide more information about the job and who they are looking for, what candidates can expect from them and what they expect from a candidate. If nothing else this will save the time and stress of applying for a role which doesn't suit and waiting for a response, which can take a long time, believe me!.

This brings me on to another important point: Graduate recruitment schemes take time from initial submission of application to final decisions on acceptance. Depending on the organisation, a recruitment and selection process lasting 6 months is not unexpected, and for this reason a new graduate absolutely cannot afford to keep all their eggs in one basket! Encourage them to apply for as many schemes as they are interested in - if all goes well they will be in a position to decide which job they favour taking.

Of course graduate schemes are not the only way into a career, the tried and tested methods still apply. Scour the papers, use the job search sites, register with agencies and keep an eye open for positions with potential. A job with a low initial salary can still provide a valuable entry into a company with wider promotion prospects. It all comes down to keeping a long-term view!

Choosing a career within degree discipline

The main question here is what will be required over and above a degree to access and further a particular career, that is assuming that the degree topic wasn't directly vocational. Arranging for further study, potentially for several more years after graduation is a major investment of both time and money, and generally carries the additional burden of reducing the amount a graduate can earn initially in comparison with a strictly commercial graduate scheme. This is why it becomes important to really do some homework - find out if there are organisations who will pay for or subsidise the professional development of graduates who work for them, while still paying a professional (as opposed to trainee) salary. As an example HM Prison and Probation Service will support their graduate psychologists' development up to chartered status.

Another important source of information when considering a career (either following a specific degree or for general information) is the appropriate professional body - the Chartered Institute of Marketing or the British Psychological Society for example. Providing a list of the links to every professional body in the UK would take far too much room, however they are universally easy to find on the web.

Below are some of the links we've selected as being very helpful starting points and resources although there really is no shortage of very good sites to look for. The key points are to decide what to look for, do the research and give it everything.

How to go about it

First port of call – the university website, most universities should have one. Check the postgraduate and careers pages to see if they have details of graduate jobsites, career planning and advice, and possibly advertisements for graduate jobs. If in doubt the best people to see are the careers advisors at the university, since they will have a lot of helpful information and advice, and may know of further sources of information.

http://www.thebigchoice.com/Careers/
Job_Hunting/Employment_Exhibitions.html
Contains details of graduate recruitment fairs around the UK.
Graduate recruitment fairs are probably the most effective way of getting a foot in the door. If the CV lacks punch, this is the opportunity to demonstrate those wonderful inter-personal skills. More than that it is an excellent way to spread CVs to a lot of potential graduate recruiters far more effectively than mailing, as well as getting an impression of the kind of people the company are looking for, and what the company’s ‘personality’ is like. If there is nothing of interest, at least use the fairs as interview practice, it can’t hurt.

http://www.milkround.comThe home site of the famous milkround on the net. For those who don’t know what the milkround is, it’s the premier UK recent graduates recruitment round. The online version allows users to customise their own milkround, creating preferences for information received and job opportunities. An absolute must for graduate jobseekers.

UK graduate careers - unbeatable jobs, top employers and cracking careers advice from GTI careerscape. This is a great site for graduate careers advice. If you have children setting out on the road to employment, you could do much worse than direct them to this site. Dr Job's advice on CVs and application letters is first rate.