Graduate vacancies are at their highest ever levels and are set to rise by another 16 per cent in the coming year. While the statistics look pretty rosy, employers are increasingly concerned about the ‘disconnect’ between themselves and graduates.
Employers berate applicants’ perception of the business sector and talk of a ‘diva’ mentality among graduates, increasingly leading them to look abroad for new recruits. It’s therefore important to realise that simply having a degree is no longer a passport to a career; but luckily, there’s plenty of things you can do now and in the future to make yourself attractive to employers. This doesn’t mean a lot of extra effort, just giving a bit of extra thought to things you’re doing already.
By graduation day most people will have some experience of the working world but you need to sell these skills to employers, as well as those you’ve picked up through your studies. It’s important to make sure the focus is not on what you want to get out of the employer but rather, what you can do for them.
Keeping a ‘diary’ of your skills and experience gained through jobs, placements and your course can be a big help when it comes to filling in applications and standing out at interviews and it can be done in minutes.
What recruiters want
The chief executive of the Association of Graduate Recruiters, Carl Gilleard, makes the point that: ‘It is really important that graduates understand the rules of the game. You have to sell yourself by convincing employers that you have the right skills and qualities.’
Giorgio Rondelli, who undertook a successful placement with IKEA, believes that employers want you to ‘work hard, show initiative and make an effort to prove yourself during your work experience’. Employers want applicants who can think on their feet and contribute in any given situation. ‘Try to give examples of times when your initiative and creative ideas were used and implemented,’ says Jag Gill, marketing manager for ShellStep, ‘as this will impress employers.’
Carrie Wyatt, graduate recruitment officer for Deutsche Bank, believes that the most important thing when selling your work experience skills to employers is ‘that you can demonstrate the ability to understand the dynamics of a working environment and provide examples of work-related situations’. Again, the more specific you can be, the better.