Graduate Jobs
With around 200,000 graduates entering the UK job market each and every year the competition for graduate jobs and placements sometimes borders on the extreme. It can be the case that over a thousand graduates compete for a single place at some of the most prestigious companies in the UK.
The most fiercely competitive areas tend to be finance and IT and the salaries for the successful few are extremely generous. If you aren’t lucky enough to grab one of the aforementioned placements all is not lost.
There are thousands of graduate jobs that require a broad range of skills and qualifications and this number will continue to grow as companies look more towards fresh labour sources whom they train themselves and mould into the company ethos.
With so many young people choosing to go to university nowadays employers are starting to view non-degree related skills as a distinguishing factor. In many cases graduates are expected to show more life and inter-personal skills in order to get the jobs they desire. Graduates should be able to show some level of extra-curricular activity whether in a sports team, society or voluntary role. Clearly some jobs will focus on this aspect of a candidate’s background more than others.
Every university will have a careers department to guide students through the whole process of finding a job once they have graduated but some students fail to utilise this valuable resource.
Not only can your careers department help you write the perfect curriculum vitae and cover letter, but they can aid you in preparing for the interview stages by going through a mock interview. This will highlight any areas that you may need to work on if you are to achieve your dream and get the graduate job you really want.
Once you have graduated, your studies may not be over. Many jobs will involve some form of study in order to achieve a professional qualification and most of the time the employer will fund your development while providing adequate study leave for you to pass first time.
If you find yourself in a graduate job that you are unhappy with do not be afraid to talk to your employers. Tell them your concerns and see if they can address them, but most importantly remain flexible in terms of your career. You must not feel like you should see a qualification through or remain at a job if you have a strong desire to leave.