Graduate Recruitment Bureau

Bridging the gap with ‘finishing’ schools?

2012-01-27T01:13:00.000-08:00

With the market for graduate jobs being tougher than ever, having skills that are most desired by employers is very important. Companies look for applicants with good qualifications but soft skills are also highly regarded in the workplace.

Some commentators including higher education professionals and an MP think that it is necessary to reduce the gap between university and employment by offering graduates courses in workplace etiquette. The aim is to provide skills that will impress employers, which include communication and presentation skills, how to prepare a good CV as well as general skills like how to dress for an interview and good manners. The course will effectively be a one stop shop that will target all the key areas for development and hopefully result in future success.

This programme has been piloted in London and there are discussions about launching a national programme. However, with the costs apparently going to be £1,000 per student, is it really worth it? Even if the costs are subsidised by the government and universities, they will still be significant in the context of higher university fees, where graduates are burdened with greater levels of student debt.

Also, currently there are more traditional methods of free careers advice, which tend to work well on the whole. Careers services provide advice about CVs and help with preparation for mock interviews and assessments. Employers take every opportunity to travel to university campuses to promote their companies and provide application tips. There is a lot of information available and the key point is finding out the most important facts and practising before your interview. You will most likely have the skills to succeed already, but you just need to make sure you hone them so you behave professionally and answer questions well on the day.

Overall, ‘finishing’ schools may appeal to certain people who feel that they need to learn more about the best way to present themselves at interviews. Still, in this difficult economic climate where there are higher university fees, it is unlikely that many people will spend money on such a service. By speaking to careers advisers, you will soon realise the types of skills that employers want, and hopefully you can do well in the interview to secure your desired job.

Using Social Media In Graduate Job Hunting

2012-01-26T01:23:00.000-08:00

Here's a great article from one of our student journalists, Charles that's worth sharing!

Something to bear in mind when using these different media platforms is that it might be a good idea to keep your image varied in each one. You can adapt them to better suit their particular function and also to help create a diversified online presence of yourself. For now let’s stick with LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

If you don’t have a LinkedIn profile yet, get one. Make sure your profile is tailored, professional and accurate. Comic profile images are forbidden. Also, don’t have your headline as ‘Looking for Graduate Jobs in Marketing’ if you really want to go into Bio-mechanics. It has been known to happen. Start building up your contact base immediately and try to add previous employers into your network. Don’t add people you don’t know. Perhaps sit down and build up a list of go-to people, the kind of people you want to have within your network who might be able to help you professionally or personally somewhere down the line. It could end up being sooner than you think. Think about getting recommendations on your profile, it will give it that extra edge.

People often think of Facebook as a strictly social site, it doesn’t need to be. If used correctly, it could also be another useful job searching avenue, especially as like most students, you probably already have hundreds of friends in your contact list, most of whom you don’t speak to but that’s beside the point. Clean up your profile, this means don’t have anything on there that someone could use as a reason to not hire you. Then consider posting a job focused status, it’s possible one of your friends might be able to help you out, even if it’s just by giving you some good advice. Also think about following your favourite companies to make sure you’re in the know.

Speaking of following, let’s move on to Twitter. Twitter could be the place where you let your creativity run free. Have an interesting but respectable Avatar, have links to your CV, blog or other interesting tidbits you may have. If you have no interesting tidbits, it might seem like you’re not a very interesting person, so you may want to change that. Follow your favourite companies and try and build up a rapport with them before you dive in and bombard them with application documents. Take note though, spamming is not cool. Alternatively or additionally, be original, insightful and develop your very own following. Imagine having 8,000 people following you simply because you always post interesting tweets, then when you mention that you’ve got a book coming out, it’s no surprise that quite a few of those 8,000 people got mighty curious right? That’s a true story.

Above all, be patient. These things take time.

Charles, GRB Journalist

Standing Out In The Online Arena

2012-01-24T07:11:00.000-08:00

In this ever evolving digital world, it is important to keep in tune with developments with the internet, not only for your lifestyle but also for careers. This medium differs from the traditional written cover letter and CV, so you need to consider the most effective approach to make a good first impression.

A recent online employment report revealed that there has been a 55% increase in the hiring of web freelancers by UK businesses since July 2011. This rise has been due to more companies recruiting specialists to deal with processing the vast amount of online applications that are received. Despite the different methods of application, some basic principles remain the same. For example, you need to use good spelling and grammar, as well as have a clear layout and presentation. It is worthwhile highlighting your key achievements (perhaps in bold or by underlining) to make them stand out, but be selective. Also, a professional tone needs to be used, and the language should be tailored to the specific job.

Most online applications include basic information such as contact details and academic qualifications. However, the more important section focuses on competency based questions. These have maximum word limits, which are important to follow. The form tests your ability to convey answers in a concise manner and these responses usually form the basis for questions at interviews. You will have the opportunity to describe why you are interested in the firm and the particular line of business, the types of skills you have gained, such as during work experience and extra-curricular activities.

Some companies will not have application forms, but will ask you to apply by email. Firstly, you should use an email address, which has a suitable name, rather than one, which uses a nickname. Also, you need to address the person in a formal manner and put an appropriate subject in the email so that it is not misplaced by the company. Make sure you write short paragraphs, which are clearly spaced out and answer the key points in the job description. The email is effectively the covering letter and so you can also attach your CV, which should ideally be in a format, which cannot be edited, such as a PDF. If after some time you do not get a response, it is always worthwhile ringing to confirm whether the email has been received.

Overall, you need to put some more thought into online applications but the basic principles of using professional language, good spelling and grammar, as well as addressing the key job requirements remain most important. After you have completed a few applications, you will understand the most appropriate style to use, but ask for guidance from careers services or friends before you send the final emails or submit the forms online

Wandering In The Wrong Direction?

2012-01-20T02:38:00.000-08:00

Here's another excellent article by our guest blogger, Arnab Datta. Preparation is the key to success when it comes to choosing and applying for careers. You need to carry out considerable research about the company to understand its main service lines and also see what it is like to work there. Usually students are given careers advice by others who have specialised in that area or those who have worked in the positions themselves.

A recent study by a company has shown that graduates are not receiving enough careers advice or information about the options available. This lack of advice stems from when they were at school and university. Difficulties for graduates will arise if they have not been informed about the various careers on offer earlier on in their lifetime. For example, choosing a certain degree means that it is not always so easy to change your mind later on and embark on a different career path, although this is still possible.

It is important that you look for relevant careers advice from a range of sources. The best place to start is probably specialist graduate recruitment agencies such as GRB, which will help with your CV and improve your performance at interviews. Universities have careers services and they have the latest information available, especially for the careers that are most popular among graduates, like those in the financial sector. Also, when visiting the agencies and careers services you will meet other people with whom you can share information about careers and thus increase your pool of knowledge.

Alternatively, you can gain a more informal view from your family and friends who currently work in that particular industry or profession. In a way there is nobody better than someone who actually does the job, to tell you more about the skills required. From that, you will be able to decide whether you will enjoy doing the job. It is important to gather different types of views from a variety of sources, since this will give you enough information from which to make an appropriate career choice.

Overall, you don’t want to be going in the wrong direction when thinking about which career path to follow. Therefore, you need to be pro-active in your search for information and consult a wide range of sources, as early as possible. If you do, then there is no reason why you won’t choose a career that you will find interesting and enjoy for many years to come.

Guest Blogger - Arnab Datta

2012-01-13T07:02:00.000-08:00

Arnab has been writing excellent articles for the GRB News Feed so I'd like to give him some exposure on my blog as a guest blogger. Hope you like...

DISCOVERING THE TRUE VALUE OF TRAINING

There are many types of graduate jobs available in the market place and so choosing a career path is inevitably difficult. Still, you need to consider whether you want to join a graduate training programme or if you just want to go straight into the world of work.

A recent survey by an international accountancy firm discovered that graduates value training and development over remuneration. This suggests that people want to join a company where they will get the opportunity to improve their overall skill set, so they can do higher quality work in the future. This may still mean that the salary is an important factor but a long-term career path based on a solid training programme appeals to a considerable amount of graduates.

Many accountancy firms offer three year graduate training schemes to become a Chartered Accountant. These programmes are quite challenging since you need to carefully balance studying for exams with the commitment and responsibility required at work. However, there are real benefits upon qualification since you can work in industry or progress through the ranks at accountancy firms. Other careers that have postgraduate training schemes include Law and Engineering, so if you want to become a professional, this is definitely the best route to take.

Some careers may have a Graduate Training Scheme, but no professional exams are required. These are still beneficial, since you will gradually understand more about how the business works and then see if it is the right career for you. In most careers, you will have a buddy or mentor who can offer guidance since they have had similar experiences. Also, you might have an Appraisal Manager with whom you can discuss your long-term career plans at a more formal level.

However, in this difficult climate you may need to have a better paid job, at least for a few years. If so, then you should probably take a job even if there is no clearly defined training scheme. This is because all companies will train you and offer guidance so that you can do your job as effectively as possible. Indeed, training does not stop in the first few years, as you will have to keep attending courses throughout your career, to stay in tune with the latest developments in your field.

Overall, it is worth valuing training more than your salary to an extent, depending on your personal circumstances. Some key advantages with training schemes are that they are well regarded in the market place and can act as a springboard for further achievement in your career. Still, if you think that a starting salary will make your life more comfortable, then take that job initially and perhaps consider pursuing some sort of training scheme further down the line.

GRB x Bath Finance & Investment Society

2011-11-18T02:01:00.000-08:00

GRBs 6th CV Clinic this year was held at Bath University when we were invited in by the Finance and Investment Society to help its members with the ins and outs of writing good CVs. Rather than me tell the story I'll let the comments we got on Facebook do it.

"This was the most efficient feedback I have been given on my CV for the little time we had. Straight to the point. I would recommend having a copy of a good CV to show to the students. This would make the session even better :)"

"This was a really professional and thoroughly useful session, covered a lot in the time we had. Thanks!"

"Dan was very helpful and made me think about specific examples for my CV, thank you very much!"

"Honest and focused advice, a great service. Thank you for your time"

"Really put me on the right track - loads of useful tips. thanks a lot!"

"Professional and focused CV advise. It was really helpful. Thank you very much."

"The session has given me clarity in my approach to my cv and helped with tailoring for each firm. Thanks a lot."

GRB x UCL EFS

2011-10-14T02:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday GRB were invited to help the UCL Finance Society members with their CVs. It proved to be very popular as when the President emailed out this event to its members 2 days before to book appointments he was inundated with 130 emails!

In the end over a 5 hour session we were able to help sixteen students with their CVs. Each 20 minute session went through each person's CV content and layout answering questions along the way. Here's what the President had to say yesterday;

" We invited you expecting someone coming in to help some of our society members to check and improve their CV. What you did on the day was the most professional and sustainable careers advice I have ever seen: Not only did you dedicate 20 minutes per attendant on average and answered also any other questions relating to applications besides a CV, but you also promised to follow up with each 'patient' of the CV Clinic to post-check their corrected CVs again. Those being lucky enough to have received your service gave outstanding feedback and all strongly advised me to invite you and the Graduate Recruitment Bureau again to campus!
-Hannes Ansorg, UCLEFS President.

GRB Guest Blogger - Bianca Pellet

2011-08-02T06:50:00.000-07:00

When I applied for university study in 2003, the situation facing graduates was very different to how it is today, and it is alarming in many respects that so much should have changed so starkly in only eight years. One thing probably hasn’t changed, though, and that is that careers advice given to me – as in, I suspect, many comprehensive schools – was vague at best. I dimly recall mentioning journalism as a potential career choice and being told something along the lines of “go to university, study English, and you’ll be fine”.

I therefore duly went to the University of Exeter to study English (and Classics), having also applied to Oxford, Bristol, Sussex, Manchester and Nottingham. My highest offer (from Manchester and Nottingham) was ABB; Exeter and Sussex each only required BBB. I'm well aware that the average offer from these places has shot up since then. I also had a rather cavalier attitude to the admissions process, only putting thought into my first four choices and just picking the remaining two because they were good universities and I needed two more choices. Such a devil-may-care approach would, understandably, not cut the mustard now, and would probably come through more clearly in a candidate's application.

My attitude -perhaps due to this, combined with being among the top 5% in my year group –could have been taken as a bad omen, although I did not see it as such at the time. I did well in my studies at university, all the while getting involved with about ten societies every year, volunteering, and...doing any job that would make me a quick buck. Campus and accommodation tours, nude modelling, data entry, waitressing, hotel receptionist, till monkey...you name it, I did it. (I spent all of the money on having fun, mind you, but that's another story.) The general impression I had was that employers would value the transferable skills I had gained from doing these jobs, and I stuck to that. Nobody except potential doctors, lawyers and teachers ever talked about internships or work experience.

During my master's year at Oxford, this head-in-the-sand approach arguably got worse -again, only lawyers, medics and teachers ever said a word about interning, and most other students were, in any case, planning on continuing their studies and becoming academics, and so work experience was not a concern for them. I continued to work at odd jobs as a waitress and till monkey, and only considered unpaid work experience during my second semester, when I volunteered in an Oxford school, and then again at the end of my time in Oxford, when I spent two months interning at IPC Media on expenses only. I had also been blogging and working with an American company since 2007, but I was mainly paid in products, not in money. I never once consulted the university careers service, having been put off by the woolly advice given by my secondary school now four or five years earlier.

Looking back at the sorry catalogue of affairs now, it seems even more absurd that I had got to this point feeling that my transferable skills would be enough for employers on their own. I read the papers; how did I not realise that there was a crisis on and I needed to act faster? Whilst I still feel bitter about the bad advice I received in the early 2000s, and more than a little indignant that employers have apparently never valued all of the skills I acquired from the jobs that I did, I now also feel that I was to blame and should have known better.

It therefore shouldn’t have been a shock or surprise to me when upon graduation I could not find a graduate job – but it was. Other friends took up menial, non-graduate jobs while looking for graduate work; I felt I had spent enough years doing that already and would not settle for anything less than a graduate job, but the reality was that I lacked relevant experience. I arguably made matters worse by casting my net too wide, literally applying for anything that appealed in what I knew was a competitive market, when what I should have done was made a decision about a sector and stuck to it. I am still feeling the effects of my lack of decisiveness today.

After job-hunting from March to August of 2008 and finding nothing, I began to feel really rather depressed by the whole thing. Even with two good degrees and plenty of (albeit largely irrelevant) work experience on my side, nobody even wanted to talk to me. My long-term boyfriend was in France and I had planned to work in the UK for a year to save money and plan the move properly before joining him there. This seemed increasingly unlikely to come to fruition, so I figured that I would be best off just beginning to search for work in France. I was amazed when within two weeks of beginning my search, I was flooded with offers to come for interview. I booked a one-way Eurostar ticket, thinking that even if I didn’t get these jobs, if I wanted to work in France then the best way to hunt for jobs was to actually be there.

I was offered, and accepted, a job as a teacher in an international school to begin the following week. While it was surreal to move out of home and to a new country to start a new life so quickly, I was excited and buoyed by finally being able to put an end to the long-distance aspect of my relationship and by having landed a graduate job. The problem now was different: after a time I came to realise that the little bits of journalism and translation that I had been doing on the side were, after all, what I had really wanted to do.

This was what I meant earlier by still feeling the effects of my indecision. If I had stuck to my guns and decided at eighteen that I really wanted to be a journalist after all, and not a teacher (don’t get me wrong, there are good bits - but it was always only one of several possible career paths for me), I could have trained to be that straight away, either by taking an NCTJ instead of going to university, or by doing it afterwards, and by placing more emphasis on relevant work experience (paid or unpaid). While it is not impossible to break into journalism later on if you change your mind (my credits this year include publication in expat paper Connexion France, which is published all over the country, and Metropolitan,–the magazine you get on the Eurostar), it is much more difficult, especially when trying to start out as a freelancer rather than having a staff job first.

I would therefore recommend to those considering or graduating from university today –particularly now that the competition and financial stakes are arguably even higher – that you make a decision quickly, and stick to it. Get the work experience in relevant fields, and don’t waste time kidding yourself that employers will prize transferable skills from irrelevant work. And above all, stick it out - you could also say that I gave up too quickly on my search, when in reality (especially if your parents are willing to put a roof over your head in the meantime) a year or two years to wait or train for the perfect career is not a long time in the context of an entire working life.

Bio:

Bianca Pellet has been an English teacher of students aged 11-18 in an international school in Paris's 15th arrondissement since 2008, and a freelance journalist and translator since 2007. After studying Classics and English at the University of Exeter, followed by a master's degree in Linguistics at the University of Oxford, she moved to France to forge a freelance career in writing and translation. During her time at university she worked in a variety of sectors - including administration, hospitality, and education - before interning at IPC Media and in schools in 2008, as well as undertaking some private tutoring work. Her publication credits include Connexion France and Metropolitan, and her translation credits include the translation of contracts for Orange and Bouyges Telecom. She has written three novels (that are as yet unpublished) and also writes poetry. In 2004 she became the youngest ever contributor to the academic journal "The Use of English", published by the University of Leicester; she has also contributed to journals published by the Universities of Derby and Exeter, but decided not to pursue a career as an academic. While Bianca finds that teaching provides a welcome compromise of a stable income, good holidays, and the chance to use knowledge gained in her degree studies, long-term she would like to write and translate full-time, having studied French formally and informally since the mid-1990s. She sees her professional and personal future as being firmly located in France, but owes her success so far to her education in the UK.

WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH A 2:2?

2011-07-27T03:52:00.000-07:00

With degree awarding ceremonies now completed, GRB reveals in their latest survey that Class of 2011 is equally as frank as last year’s crop of graduates when it comes to explaining why they might have achieved a 2:2 rather than a higher degree class.

This year 37% were prepared to admit they simply did not work hard enough - a rise of 2% over last year. A further 25% claimed they had issues of one kind or another that affected their studies family, health or financial issues. One in five admitted that they worked as hard as they could and a
2:2 was the best they could achieve, down slightly on the previous year and 14% found their course harder than expected.

Dan Hawes, GRB Co-founder added, “Perhaps students don’t realise that unlike A Levels most universities won’t allow you to retake your final year exams so it’s really important to do your best possible attempt first time round. A 2:1 is a prerequisite for many graduate schemes but not all. In fact I got a 2:2 and it made me more determined so it’s not all bad you just have to be more creative in your job search.”

Research conducted by AGR this summer showed that three quarters of employers specified a 2:1 when recruiting which tends to suggest that those with a lower second or third have failed in some way which, of course, is not the case. It is refreshing to discover the honesty of graduates in
analyzing why they got a certain class of degree.

There are lots of reasons why some students don’t achieve as high marks as others and this research helps to put the degree classification contest into perspective. We should also bear in mind that the 2:1 is not a standard across the HE sector. The way in which students work is assessed varies not just
from university to university but also from course to course at the same institution.

GRB x York University

2011-06-21T02:36:00.000-07:00

It was with great pleasure that I was able to personally coach 11 students yesterday on their CVs. After posting a message on our facebook page offering one-to-one CV coaching to any student society at York we were delighted that Daniel (pictured, right) responded. Daniel booked a suitable venue on campus between 10am-4pm and then I coached each student for 30 minutes. I met 11 switched-on students either in their first or second year who realised the importance of getting their CV right now and not leaving it until they graduated!

This is just the start of their journey as we plan to coach them every step of the way right up to job offer when they all graduate in the next few years. It really is vital you make the most of your time at Uni building up your CV with skills and experiences.

GRB now plan to make several more visits in the Autumn to help the nations students get the perfect CV. If you would like us to visit your campus email us at info@grb.uk.com

Great Expectations

2011-05-24T04:09:00.000-07:00

The latest GRB poll of students and graduates revealed that 4 in 10 felt that their university was overrated. That’s a high proportion by any standards. 3 in 10 felt that their institution was underrated which leaves just less than a third satisfied that their university matched up to their expectations.

Expectations management is going to be a key challenge for higher education, following the shifts in funding which will raise fees to £9,000 per year for a majority of students from 2012.

Expectations of students, and their parents, will surely rise as fees soar? The hope must be that raised expectations will drive up standards and quality improvements to the benefit of all stakeholders however the challenge is not just about demonstrating value for money to investors in higher education.

Students must be helped to form realistic expectations of what they can expect. Readers of this blog will appreciate that going to university in itself does not guarantee anything, least of all a dream job. It is what you do at university that makes the difference. And that starts by choosing the right course at the right institution. The requirement for informed and impartial educational and careers guidance in our schools has never been greater. Informed decisions lead to increased commitment, raised ambitions, more realism and higher levels of individual responsibility.

Universities can play their part by providing access to information on what students can expect from courses and the destinations for previous cohorts of students. Greater transparency is essential if student expectations are to be at all realistic. The return that most students expect from their investment in HE is a better quality of life which is translated as a decent career. From day one, universities should be encouraging, indeed cajoling, students to prepare for their exit from university.

There are lots of practical steps that an institution can take to prepare their students for life beyond university. The key requirement is to ensure that student employability is taken seriously by academic as well as careers staff. Tutors should monitor student progress and issue tough love if warranted. Courses should be designed in such a way as to embed employability skills into the curriculum: for example, getting students to work together in project teams to develop work skills such as team working and project management. Students should also be taught to reflect on their learning to understand what it is they have learnt and how it can be applied in the workplace.

Universities should strive to create an environment which is closer to the world of work, encompassing 21^st century work skills. More opportunities for students to undertake quality work experience are required along with greater employer engagement on campus. It’s a tough call but the stakes are high. If, beyond 2012, a high proportion of graduates look back on their experience and feel let down by their alma mater, the outlook for HE will be bleak. Nothing is more likely to damage future enrolments than a vociferous disenchanted bunch of graduates.

The Only Way Is Sussex!

2011-04-27T08:25:00.000-07:00

In the spirit of next month's Brighton Festival, GRB are opening their doors to Sussex based students and graduates. Every Wednesday in May between 10am-4pm you are invited to an open day. Come and enjoy a coffee, a freebie and a free CV review.

Places are limited so please reply to d.hawes@grb.uk.com today!

Early Bird Catches The Worm

2011-03-07T02:17:00.000-08:00

GRB’s latest poll reveals some shocking results – at least for graduate recruiters. Asked when they plan to start applying for jobs, 34% said not until after they have graduated. Add to this the 19% who plan to defer their job search until after their finals and more than one in two are not engaging in the jobs market during their final year.

Many employers open their applications season in the autumn when as few as 19% of students are ready to make job applications. We can surmise from this that a significant proportion of final year students are choosing not to aim for a graduate job in the year they graduate. This might explain in part why recruiters are receiving more and more applications from graduates from previous years.

Is this good practice? Well, the logic might be that gaining a decent degree is more important than getting into work so the emphasis is on study rather than job search and it is true that applying for jobs takes time and effort. However, the risk is that the market might deteriorate during the year and in 2012 there could be fewer jobs and greater competition. Students pay their money and make their choices. One hopes however that they have not made up their minds that there are very few jobs around so why bother. That kind of negative thinking almost certainly diminishes the prospect of getting a job, no matter what degree class the graduate obtains.

Click Here For Poll Results

Employers Offered Fast Track Route To New Talent

2011-02-23T00:55:00.000-08:00

Graduate Recruitment Bureau (GRB) today launches their Rising Stars for 2011. Recruiters are invited to choose from our pick of the finest emerging talent, handpicked from ten of the UK’s top universities. After the great success of 2010's Rising Stars, GRB’s specialist consultants have screened and shortlisted fifty exceptional students from a range of degree disciplines graduating this summer.

The list is available online at: bit.ly/grbrisingstars

If companies couldn't find really strong graduates last year then they need get ahead of the competition and see this list – these students are truly exceptional. I have personally vetted every single one from hundreds that were shortlisted by the GRB team and they are all special in one way or another. I have one word of warning though; they will find work very quickly so recruiters have to act quickly to snap them up to start later this year. Last year our first Rising Star was snapped up within three weeks of the list being published with an offer of work in the summer.

How does it work? Employers need to visit bit.ly/grbrisingstars and request log in details. This will enable you to see a short summary of each candidate with the option to request a CV and Personality Profile and arrange an interview.

AGR Recruiters Want You In 2011

2011-01-25T01:39:00.000-08:00

As members of the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR), the voice of mainly graduate scheme recruiters, GRB were invited to the Winter Survey Launch in London last night. Attended by MP David Willetts and chaired by Terence Perrin, the mood was upbeat and hopeful for 2011. Surprisingly, many AGR members had vacancies unfilled in 2010 which unfortunately didn't register with last year's graduates. A 3.8% increase in vacancies for 2011 across most sectors was encouraging and a message that needed to get out to graduates despondent with recent events.

GRB has also seen an uptick in business and would agree things have turned around but it is still an employers market with recruiters standing firm on graduate salaries with an unprecedented freeze on the average of £25,000 and sticking to high entry requirements of a 2.1 from a Russell Group university. Although this survey represented 222 recruiters offering 20,971 roles on schemes this was only 10% of the overall graduate jobs market. GRB have seen many graduates opting for non-scheme roles which makes up a huge part of the destinations for recent high calibre graduates. Here's a round up of how some of the media is reporting the survey;

BBC - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-12266766
The Guardian - http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2011/jan/25/graduates-employment-rise-outlook
Financial Times - http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e633b398-27f9-11e0-8abc-00144feab49a.html

Rising Stars 2011

2010-12-07T01:17:00.000-08:00

Now in its second year, GRB are delighted to announce that nominations are open for Rising Stars. Our exclusive list of exceptionally talented finalists from the UKs top institutions will be shortlisted, screened and showcased on our website in February 2011. GRB then actively promote our list of the 50 best graduating students to a select portfolio of leading recruiters with the sole objective of securing employment for our Rising Stars before they graduate. Apply today!

PS. Here's a Rising Star we placed last year!

Universities Challenged

2010-10-13T02:07:00.000-07:00

With one of the oldest University systems in the world it was inevitable any change would attract passionate opinions from Government, Students, Graduates, Employers and Parents across England. The problem is no-one can agree but a decision could be made based on Lord Browne's report.

From our point of view we can see it from many angles and despite it being an increase in cost to parents and students they are now consumers with rights. Students should expect value for money and a world beating education for the investment they are making in further education. For Universities they now have the much needed funding to get them back on an even keel and start climbing back up the world league rankings and deliver on student expectations. Meanwhile, employers will continue to benefit from the pool of talented graduates with skills and intellect to drive this country out of the recession.

2010-10-04T07:49:00.000-07:00

I have kept in touch with about six University friends since we left Brighton University in '94. I stayed on the south coast whilst all the others returned home. I recently met with them all and one guy reminded me it was 20 years ago that we all started at Brighton Uni! Apart from feeling really old and wondering where the years had gone it made me realise how our choice to go to Uni led us directly onto the paths we now lead.

Back then you could still get a grant and there was certainly less debt. It was just as much fun then as it is now and after three to four years (I did a year placement) we entered the world of work. All bar one have taken careers related to their degree interestingly. I asked him if he would change anything and he said, studied harder for his A Levels and become an Investment Banker!

Whilst we are not all money-motivated, for him, like many others his choice was predetermined by exam results and hindsight is a wonderful thing but I think everyone finds their level and we have all done pretty well for ourselves. Will I be recommending Uni for my son? Most definitely, the difference this time is I'm the one paying for it!

The Guardian UK 300

2010-09-23T02:48:00.000-07:00

Today see's the launch of a survey of students and graduates and the companies they want to work for. Similar to the Times Top 100 this survey adds 200 more to the list. It's great to see that more graduate recruiters are being revealed in this suurvey but it is by no means the full picture.

This year there were 60,000 graduate jobs available. 16,000 or 27% were from blue-chip recruiters, most are included in this survey. Graduates should and will apply for these roles and, as ever, competition will be tough. Smart graduates will have a strategy that appreciates 73% of graduate jobs remain hidden and include other techniques so they have the best possible choice of job offers. The only way to hear about these hidden jobs tend to be from either knowing the right people in ther first place through your own personal connections or enlisting the help of recruitment agents who have exclusive contracts with employers to source graduates.

The economy has changed forever forcing graduate recruiters to look for more cost-effective ways to recruit which very often can mean outsourcing to recruitment specialists so from now on graduates must adapt their job hunting strategy too to take in as many information sources as possible.

Survey Here

What Counts Is Brain Power!

2010-09-02T03:46:00.000-07:00

GRBs new survey has again revealed a fascinating dichotomy between this year’s graduates and employers. Graduated place a higher value on work experience than degree class when it comes to selection for jobs

This summer, news headlines have been dominated by the plight of graduates emerging into the labour market, the most striking statistic was that employers were receiving 69 applications for each graduate level vacancy they had on offer*. All of which presents employers with the practical challenge as to how to reduce the numbers to manageable proportions.

GRB, the UKs leading, independent graduate recruitment consultancy, decided to turn the tables and ask graduates what criterion they would apply to narrow down the field if they were an employer. From the four options offered, an impressive 61% selected work experience as their preferred option. A further 21% voted for the degree classification, while 17% opted for the university attended. Only 1% of respondents thought it a good idea to use ‘A’ level as a selection tool.

Dan Hawes, co-founder of GRB, commenting on the findings, was impressed if a little surprised by the findings, “Before the results came in, I would have expected the degree class to have topped the list, so it is fascinating and revealing that almost two thirds would look at the work experience that candidates had had in narrowing down numbers. We wanted to put graduates in the shoes of recruiters and I think it has made a lot of graduates think more about how they should be spending time at Uni to give them a fighting chance of finding a good graduate job.”

Hawes went on to say, “What the findings say to me is that graduates value work experience highly to the extent that a candidate with a first class honours degree but with no, or very little, experience of the world of work, is less attractive than a candidate with an upper second and bags of work experience. But the reality is quite different.”

Interestingly, in reality what many employers look for, according to the Association of Graduate Recruiters are primarily the degree classification (77.5%) with relevant work experience was in third place (33.5%). Hawes concludes, “This clearly shows that employers need to get the message out to graduates that they need to study hard and worry less about work experience. What counts is brain power.”

* Taken from the AGR Graduate Recruitment Survey 2010 – Summer Review.

Is Your Location Stopping You Hire The Best Graduates?

2010-08-24T09:57:00.000-07:00

With big name graduate recruiters based in London offering over 40% of graduate vacancies how can your company attract the best?

Luckily our national marketing campaign throughout 2010 has created a talent pool of thousands of the UKs top graduates near you! Check the graduates in your area that we have on our books today.

We have grouped Business, IT, Maths, Engineering, Physics and Humanities graduates that are currently looking for work across the UK, not just London. Take your pick and give us a call to see their CVs.

Click here for our interactive map

The UKs Top 50 Graduates Available Online Now

2010-07-27T04:26:00.000-07:00

We have spent the last 3 months searching, screening and selecting the UKs top 50 graduates so you don't have to. Presented on our website as GRBs Hot Graduates you are exclusively invited to view their CVs today. Discover more...

ONE IN THREE GRADUATES ADMIT THEY COULD HAVE TRIED HARDER

2010-07-12T03:50:00.000-07:00

With more and more employers using the 2:1 degree class as a screening tool in the graduate job selection process, a timely survey from Graduate Recruitment Bureau (GRB) reveals that 35% of respondents with a 2:2 admitted they did not work hard enough to get the grades.

According to Dan Hawes, GRB Co-Founder, "This refreshing honesty among graduates is welcome and might actually help them to find ways of overcoming what increasingly appears to be a barrier to graduate jobs. Employers do appreciate frankness and those who do not stick rigidly to the 2:1 class when screening candidates may well be impressed with a candidate who admits that they could have worked harder as long as they emphasise what else they have to offer."

A surprisingly high number of respondents pointed to external factors affecting their performance – financial, health and family issues affected 21% of graduates suggesting that employers should not jump to conclusions why results might have been low. A further 15% felt that the course they studied was much harder than they expected while 22% admitted that they did the best they could do suggesting perhaps that they were satisfied with their results.

Reflecting on the results, Hawes commented, "There is a growing emphasis on the need to achieve a 2:1 but employers should be reminded that the degree classification system in the UK is not intended to be a national standard so comparing one candidate with another on the basis of their degree award is potentially misleading. The results of this survey also suggest that other factors can affect individual performance. I'd suggest that recruiters of graduates, despite the rising number of applicants in the economic downturn, do their best to treat each application on its own merit and not to make assumptions as to why someone should obtain a lower second or a third class degree for that matter."

Graduate Schemes V Graduate Jobs

2010-07-06T01:03:00.000-07:00

So the graduate class of 2010 face just as tough a jobs market as 2009. Of course in a recession and in slow growth phases employers are naturally cautious but lets look at the big picture. The AGR survey represents 199 recruiters - the big, well-known firms - offering 17,900 vacancies on graduate schemes but did you know that there are thousands more jobs with these employers and many others that are NOT on a scheme!

These jobs might not be well advertised and offer fast track promotion to management but they all require a degree with little or no experience. This slice of the jobs market often gets overlooked as they do not come under "graduate schemes" and as such gives a skewed view of the graduate jobs market. My message to graduates is look at the big picture, do your research, target niche areas and tailor your CV. What you read or hear about the graduate jobs market may only be the tip of the iceberg as many jobs for graduates are not advertised and remain in the hidden jobs market.

Meet GRB at the AGR Conference

2010-07-02T01:36:00.000-07:00

Chris and Steve from GRB will be travelling down to Newport, Wales for the fantastic AGR Conference held at the Manor Resort Hotel next Monday/Tuesday. This has always been a high point in our calendar as it gives us an opportunity to meet our clients, learn something new, enjoy great food and get entertained! If you are coming look out for these two chaps during the two days.

Meet GRB at the Guardian London Graduate Fair

2010-06-21T02:42:00.000-07:00

GRB will signing up graduates and giving away freebies at the Guardian London Graduate Fair from The Careers Group on 23 & 24 June 2010, Business Design Centre, London.

·1000s of jobs
·Over 80 top employers
·Free CV and Application Form feedback
·Guardian Sessions Room

Exhibitors include: Abercrombie & Fitch * The Army * The Bodyshop * Civil Service * Enterprise Rent-a-Car * FDM Group * IBM * Journalist Works * KPMG * Learning and Skills Council * Make it Happen * RAF * Waitrose
FREE to attend!
Pre-Register now at London Grad Fair

10 Job Hunting Tips for Graduates

2010-05-27T02:48:00.000-07:00

Good article aimed at US graduates which I thought I would pass onto you guys.

Graduation season is here, and thousands of new job seekers are joining millions in the job market. What does the new kid on the block need to do to be successful?

10 Job Hunting Tips for Graduates

Employing Overseas Workers

2010-05-26T04:01:00.000-07:00

CIPD has just released a useful factsheet to help employers understand the ways in which the proposed cuts in immigration will affect recruiting from this talented pool of candidates, many of which are graduates.

This factsheet gives basic introductory guidance. It:

1. Offers advice to employers considering employing migrant workers

2. Introduces the law and employers' responsibilities

3.Covers some other HR areas.

Learn more

Some Graduates Face Marathon Job Interviews

2010-05-25T02:12:00.000-07:00

Who likes being interviewed? Let's be honest, very few of us and those that do are the types who like talking about themselves!

Final year students are probably concentrating on their final exams just now, not the happiest of times, but they probably prefer exams to face-to-face interviews. What is it about interviews that we don't like? Being exposed? Opening up to a complete stranger (or two)? Talking about ourselves? The fear of rejection?

Whatever it is, the truth is that if you want to get ahead in the world of work you are going to have to get used to being interviewed. And the better you are at it, the better your chances of landing that dream job. Just how long do candidates have to endure life under the microscope? According to a recent survey conducted by GRB, the longest interview that most candidates face was less than an hour (58%) much to their relief one suspects. However, 27% had to cope with interviews that went on for as long as 2 hours, a further 7%, 2-3 hours and a similar proportion more than 3 hours!
What these poor candidates found to talk about for 3 or more hours is difficult to imagine unless they decided to tell their life story, very, very slowly. The problem is that candidates in these difficult times probably feel that they have no choice but to endure whatever interviewing techniques are thrown at them. Perhaps employers should consider the needs of candidates a little bit more. After all, employers should be trying to create a good impression too and going on and on with question after question, is not necessarily a good thing. And how much information can anyone reasonably be expected to digest over a three hour period? Graduate employers should always structure their interviews in advance and ensure they stick to the cogent issues, asking questions that are relevant and appropriate. Of course, it is possible that the longer interviews were attributable to candidates being unable to shut up!

The survey did not ask if there were any natural breaks in these interviews but if not one can only imagine how stressed some candidates would become. If an interview is scheduled for 3 hours perhaps the employer should suggest that candidates bring a sandwich with them!

Footnote: Other things you could think of doing for 3 hours include, a flight to Spain, run a marathon (if you are fit) or watch Lord of the Rings.

Great News From Britains Leading Employers

2010-05-17T06:52:00.000-07:00

Demand for highly-skilled people will intensify during the recovery, and employers fear they will not be able to find people with the skills they need to fill high-level jobs, a new survey reveals today.

The new CBI report, called Ready to grow: business priorities for education and skills, is sponsored by leading qualifications awarding body EDI. The survey was answered by 694 employers, which together employ over 2.4 million people and represent companies of all sizes and sectors.

Read the full report
Download the PDF

Now it’s all over, will the election make a scrap of difference to graduate prospects?

2010-05-13T06:55:00.000-07:00

I held off writing my latest epistle for the GRB until the results of the General Election were known. Then I was going to predict how the emergence of a new government might impact on the graduate recruitment market.

Well, as we all know, the result was confusing to say the least and now that we have our first coalition government for 70 years, no-one, perhaps even Cameron and Clegg themselves, can say with any certainty how things will work out.

To say that we are moving into unchartered territory is an understatement. Nevertheless, the early indications are that the nation as a whole favours the arrangement, breathing a sigh of relief that the cloud of uncertainty that hung over the UK has been blown away like volcanic dust, at least for the time being.

Uncertainty is something that people are not comfortable with. The markets certainly get very nervous when they can’t see into the future. Uncertainty also impacts on business confidence and that in turn has a knock-on effect on recruitment. Businesses look forward when considering their graduate intake. They want to know with as much certainty as possible that the talent they are recruiting and developing will be needed to cope with growth and attrition. When businesses are unclear about what the future holds, then they reduce their intakes. Trying not to be too political, I suspect that most CEOs and Boards of Directors are happier with the coalition than some of the other possibilities that were being mooted just a few days ago.

As if to prove the point, in AGR’s latest graduate recruiter confidence poll, 55% of respondents were more confident about the prospects for their business than they were in January. 37% have higher recruitment target levels than a year ago and 58% are still actively recruiting.

This last statistic is important to Class of 2010. Uncertainty about the future is something that many finalists feel as they approach the end of their higher education experience. I imagine that most final year students will be focused on their final examinations as they strive to get those few extra marks to guarantee a 2:1 but, if it is their intention to enter the labour market this summer, they would do well to take a little time out to investigate what vacancies are available. A jobs board sales manager told me the other day that they had received details of a thousand new vacancies in recent weeks.

Graduate job seekers must do all they can to research the market. The most certain way to allay uncertainty is to find out the facts. A year ago, we faced a situation where many graduates had given up the ghost of a chance of a graduate job yet some of the country’s top employers were screaming out for applications in May and June. The same could occur this year. Just as the Tories have decided they need to work with the Lib Dems, graduate job seekers would do well to forge alliances with those who know what the market holds, including making use of their careers services and agencies such as the GRB.

Carl Gilleard

Chief Executive AGR

The Career Fair Season Is Upon Us

2010-05-12T08:30:00.000-07:00

You can finally get an opportunity to meet GRB as we hit the road and visit campuses up and down the country. "What's in it for me?" I hear you say, well apart some wicked freebies you can find out which recruiters are looking for graduates this Summer and get useful tips and advice from our 14 years expertise helping thousands of graduates launch their career. In effect, we are representing hundreds of recruiters who can't make these fairs and want us to meet you guys - just as well really as we really enjoy meeting students and graduates!

If we don't see you then here's some useful advice on making the most of careers fairs plus a follow-up letter template you can use to send to recruiters after the event - makes a difference y'know.

Pass It On - Graduates Helping Graduates

2010-05-04T02:47:00.000-07:00

One thing humans often fail to do is learn from mistakes so we see generation after generation making little or no progress in their lives. I would like to change that - for graduates at least! Use this blog to post your lessons learnt in one or two sentences during your job seeking at University and help other students and graduates make a leap and choose the right path in their lives.

Refer Graduates To GRB And Claim £100

2010-04-28T03:59:00.000-07:00

Refer a friend now and claim £100 when we find them a job. It’s really simple and it works!

- Get your freinds to complete the form below
- When we find them a job we’ll give you £100.

Refer your friends to this short registration form now!
http://www.grb.uk.com/Jobs/shortform/ShortForm.aspx?id=339&name=MGM

6 Mistakes New Grads Make in Their First Jobs

2010-04-27T01:41:00.000-07:00

Useful tips here on this site for grads about to enter the world of work.

1. Thinking that because you have your degree, you shouldn't have to do grunt work.
2. Not being thorough.
3. Thinking that what you post on social networking sites doesn't matter.
4. Procrastinating.
5. Not putting effort into forming relationships with older colleagues.
6. Not saying "thank you."

Read more > 6 Mistakes New Grads Make in Their First Jobs

GRB Graduate on Radio 1 Newsbeat Today at 12:45pm

2010-04-23T02:03:00.000-07:00

Great news! Rhiannon Jenkins, an Oxford University Chemistry graduate we placed last month is being interviewed today on Radio 1. Listen in today at 12:45pm!

Reasons To Be Cheerful

2010-04-22T07:33:00.001-07:00

There is a massive disconnect at the moment between what graduates think the jobs market is like and what is actually occurring! If you're reading this then spread the word because it's really not all doom and gloom. Only today I read a survey showing over 50% of finalists were not confident finding a graduate job whereas in fact, among the large traditional graduate recruiters, they have 30% of their vacancies UNFILLED! So get searching for these employers - look at the Times Top 100 Graduate Employers, use your Careers Service, network like mad and use specialist recruitment agencies like GRB.

Unpaid Internships

2010-04-21T02:05:00.001-07:00

I recently gave advice on hiring interns for employers following a briefing by the CIPD however across the pond it seems the norm for students to work on unpaid internships and as such is creating a huge backlash from students who don't have the opportunity to work for nothing. I found this article in the NY Times "The Unpaid Intern, Legal Or Not" however the comments say more than the article!

2010-04-20T03:44:00.001-07:00

As a member of CIPD, a professional association for those involved in Human Resources, I get to meet some very interesting people and attend some thought-provoking seminars. I went to one last night and it got me thinking about how graduates could use what I learnt.

The subject was effective communication and looked at how you first need to know about different personality types, including yourself, and then being able to adapt your communication style to suit. I found several crude versions of the test we used last night based on Earth, Wind, Fire and Water personality types. Google it and see what you find . Here's a list of personality tests I found.

Are You Top Of The Pops?

2010-04-15T02:44:00.001-07:00

With over 270,000 students about to graduate and enter the world of work I thought we should ask them what sectors they are making a beeline for. The results should give recruiters a realistic idea about what response they are likely to get to their graduate recruitment campaigns.

So which sector has got "it" and which hasn't in the eyes of graduates?

1. Marketing, PR or Media 21%
2. Engineering 16%
3. Banking, Finance and Insurance 16%
4. IT 13%
5. Accountancy 9%
6. Public Sector (Teaching, Nursing, etc) 9%
7. Law 8%
8. Charity 6%
9. Retail/FMCG 2%

For more interesting insights to help you understand the graduate market discover more graduate poll results.

Oxford Graduates Land Job With Google

2010-04-13T08:44:00.000-07:00

It seems to get the attention of the one of the worlds most popular firms is to prove your idea works first!

Securing a graduate job this Summer is going to be tough so being innovative can really pay off. Oxford graduates, Mark Cummins and James Philbin, set up PlinkArt a painting recognition app that caught the attention of Google HQ. Spotting a niche, Google talent scouts approached the pair, made them an offer and hired them. What a day that must have been!

Having studied mobile geometry the pair will now be focusing their talents on Google Goggles, the group's first photo-based visual search engine.

How Will The General Election Affect Graduates?

2010-04-12T06:30:00.000-07:00

My contacts in the graduate recruitment industry are extensive and enable me to bring you exclusives from time to time. Here's one from the industry's main spokesperson, Carl Gilleard, Chief Exec of the Association of Graduate Recruiters.

"Have you noticed that there's a general election taking place on 6 May? You would have to been living the life of a hermit to have missed all the media hype that’s been generated since the dissolution of Parliament a week ago and there's still a month of campaigning to go!

A question for employers, parents, students and academics to consider is 'Will the election make any difference?' The result itself may not immediately make an impact although a hung parliament might send jitters through the markets and impact negatively on business confidence and prospects.

But what of specific policies in relation to higher education and graduate recruitment? Last month AGR (The Association of Graduate Recruiters) launched its first ever election manifesto in which we made seven clear recommendations:

- Abolish the 50% target for HE participation
- Lift the cap off student tuition fees and drive up standards
- Embed employability skills in all courses
- Introduce the Higher Education Achievement Report to provide recruiters with more meaningful data on which to base selection
- Strengthen university and schools careers services
- Introduce tax breaks for employers of graduates
- Introduce a more flexible visa system for employers.

All seven recommendations are intended to raise standards and create more and better opportunities for graduates. How much notice an incoming government will take of the manifesto remains to be seen but one thing is certain the challenges of funding cuts in Higher Education while at the same time safeguarding if not improving standards is one that will not go away.

Not unexpectedly, the proposal to remove the cap on tuition fees attracted most reaction especially from students themselves. We suggest removing the cap gradually to enable prospective students and their families to make provision. We also propose safeguards to ensure the most disadvantaged students are protected. And it should be remembered that tuition fees are only repayable when the graduate is in employment and currently earning a salary of more than £15,000. Repayment of fees is at a very competitive interest rate and spread over many years.

Of course, we would all like to provide 'free' higher education but there is no such thing as 'free' education. Someone pays and in our view it is right that the students themselves should contribute a proportion of the overall cost as they benefit from higher education especially if the experience is a quality one and quality does not come cheap! We expect student expectations to rise as they pay more and that in itself will help to drive up standards.

Given the choice between quantity and quality in Higher Education we are certain that employers too will vote for quality. You can find the full manifesto at www.agr.org.uk. Happy electioneering!"

Using Social Networking For Recruiting

2010-04-08T10:00:00.000-07:00

Social networking sites like Facebook or Linkedin are becoming increasingly popular and are unavoidable in day to day life. A recent GRB poll of 500 students said that 73% felt it was an invasion of privacy for an employer to "snoop" on their profile so what's a recruiter to do?

Making the best recruitment decision comes down to having as much information on a potential candidate in order to judge their suitability. Typically we resort to CVs, Interviews, Assessment Centres and the like but now employers are including social networking sites as another slice of information on which to base their decision.

There are no rules restricting the use of these sites however employers run the risk of attracting claims for discrimination. For instance if an employer announced she was pregnant and as a result you retract an employment offer you could liable if there is any documentation pertaining to show that this announcement led to the retraction.

I think most employers understand students make the most of university life and now have a way to express this openly online. To other generations this seems way too revealing and question why they would want to let the world see some of the things that get posted but unless something is seriously anti-social, illegal or defamatory users of social networking sites should have nothing to fear. For selectors, by all means take a look once the decision has been made to hire someone but where it can really help is especially if you have a few people starting as you can contact them all through Facebook and get them talking to each other before they start. See it as a pre-induction strategy to spend time communicating with employees before they start which will help them settle in better to your firm and everyone benefits.

Good News

2010-04-08T06:04:00.000-07:00

This is the kind of thing the nation wants to see more of - especially graduates about to enter the job market. Email me any similar stories to feature on my blog! dan@grb.uk.com

Half Full or Half Empty?

2010-04-06T23:27:00.000-07:00

It fascinates me how people lap up bad news over good - Is it schadenfreude or the just the British state of mind?! Take graduate recruitment. I have been interviewed on BBC Radio recently in response to surveys showing lack of jobs for graduates; questioning the "value" of degrees or how graduates are two-a-penny and I counter all these arguments because I see things differently.

Every graduate will find their degree helps them get a job in some form or another. My company, GRB, has launched the successful careers of thousands of highly capable, switched-on graduates and it gives me great satisfaction to use them as examples against the doom and gloom so often portrayed by the media. In fact I relish the opportunity to show the glass is half full and graduates DO go on to lead fantastic, and very influential, careers in their lifetime as a result of their investment in their higher education. So my message to graduates is not to give up, keep trying and you will find your rightful place in this world!

Top Student Gets Job Four Months Before Graduating

2010-03-30T01:15:00.000-07:00

As the economy crawls out of recession, one of the UKs top university students has landed a graduate job in only 4 weeks with the help of Graduate Recruitment Bureau (GRB). Dan Hawes, GRB co-founder says, “Kristy was identified as a particularly outstanding student and we included her on our exclusive shortlist of the top 50 final year students in the UK – Rising Stars. My team of recruitment consultants have invited then rigorously screened and selected exceptional students over the last six months published their CVs online and watched recruiters flock to peruse these Rising Stars.”

Rising Stars was launched in response to the most competitive job market to face this year’s graduates. Dan Hawes says “With so many high-calibre finalists registering with us, we felt duty bound to go the extra mile this year and try and secure as many of them graduate jobs before they leave in the summer. That way it takes some of the pressure off these students so they can concentrate on getting a good exam grade in the knowledge that they have a well paid job ahead of the 270,000 other finalists and 7 million others from across the EU before they flood the market.”

Kristy, a Physics student from UCL, explains how it worked out for her, “"I first heard about the Rising Stars list was through an email sent to me by GRB. I thought I would apply and fortunately I managed to be one of the lucky applicants. Within a month of being on the list, I was approached by GRB. They told me that a global geophysical services company was interested in me and after looking at their website I knew that it was the ideal job for me. I particularly liked it as it allowed me to put my Physics degree to good use. The interview process consisted of a slide show describing the company and what my job would entail. I had a tour around the office and had an 'informal chat' with the VP of the company. After only a week of waiting, I finally heard that they had made me a job offer. Of course I accepted and am now due to start working in July. I owe a lot to GRB; the employees are extremely supportive, friendly and genuinely want you to succeed. I would thoroughly recommend signing up with the GRB and to apply for the Rising Stars list. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Chris and Dan. I very much appreciate everything they have done for me."

Learn more about our Rising Stars

To Vote or Not To Vote? Graduates Speak Out

2010-03-29T02:14:00.000-07:00

According to the latest GRB poll of students and recent graduates, 68% will trek to the polling booths on Election Day to cast their vote. This compares very favourably with the national average in the 2005 General Election when a mere 61.4% of those registered to vote actually bothered. The final figures could be much higher as 14% are undecided and are waiting to be wooed by the political parties.

Commenting on the results, Dan Hawes, co-founder of GRB, said “It is encouraging that a healthy majority of graduates think politics important enough to go out and vote for one party or another. Encouraging but hardly surprising bearing in mind that graduates and undergraduates are directly affected by government policy on such things as tuition fees and employment prospects. And perhaps they have more than a passing interest in alcohol duty rates!”

Advice On Hiring Interns

2010-03-26T09:44:00.000-07:00

I recently sent this advice out to an employer looking to take on an intern for the first time.

For clients looking to hire an intern or a graduate or for any other short term project recruiters tend to use our website, www.grb.uk.com, to place an job advert. This is the most cost-effective service for this recruitment exercise. Our search and selection service is usually more cost-effective for hiring someone for a permanent role as a fee is payable on remuneration. Our advice to those companies hiring interns is therefore largely based on;

- Having a good job description and skills profile for the hire from the outset. Be clear about what the person will be doing with outcomes and expectations from the outset.
- Paying them at least expenses or minimum wage as you could get a better calibre person plus it gives a better impression of your firm but I understand there may be financial constraints from employers. Certainly the advice given by the CIPD is what I would follow.
- Writing good recruitment adverts with impact. There will be completion for graduates so make sure you stand out.
- Using a targeted approach to make sure you are attracting the right people. So many graduates are applying for anything as they get desperate and the last thing you want is an inbox full of unsuitable CVs.
- Having the resources to sift and select the best person. Turning applications round to interviews and offers should be done as quickly as possible to avoid losing candidates to other employers.

London Spring Fair

2010-03-24T07:45:00.000-07:00

Hi

Just thought I would report back on our attendance at this recruitment fair last week. My colleague, Dan went along with two student helpers and was able to sign up over 300 grads and students to our service. Whilst he was there Dan was interviewed and it was also featured on a website. Click below for more info.

Students spring into job hunting
GRB Interview (scroll down)

Finally we have a new poll on www.grb.uk.com asking grads and students what sectors they would most like to work for. Take part and see the results!

Bye for now

Dan

GRB Latest Poll Results

2010-03-19T06:01:00.001-07:00

Good afternoon

Plenty of news in the press and tv about the University funding cuts so no need for me to cover this however you may be interested to see what the AGR had to comment about it on BBC News At Ten yesterday. (11m54s).

Internships seem to be all the rage at the moment with graduates keen to snap up any work experience for their CV. An interesting guide was published recently by the CIPD and you may find it useful especially the bit about pay! I also found some more info about interns being exploited.

Other interesting news articles I have picked up lately are:

Graduates condemned to coffee-shop jobs
Hard work? No thanks!
AGR Manifesto

GRB also published the results from two web polls we recently hosted:

So why did you go to University?
Graduates show resilience when it comes to their career

We've had a great few months placing graduates so we're treating all the GRB team to lunch in Brighton at 3pm. Have a great weekend.

Dan

GRB Are Hiring

2010-03-05T06:54:00.000-08:00

Good afternoon

Lots of positive news this week about graduate recruitment. Here's a summary,

Teaching under-rated as a career
Languages as important as Maths
Association of Graduate Recruiters says investing in graduates is a sensible move

GRB have a fantastic graduate job working at GRB! We are on the look out for a Resourcer to join us in Brighton so let us know if Recruitment is a career you are thinking of pursuing. Great prospects, nice people and superb earning potential.

Enjoy the weekend.

Best regards

Dan Hawes

PS. Did you know we have a YouTube channel offering sector specific career advice and tips on writing CVs all geared to help graduate job seekers.

Come And Visit GRB

2010-02-26T06:10:00.001-08:00

Hello and welcome to this weeks updates from GRB

There are lots of ways to interact with the graduate recruitment experts here at GRB - you can visit us in Brighton, email us, meet us at a fair or find out more from your Careers Service. We also have regular polls on our websites and the results often find a their way into many newspapers and magazines so its worth taking part. We have one for students/graduates and one for recruiters.

We are members of a few professional associations one of which is the CIPD (popular with HR and Recruitment people). One of their recent seminars I went along to talked about the impact of your voice and how to use it to your advantage. It's an underused technique and can help leave a positive impression during interviews for instance. Think about how your voice alters under different situations and the results may surprise you!

OK, have a great weekend. I'm off to pick up my motorbike from its 8,000 mile service and then tomorrow off to Twickenham with my Dad to see England (hopefully) beat Ireland. Come on!

Dan

GRB Recruitment Surgery Anyone?

2010-02-19T06:12:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday everyone

The momentum continues at GRB this week with our team representing many graduates as they apply for jobs we have with our clients. Normally this time of year is the low season because as you'd expect most activity takes place in the Summer/Autumn yet we seem to be bucking the trend and unusually busy because I think companies are in "rebound mode" as they play catch up with any shortfall they have from their graduate programmes and schemes from 2009.

Equally we have had more than usual enquiries from recruiters seeking graduates to join them as interns so keep an eye out for these jobs to be advertised shortly on our site. Barclay's is already on there.

Other news to mention is that we have now launched a monthly poll for graduate recruiters to participate in so these results will make useful reading for them but also for graduates. The first poll asks what time period they expect to hire a graduate and early indications are positive.

Finally, I am thinking of running a "Recruitment Surgery" for my Facebook friends and wondered what day and time would suit most people. I plan to allocate one hour to answer questions from job-seeking graduates so let me know and if enough people request it - I'll do it!

Best regards

Dan

Dan Hawes at a UCL Q&A

2010-02-12T07:20:00.000-08:00

Hello graduate job seekers and graduate recruiters of the world

Got a lot done this week. Three visits to London made me feel like all the other miserable commuters trekking up to London from Brighton everyday. Don't get me wrong I love London and but I'm glad it's not a daily visit. Anyway on Monday I was in Borough to hear the results of the latest AGR Winter Survey and despite slightly fewer vacancies it was not as bad as people thought. The main points of the survey are here. If you want more details I have the full survey on my desk!

On Wednesday I was invited by UCL Careers Service to take part in a recruitment consultancy Q+A with a group of graduates. Thoroughly enjoyed answering their questions and helping them increase their chances in this very competitive job market.

And finally today I was in Farringdon to listen to RBS and Centrica give case studies on their graduate recruitment marketing campaigns. Very interesting, especially their use of social media to engage with students. 98% of students have a facebook account - wow! When do they find time to study ;-)

Have a great (Valentines) weekend

Best regards

Dan Hawes

GRB's Chris Cater in Sunday Times

2010-02-05T03:10:00.000-08:00

Hello

After a brilliant weekend snowboarding in Meribel I am back raring to go and put our new marketing plan into practice. Our co-founder was recently quoted in the Sunday Times about how positive the graduate jobs market could shape up to be in 2010. Read it here. The good news keeps flowing in this article too.

We have had several new jobs listed on the site this week. Here's a few that may interest you,

Graduate Financial Software Developer
Executive Search Associate
2010 Technology Scheme - Investment Bank
Health Research Analyst

If you are a Sussex based graduate we have partnered with the University of Chichester who have links with local employers looking to take interns. For more info click here.

Have a great weekend. I'm off to Liverpool this weekend and no unfortunately not to see the derby ;-(

Bye

Dan

Rising Stars

2010-01-22T06:43:00.000-08:00

Dear all

Another eventful week at GRB with lots of graduate recruitment activity occurring. For instance we have been asked to tender for several graduate recruiters looking for suppliers - and these campaigns are for hundreds of graduates so everyone benefits enormously if we secure these contracts. The ultimate is reaching a recruiters PSL or Preferred Suppliers List - for which we are already on many. For graduates this means they will only be able to apply for this employers graduate roles through GRB. These jobs remain hidden from other graduates so it is imperative to sign up with a specialist agency as they can provide the most direct route to some top-tier recruiters.

Apart from that our Rising Stars programme has been well received by over 300 members of AGR including Universities who are keen to have their students considered. We have taken many enquiries from interested recruiters and have begun to schedule interviews for some of our Rising Stars. New additions to the site include several news articles referring to the positive economic outlook and healthy predictions for this years graduates seeking work. We also launched our own YouTube channel full of video advice on seeking graduate jobs.

Check it out!

Best regards

Dan Hawes

GRB Staff Make It In Despite The Snow

2010-01-15T06:52:00.000-08:00

Good afternoon

Thank goodness all the snow has cleared. The South Downs looked very pretty but try getting into work on a motorbike! Thankfully the trains and some buses braved the conditions and well done to everyone at GRB making it into the office. Well the highlight of this week has to be the launch of our new graduate recruitment initiative - RISING STARS.

We anticipate the graduate jobs market to be slightly better than last year (a recent survey predicts a 12% rise in graduate vacancies) however it will be more competitive as this years grads tough it out with last years grads who either went onto further study, travelled or temped. We therefore feel, as the UKs leading graduate recruitment consultancy, duty bound to go the extra mile for this years graduating students.

As a new service to finalists GRB has launched RISING STARS to profile this new wave of future movers and shakers. The GRB team have searched, screened and selected 50 of the UKs most exceptional finalists looking to launch their career in 2010. Employers can request an account here or students can apply to be considered here.

I also noticed an interesting statistic this week released by HESA. The HESA Destinations of Leavers from HE Survey 2007/08* revealed that "recruitment agencies/websites" accounted for 34,190 sources of jobs, higher than many other traditional routes. More info here.

And finally, the GRB Marketing team released the new homepage for GRB giving users an easier and better-looking interface. Hope you like it!

Bye!

Dan Hawes

GRB Celebrates Christmas!

2010-01-08T04:20:00.000-08:00

Hello and Happy New Year to you!

Welcome back after the festive break. As you can see from the photo GRB celebrated by going for a meal at a local restaurant, Seven Dials, which was very nice. This picture shows charades being played and one of our staff members falling down (and no that wasn't the film he was trying to act out!).

Anyway we all came back on the 4th and it's all systems go here at GRB despite the weather. January is when we plan our objectives to help even more of the UKs finest graduates launch their careers so expect a new look site, new content, new initiatives and even more recruiters forecast to use our services so it's going to be an improvement on 2009.

General predictions for the economy this year are showing very "sluggish" growth and flat being the new up, whatever that means, but for graduates entering the job market in the Summer it will be more competitive as they find themselves competing with last years graduates so it pays to use as many job hunting strategies as possible to increase your chances of finding work.

I'm off to Brick Lane tomorrow for a Birthday curry so see you again next week. Here's to a good 2010.

Best regards

Dan Hawes

Happy Christmas From GRB

2009-12-18T01:56:00.000-08:00

Hi

After a week in the sun I have come back to freezing temperatures and snow! In my absence a lot has been happening with several placements made and meetings about our business plan for 2010.

Many of our clients are still interviewing graduates right up to Christmas Eve so we don't wind down completely for a week yet. Many recruiters want to get offers out before Christmas so they have new people starting in the New Year. In fact, our first ever job offer was on Christmas Eve 1996!

Our staff dinner is on 22nd December at a local restaurant then we shut the office on Christmas Eve at 2pm and return to work on the 4th January. May I take this opportunity to wish you and your families seasons greetings and a prosperous New Year.

Best regards

Dan Hawes

Get Your CV Done Now

2009-12-04T04:39:00.000-08:00

Hi

It's December already and it's not long until term ends so we have noticed students are rushing around getting projects in or revising so save some time and email us your CV now and we can do all the hard work of job searching while you focus on your studies.

I've been zipping up to London this week attending various seminars and graduate recruitment events and can report that the market is still optimistic for 2010 but growth will be slow. It probably won't return to the norm as the economy has permanently adjusted to this new enviroment but with that comes many opportunities with thousands of employers that are not perhaps City base or FTSE listed. Our consultants have many contacts within this hidden job market and, if you want, we can focus our efforts on searching out graduate opportunities within this job sector.

Finally, if you are looking for good deals on your mobile phone we have teamed up with a partner site which compares pay monthly phones and pay as you go prices - check it out here.

I am off to Twickenham tomorrow for the Barbarian's v. All Blacks game and am then on leave next week. Catch up with you all in a fortnight.

Best regards

Dan

News From The AGR AGM at RBS!

2009-11-27T06:12:00.000-08:00

Hello

Another productive week at GRB. We went along to the Association of Graduate Recruiters AGM kindly hosted by our friends at the Royal Bank of Scotland. Against the odds, membership is up and the mood was optimist for 2010 - although by no means a return to pre-2008 activity - which is positive news.

Yesterday I was at the Warwick AIESEC Careers Fair which was well attended and we spoke over 500 students who were very interested in our recruitment service. I think there is a realisation that 2010 may be slightly better but they will be competing much more with 2009 graduates for these jobs so getting an early-mover advantage is key. And that's were GRB come in!

Also we reported in our news section that many students believe that doing unpaid internships are legal when the opposite is the case. Unfortunately unscrupulous employers are taking advantage of the huge numbers of graduates entering the job market and breaking the law so look out and know your rights.

Finally, we have created an improvement to our job listings on http://www.grb.uk.com/ by placing them in closing date order so this should make it easier to see which jobs you need to apply for quickly!

Best regards

Dan Hawes

AGR Chief Exec Posts Video On GRB Site

2009-11-20T01:28:00.000-08:00

Hello and welcome to this weeks happenings at GRB,

Despite the miserable weather affecting the UK we have a had few rays of sunshine to lift the nations graduate job seekers! I can report extremely positive news of many recruiters talking to us at the moment who are planning to recruit graduates next Summer. A high street bank, a City based IT firm, investment bank and several leading retailers plus an engineering firm - so stick with us and give yourself a fighting chance in the jobs market.

Carl Gilleard, Chief Exec of the Association of Graduate Recruiters, this week recorded an exclusive video for our website packed full of useful advice from our man-in-the-know. Plus, watch advice from three GRB experts about a suggested action plan of what you need to do in year one, year two and year three of your time at Uni to give yourself a head and shoulders advantage over other job seeking students.

Finally, for any budding Marketers amongst you, The Chartered Institute of Marketing Sussex division is hosting a seminar entitled "Back to the Future" about what successful companies are planning for their marketing in 2010.

Speak next week. Have a great weekend.

Best regards

Dan Hawes

GRB In The Media

2009-11-13T03:09:00.000-08:00

Hi

We spoke to thousands of graduates in the last few weeks keen to register their CV with our consultants to start applying for jobs for them. This has created a huge backlog so please bear with us if your CV is waiting to go onto our database. In the meantime if you see any jobs you like the look of then you can visit the site http://www.grb.uk.com/, call in and discuss the next steps with a consultant. We are still busy with recruiters looking for graduates, not necessarily on graduate schemes which have been affected by the recession, but many, many direct-entry roles.

GRB have had some excellent press coverage of late. I was interviewed for the BBC World Service, FT and recently Brookson where I commented on the Government's latest initiative to get more young people getting qualifications and apprenticeships.

Finally one of my recruitment buddies, Tanya, has passed on some really useful advice so take a moment to check it out (and her book if you are interested!)

I am off to see some friends and visit Cheddar Gorge and see why they put the super in Weston Super Mare! Please let there be sunshine...

Best regards

Dan Hawes

GRB Attend Careers Fairs Across The Country

2009-11-06T01:14:00.000-08:00

Hello

GRB were out and about this week at various careers fairs across the UK. The Yorkshire Graduate Fair at Sheffield Uni; Sussex Uni GradFair and then Brighton Uni Career Fair to mention a few. Loads of students came up to our stand and signed up and were really pleased to discover we existed! Judging from the number of other recruiters at these fairs I would say the recession is definitely not stopping them seek top graduates to join their firms. The only noticeable abscence of course are investment banks but even these are starting to make enquiries at GRB about their 2010 programmes so I think we have turned a corner.

We have been reinforcing the value of hiring graduates with news like this Recruitment At Firms Gathers Pace and surveys like this It pays to recruit graduates on our website newsfeed. I also got the chance to advise two graduates on air for the BBC World Service yesterday. It was broadcast from the lawns of SOAS in London and can be listened to here > http://www.grb.uk.com/grb_in_the_press.0.html

We have a new recruitment consultant starting on Monday who will be specialising in helping language graduates find work so today we have been making room for her in the office and getting her induction ready. Watch this space for a lots of new opportunities for language graduates!

All the best and enjoy any firework displays. Yesterdays Lewes Bonfire was well attended by GRB staff so have fun.

Best regards

Dan Hawes

Chat Online With GRB

2009-10-30T03:15:00.000-07:00

Good morning and welcome to the latest news from GRB HQ

Being the last week of the month our team have been busy meeting their targets of placing graduates and I am pleased to say we have a had a good month. We are finding employers may have made too many redundancies and are now finding they need graduates so we have been searching our candidate database speaking to the very best graduates who will fit into their organisation. We always call graduates before we put them forward unlike some other agencies who fire off CVs willy nilly so if you get a call from 01273-325775 it's good news!

Our candidate numbers have been increasing too with many sign ups from last weeks London Careers Fair and yesterdays Nottingham Fair. A lot of graduates read about us in the press and we had several enquiries following an article in yesterday's Executive Appointment section of the FT.

As ever the team are available until 8pm Mon-Thurs and until 5pm on Fridays to answer your emails and phone calls or you might want to chat online anytime. Have a great weekend and speak soon.

Best regards

Dan Hawes

It's Free Y'Know!

2009-10-23T03:20:00.000-07:00

Welcome to this weeks report from GRB

It's funny how students are surprised when I tell them our service is free and we actually apply for jobs on their behalf. I guess they have a perception of recruitment agencies as taking a sneaky cut from their wages or not returning their calls but GRB do things differently.

We have been promoting GRB at the recent London Graduate Fair and we advertise with all Uni Careers Services so we are easy to find. You may even bump into one of our Student Brand Managers who represent GRB on campus. In fact, we currently have vacancies at Brighton, Royal Holloway, UEA, Surrey and Essex Unis so if you are interested in doing a part-time Marketing job drop me a line today dan@grb.uk.com.

GRB staff are off to a consultants 30th Birthday tonight in Worthing so that'll be a late one. Have a great weekend!

Dan Hawes

We Also Advertise Part-Time Jobs

2009-10-16T02:24:00.001-07:00

Happy Friday and welcome to this weeks goings-on at GRB,

Lots of activity on our website with students visiting our very popular student jobs listing which currently has 264 part-time jobs. We also have Carl Gilleard, the chief exec of the Association of Graduate Recruiters giving us his exclusive monthly look at what's going on in the graduate jobs market. If anyone knows what's going on he's your man so have a read. Plus, read this week's Tip Of The Week to give you that all-important edge when applying for graduate jobs.

Our quarterly newsletter also went out to our members but you have to register with us to see that one! The marketing team have been getting ready for the Guardian London Graduate Fair next Tuesday so please do come along and pay a visit to our stand and grab yourself a freebie.

Finally, I have been getting calls from journalists this week running various graduate recruitment articles so keep an eye out for a GRB mention in Thursdays FT and the National Student very soon.

All the best.

Dan Hawes

GRBs Weekly Highlights | No.7

2009-10-09T02:53:00.001-07:00

Hello

Had a great week at GRB! Now students are back, GRB are on the road meeting thousands of you at various freshers fairs and events. On Tuesday we were at Cambridge Uni and were overwhelmed with sign ups to our service. Plus they loved our freebies!

We are going to help these guys find part-time work and internships and then guide them as they progress to graduation and represent them when they start applying for graduate jobs. There is a big grad fair in Earls Court, London this weekend which I am going to pop into as I am visiting the Bike Show next door in Olympia! Don't worry I won't be in lycra if you spot me.

I was in London yesterday to help AGR with their membership strategy and a very productive meeting it was too. The more recruiters are aware of AGR then the more companies can achieve higher standards and better recruitment campaigns. If I get any useful info that will help you find work, I'll pass it on.

Finally, if there are any Sussex based students or graduates interested in keeping up to date on current marketing topics then an event on October 29th is a must. More info here>
ttp://www.cim.co.uk/Events/EventDetail.aspx?ObjectID=29093

Have a great weekend.

Dan

GRBs Weekly Highlights | No.6

2009-10-02T03:54:00.000-07:00

Hi

With many students going back to University our website has seen way more visits especially to our student jobs section. I guess the class of 2010 aren't wasting any time so they avoid missing out on job opportunities. I understand that looking for a graduate job is very time-consuming and most students leave it until the Summer when then actually graduate and can think clearly about what they want to do. In fact the forcast for 2010 is looking slightly better than 2009 so there is no need to panic but some sectors will take longer to recover so keep your ear to the ground plus we are here to help you so feel free to drop me or my team a line.

We are running monthly polls on our website and the findings from our recent are published here > http://www.grb.uk.com/news_archive.0.html?storyId=1448. Also, our website gets newsfeeds every day so it's well worth subscribing to the RSS feed to keep uo to date on what's going on in graduate recruitment.

Finally, as Treasurer of the Sussex region Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) I get involved in various events and this Wednesday saw a fantastic turnout in at the Crowne Plaza Hotel for a debate on who rules the boardroom - Marketing or Finance. Who do you think?!

Here's to good weekend - it's starting this evening with some after work drinks in Brighton. Will check in with you all next Friday.

Dan Hawes

GRBS Weekly Highlights | No.5

2009-09-25T08:14:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone and welcome to my update from GRB.

It's been a productive week with applications to go through for lots of graduate vacancies. Looking ahead to next year signs are very good and surprised some of the attendees at a graduate recruitment breakfast seminar on Wednesday. The AGR announced that their members (big name grad recruiters) will be continuing with their graduate recruitment for 2010 and in many cases actually increasing their vacancies. This news just doesn't seem to get out and many graduates and students are panicking needlessly. Here's more info on that here > http://tinyurl.com/y96aqgs

We have also been speaking to candidates for two roles we have at GRB in Brighton, Sussex. We need graduates with 2 years recruitment experience to join our team. Let me know if you know anyone.

In the Marketing Department we have been putting the final touches to our plans and we are all looking forward to getting out on the road and visit as many students up and down the county at careers fairs, freshers fairs and various other events.

Finally, our man-in-the-know, Carl Gilleard, Chief Exec at AGR has kindly written his exclusive monthly column on our website so click here to get some inside info on graduate recruitment.
http://www.grb.uk.com/news_archive.0.html?storyId=1440

OK I'm off and am looking forward to a weekend of bicycle maintenance, basketball (Worthing Thunder play their first game of the season on Saturday), football and rugby! Have a good one.

Best regards

Dan Hawes

GRBS Weekly Highlights | No. 4

2009-09-18T02:42:00.000-07:00

Hello job seekers! Welcome to this weeks happenings at GRB HQ.

Well first of all we had a new graduate join GRB as a Trainee Recruitment Consultant. Her name is Jenny and she went to Portsmouth University and completed a HR and Psychology degree. She's just finished her induction and raring to go and will be speaking to graduates shortlisted for some of our key accounts over the coming weeks.

Some recruitment consultants have been seeing a steady rise in enquiries from recruiters for STEM graduates which means those studying Science, Technology, Engineering or Maths and also in locations across the UK; Bristol, Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle and Birmingham. So if that's you expect and email and call very soon.

As you know GRB have a team of specialists who from start to finish will help you apply for jobs and fastrack the process so when we call or email you get ready! In case you didn't know the team are available until 8pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday so give us a call if you have any queries.

Finally a friend of GRB is off on a charity mission to a school in Botswana to help some of the children. We have donated our projector so he can show the kids some films which they have never had the opportunity to see that's our good deed for the day!

Have a great weekend - I'm off mountain biking in Afan, South Wales. Bye for now...

GRBs Weekly Highlights

2009-09-10T07:00:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to this weeks goings-on at GRB

Now the schools are back it's only a short while until Unis go back. One student I spoke to from York Uni doesn't go back until 13th October! Alright for some. We are planning several research projects with students so timing is pretty important for when we roll this out.

The GRB consultants have had another busy week speaking to graduates about jobs, arranging interviews and working with clients on immediate and, despite the economic gloom, their graduate recruitment plans for 2010 - so don't despair there is light at the end of the tunnel!

I have a busy day today as I have my quarterly committee meeting with the Association Of Graduate Recruiters Membership team in Farringdon, London to look at ways of attracting more companies to join our professional organisation. After that I am off to the Chartered Institute Of Marketing's regional conference at CIM HQ near Reading which finishes off with a Dinner and an overnight stay.

Finally, check out our website as we have just loaded a new feedback widget on the top left corner of the page so people can give us their suggestions. Right, better go, my team is about to go into a meeting about our Marketing Plan for 2009-10. Have a great weekend and see you next Friday.

GRB Weekly Highlights

2009-09-04T02:17:00.001-07:00

Welcome to this week’s round up from my desk!

My team had another busy week bringing graduates and recruiters together from across the country. A new advertiser went on our job site www.grb.uk.com called Cerulli who are looking for numerate grads - you can apply directly to them here > http://tinyurl.com/nw7asn

We are gearing up for the new term and have recruited many new Student Brand Managers who will be running our marketing campaigns on campuses across the UK so keep an eye out for them. I've also taken several enquiries from journalists wanting me to comment on graduate recruitment issues which are making the headlines of late. Here's a link to an article in the Daily Telegraph which I had a hand in! http://tinyurl.com/nfmazr

We have our finger on the pulse here at GRB as we are talking to, meeting with and emailing students and graduates everyday. I was curious given the tight labour market whether this year’s crop of graduates think they made the right decision choosing their degree subject so I ran a poll on our website and here are the current results > http://tinyurl.com/mdrw5o

I hope you have a great weekend - I am off to Twickenham tomorrow to see the curtain raiser of the new season with two games of rugby.

Best regards

Dan Hawes

GRB Weekly Highlights

2009-08-27T01:27:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to the first of my weekly updates from the world of GRB!

With BT cancelling their graduate recruitment programme for 2010 all eyes were on any other big names recruiters’ following suit. Luckily, so far, this case has been isolated. I can understand how this action will save money in the short term but it creates massive problems for succession planning when they seek to pick rising stars to become mangers and future board members. Where will they turn to? Probably recruitment agencies like ours who have a huge talent pool of graduates like you! Let's wait and see what happens...

In the meantime we continue to be very busy placing graduates up and down the country. This week for example we helped recruiters hire Electrical Engineers, English Literature, Philosophy, Maths, Economics and Management graduates. Recession? What recession! We also placed a graduate with four years work experience so even if you graduated a while ago you are still in demand. Other success stories include two members of the GRB team being promoted to Senior Recruitment Consultants due to their fantastic billing record this year. The only bad news in the office was the cancelling of the Beachdown Festival in Brighton which left some of the team on a beachdowner!

Finally, we speak to graduates and students every day and especially love meeting them at events across the UK. It would be great to meet everyone and talk to them about their needs and wants but that's not possible so instead if you have any comments, suggestions and ideas then please drop me a line or visit our new forum. If enough people ask for it we'll do it! Have a great week and speak to you soon.

Dan
dan@grb.uk.com

Channel 4

2009-05-14T01:52:00.001-07:00

We are dealing with a few enquiries at the moment from the media about graduates and their plans to find work in this difficult jobs market. Channel 4 are looking to run a video diary with 3 graduates looking for work. If you are interested please email me dan@grb.uk.com.

The Graduate Market in 2009 - NEW survey

2009-04-30T01:45:00.001-07:00

Read the full High Fliers Survey here > http://tinyurl.com/crxcz2

2009-04-30T00:28:00.001-07:00

The Good University Guide: University League Table 2010 http://tinyurl.com/cl4tbq

A new twibe for graduate job seekers

2009-04-21T03:01:00.000-07:00

Feel free to join in..

http://www.twibes.com/group/GraduateJobSeekers

Internships give an extra edge

2009-04-21T02:31:00.000-07:00

According to Dan Hawes of the Graduate Recruitment Bureau, the best CVs are those with details of good internships. “Relevant work experience makes a candidate stand out. We go to a lot of career fairs and students with commercial know-how are different. They can speak to you on the same level.

Full Times article here > http://tinyurl.com/c75s53

An American take on interview tips

2009-04-21T01:26:00.000-07:00

What is it that certain people say or do during a job interview that makes them stand out? Why do some people struggle to find work, while others land a job in no time? I wanted to know, and the only way to find out was to experience the interview from the other side of the table. If I could be the one asking the interview questions, not answering, I could see first hand what made candidates stand out. I could then take that knowledge and cater my behavior in any future interview to give myself the best chance of getting hired.

More here > http://www.howtonailaninterview.com/

Are companies cutting Graduate Recruitment?

2008-12-04T01:35:00.000-08:00

Michael Rendell, head of human resource services at PwC states in a recent article...

"Companies have learned not to cut graduate recruitment. Several big companies are offering this year’s graduates an unpaid gap year."

He says social network websites mean that “knowledge of employment practices moves around quickly” so employers cutting their schemes are soon identified by potential graduates."

Read full article

‘GET REAL’ TO COMBAT JOBS UNCERTAINTY SAY GRADUATES

2008-11-18T04:48:00.000-08:00

In recent times students graduating from university have benefited from a buoyant jobs market but it seems that tougher times lie ahead for those planning to enter the world of work in 2009 as a result of the credit crunch and global economic uncertainty.

Whilst it is too early to accurately predict what the jobs market will look like next year, the Graduate Recruitment Bureau set out to gauge the mood of this year’s graduate job seekers. A survey of graduates on the GRB database revealed fascinating insights into their mind sets and an imaginative list of top tips for others hunting for jobs in the same tightening market.

High on the list of things to do were:
Lower your sights in the short-term
Apply early
Be flexible over such things as location, pay, career choice and contract terms
Try to gain work experience in your chosen career area even if this means working for nothing
Differentiate yourself from the masses by brushing up your interview skills and undertaking thorough research into the sector and firms you are applying to
Network like mad by registering with agencies, attending recruitment and careers fairs and using friends and family contacts. But, they warn, under no account just sit at home and do your research on the web (useful as that is)

The survey results suggest that graduates are being pragmatic and realistic about their prospects. They know it will be hard to land that dream job and it may take longer than normal to achieve their goals. If at first they don’t succeed they are prepared to look at alternative routes, including:

Unpaid work experience
Voluntary work
Postgraduate courses of study
Gaining further qualifications and skills though training
Temporary work
Taking a year out

A fair degree of stoicism showed through in the responses, as suggested by advice to:

Be patient and persevere – stay positive
Maintain your confidence levels
Learn from missed opportunities
Be the best you can be but never think you are too good for anything
Don’t let rejections get you down
Never, ever give up!
Understanding yourself, your values, interests and motivations.

The respondents could hardly be accused of hypocrisy! Asked to describe their own attitude towards successfully securing the career of their choice
· 31% said they were being realistic
· 28% said they were optimistic
· A further 20% described themselves as confident
· Only 18% felt they were being pessimistic.

Alternative strategies being employed to achieve their goals included:
· Working overseas (6%)
· Working for free (7%)
· Travelling further afield (12%)
· Being more flexible (16%)
· Revising career goals (9%)
· Lowering expectations 7%)
· Returning to study (7%).

This generation of graduate job seekers are also willing to network and seek support wherever they can find it. Sources of help included:
· Recruitment agencies (67%)
· Family and friends (42%)
· Graduate recruitment directories (44%)
· Job centres (33%)
· Recruitment fairs (33%)
· University careers services (45%)
· Web resources (50%)

Only 3.5% of the sample declared that they were going it alone.
When asked why the graduate jobs market was tightening, the respondents were divided in apportioning blame. 15% blamed the global economic climate and a further 9% blamed the UK climate. 14%, said there were too many graduates and a further 10% felt there were too few graduate jobs to go round. 12% blamed their university for not doing enough to prepare them while 4% blamed themselves for not having started their job search early enough. A further 10% admitted there were not enough graduate jobs in the region they were looking for work in. Employers did not entirely escape criticism with 13% claiming that employers were setting too high standards.
Commenting on the survey results, GRB co-founder Dan Hawes said “Who better to ask about job seeking strategies in a recession than those at the sharp end? Running a graduate recruitment consultancy, I can identify with the sentiments expressed by those going through the process of seeking their first ‘real’ job at this time. It isn’t easy in the present climate but as our respondents have clearly shown, they are refusing to concede defeat and are facing up to the challenges in a realistic, positive and down to earth way.”
Notes:

1.The survey of 368 UK based graduates on the GRB database was conducted in October 2008. 52% were male. 71% had achieved either a first on a 2:1 degree class. The vast majority had already graduated but a small number of final students also contributed.

2.Dan Hawes, co-founder, is available for interview and can be contacted on 01273 200411, 07769 975917 or d.hawes@grb.uk.com

3.Graduate Recruitment Bureau (GRB) can offer a range of services to fulfill all of your graduate recruitment needs. From Search and Selection to Online Advertising we offer you choice and flexibility.Since 1997 we have been helping graduate recruiters, large and small, meet their hiring targets. Our CV database covers students and graduates from the Times Top 30 Universities in Science, Technology, Engineering, Math’s, Legal, Language, Business, Economics, Accounting, Marketing and Humanities degrees with 2.1s or higher and strong A Levels. We have two main services to attract and hire graduates- Search and Selection and Online Advertising.Search and Selection - Our team of Recruitment Consultants specialise in different sectors and take a detailed brief from each client. We then search for suitable candidates from our extensive CV database, screen and introduce the best candidate CVs. Our services have been used by graduate recruiters to fill places on graduate schemes, ad-hoc roles, shortfall and hard to fill vacancies requiring a degree.Online Advertising - Our award winning website enables graduate recruiters to attract high calibre graduates to their vacancies. With in-house design and performance metric reporting this service is an excellent branding opportunity and highly targeted recruitment marketing campaign.

4. GRB Quick Facts
-200, 000 registered job seeking students and graduates from all disciplines and all UK universities
-47% from the Times Top 30 Universities
-30,000 graduated in 2008
-16,500 graduating in 2009
-40,000 unique visits a month on our award-winning website www.grb.uk.com
-Established in 1997 by two graduates
-Several blue chip clients and fast growing SMEs
-AGR and REC member

10 benefits of a recession for graduate job seekers...

2008-11-14T06:23:00.000-08:00

Recessions can mean tough times for a lot of people but can also carry benefits. Some benefits of a recession for graduate jobs seekers are...

- It makes you more creative and consider different careers.
- It makes you look at SME employers instead of some "traditional" London-based firms which are cutting back.
- It makes you realise you can't take your current job for granted.
- It makes you think-twice about buying more "stuff" that is non-essential.
- It makes you think harder about what you can offer an employer.
- It stops complacency and creates a sense of urgency.
- It brings you back to the basics - you need a job to pay the bills.
- It forces you to make tough decisions - enter the job market or take further study?
- It is an agent for change.
- It causes you to be less wasteful - why commute by car when the train will suffice.

Making Light of a Tightening Market

2008-10-14T02:34:00.000-07:00

If newspaper headlines are to believed "Class of 2008 head for home as the career ladder is pulled away" (The Times, 04.10.08), job prospects for graduates in 2008 were dreadful. If what has happened to the stock market since then is anything to go by, then prospects for graduates in 2009 are going to be even worse!

However, the same newspaper ran another graduate jobs story in mid September with the headline "The boom has burst but the job market for newcomers is still bucking the trend".
Confused? Given the conflicting headlines and the speed at which things are happening in the global economy at the moment that's understandable.

Should you be worried as well as confused? What is the truth when it comes to job prospects for graduates this year and should Class of 2009 be worried about what is going to happen to them? And what can you do to improve your prospects?

See full article by Carl Gilleard (Chief Executive of The Association of Graduate Recruiters - AGR)

The hands have it

2008-09-26T03:59:00.001-07:00

Interesting snippet from today's FT written by Emma Jacobs on the importance of a firm handshake. We all know body language can give different signals and it is important to give out positive vibes especially in an interview. According to research by the University of Iowa interviewees with a firm handshake are "far more likely" to get the job than candidate with a limp handshake. They found it was more noticed than the dress or physical appearance of a candidate. Women especially benefit from a firmer handshake so now you know - get practising!

Student Housing –vs- Halls of Residence

2008-09-16T01:42:00.000-07:00

Student accommodation comes in the form of halls of residence, student homes, student flats or student houses, but which is the best?

This completely depends on the university, the conditions of the halls of residence and the student housing in the local area. Some students are luckier than others but there are increasing amounts of landlords taking advantage of the student market and therefore increasing the choice and the standard of student housing. Of course the price and value for money is important factor and again differs depending on university and location.

Halls of residence carry the advantage of allowing students to be close to 100’s of other fellow students but there are other ‘external student properties’ that offer this advantage now including London's Nido building, which has been described as a 'campus-in-a-box'.

Resisdents include students typically from Imperial College, London School of Economics (LSE), University College London (UCL), City University and King’s College. Although they are from different universities the residents still have the ‘communal experience’ students get on campus and in halls of residence.

For information on halls of residents at your University it is best to see their website or contact them directly and for student housing see Accommodation for Students.

Best Graduate Bank Accounts

2008-09-11T02:22:00.000-07:00

Many banks offer student accounts whilst you are studying with interest free overdrafts but not all of them transfer into a graduate account automatically when you graduate and you could end up with a stack of chargers if you are not careful. So which Graduate Bank Account is best for you?

Read more ar GRB News and Views.

Taking Time Out

2008-09-01T07:07:00.000-07:00

There seems to be a myth around that if you graduate and don’t go straight into a graduate training scheme you have blown your chances. In other words, if you graduated in 2007, 2006 or earlier, you are ineligible to apply for a graduate programme in 2008.

This is simply untrue. Most employers welcome applications from anyone and any age so long as they have the right skills, personal attributes and motivation. And don’t forget, age legislation in employment makes it illegal for employers to discriminate on grounds of age.

Where this myth comes from is anyone’s guess. However, it is a dangerous assumption to make even by those graduating in 2008. You may have a desire to take a year out but don’t want to jeopardise your career prospects. Or you may decide to take that highly paid temporary job to pay off your student debts before concentrating on your longer term career. Either way, you will not damage your prospects of getting on to a graduate programme by doing something else before applying for career jobs. In fact, your life experience during the ‘time out’ may actually make you a stronger candidate.

This is the real point – it is not what you do but what you learn from the experience that makes the difference. I get asked time and again if a gap year is a good thing to do. My answer is always the same –YES! But then comes the rider – it does depend on how much the individual learns from the experience.

When I was a graduate recruiter, back in the good old days, I would see lots of job seekers who had taken a year out before applying for graduate posts. After asking them to describe what they had done I would move on to ask what they had learnt and then quiz them as to how they might apply what they had learnt to the job they were applying for. Easy, I can hear you say. Well yes, you would think so but time and again candidates let themselves down by not being able to get past describing what they had done and sometimes even that was a struggle.

What these candidates had failed to apply was the skill of reflective learning. It is something I do most days on my way home from work – on the train, in the car or walking to the station. What had I set out to do, how close had I come to achieving my objectives, what prevented me from completing them and what had I learnt that I could apply on another day? It only takes a few minutes but the process, once you master it, can be applied to a whole variety of settings and it helps me to understand myself better.

This has two main benefits. Firstly, knowing yourself helps you to identify your strengths and weaknesses and that is important in terms of organising your career. You can also do something about tackling your weaknesses. Secondly, knowing yourself helps you to feel more comfortable with yourself so that when you are asked searching questions about yourself, such as in a job selection process, you have the confidence to respond. Don’t forget, often the interviewer is more interested in how you answer the questions rather than what you actually say.

So, if you have taken some time out don’t just think about what you did but focus on what you learnt. Capture those thoughts and when you make that all important job application, make sure you can articulate what added value your experience gave you. And if you are about to launch yourself into an activity that does not fit the traditional career path, ensure you do the same. One way of doing this is to record your experiences in a diary or logbook.

I recall spending some time on a ferry from Manley to Darling Harbour in Sydney with two UK graduates who were coming to the end of a round the world trip. One of them was really worried about how his travels would look on a job application form when he returned to the UK. In fact, he was quite gloomy about it. His girlfriend had no such qualms. She rattled off a whole list of skills she had gained from the experience – planning, budgeting, fund raising, a host of short-term service jobs, foreign languages and understanding cultural differences. She went on to mention ‘coping strategies’ at which point I was so impressed by her self awareness I almost offered her a job there and then!

Two people, one experience, but very different outcomes. I know which outcome I would prefer, don’t you?

Carl Gilleard
Chief Executive
The Association of Graduate Recruiters

Earn While You Learn?

2008-08-27T03:44:00.000-07:00

More and more students appear to work part-time whilst at university but for most students it is for financial reasons and not to gain relevant experience for future employment. Many students find work in high street shops, bars and restaurants and some in more office based roles.

It is advisable to try and obtain a job in a relevant area to your degree but this is not always possible and it appears that experience is increasingly not the priority. Laura Howard wrote an article in The Guardian quoting, "An estimated 792,000 full-time UK undergraduates - two-thirds of the total - will have to spend valuable time away from their academic work to earn cash not just to survive student life but to deal with the impact of inflation on rising rents, food, household bills and travel."

It is not just term-time work that students are looking for either as The Guardian states, "Research published last week by Halifax also showed that almost half the students surveyed (41 per cent) said they now worked over the summer as well as holding down a term-time job, while 18 per cent held down two jobs or even more."

Do you have to work part-time and/or during holidays to survive your time at university?

Read Full Article from The Guardian

Have your say - journalist seeks student views for article.

2008-08-22T07:26:00.001-07:00

Kate Hilpern (Journalist) is looking for students to interview for her article. See her message below for more details...

Following this week's news that people are increasingly naming their parents as their agent on their UCAS form, I am working on an article for the Guardian newspaper on parents' growing involvement in their adult offspring's lives. Some accompany their son or daughter to induction day; others go to careers fairs with them; some go to job interviews; others call up their offspring's employers. I'm interested in talking to people whose parents have a strong involvement in their lives. The purpose is not to criticise the trend - indeed, many people welcome parents' growing interest and see it simply as a reaction to how friendly we are with our children these days. Others find it a bit suffocating. I would welcome hearing from you by email - with a view to interviewing you on the phone before Wednesday, when I have to write the article. Please contact me at KHilpern@aol.com

Going through Clearing?

2008-08-20T03:37:00.000-07:00

Clearing is a process of matching applicants with courses and enables over 30,000 people every year to find a place on a course. People may use Clearing if they have not withdrawn an application and hold no offers from any courses due to not meeting the requirements, declining offers or applying late.

So, how do you ensure you find the right course through Clearing?

The University Blog recommend Ten Top Tips.

UCAS provide advice on how to apply for Clearing and your options.

There is also some useful information in The Independent

University of Oxford plan to boost admissions from poorer students

2008-08-18T04:40:00.000-07:00

Oxford and Cambridge Universities are the top universities in the UK and therefore the hardest to get into but is it just the grade requirements that it make it so difficult? Apparently not as a study carries out last year showed that students from top private schools were twice as likely to get into Oxford and Cambridge irrespective of their A-level results.

To move away from this elitist reputation Oxford will try to boost admissions from from poorer students by identifying their postcodes.

The Telegraph states, "In addition to looking at a candidate's postcode, Oxford will also collect four more pieces of "publicly available" information - the performance of applicants' schools in both GCSEs and A-Levels, whether a pupil looked after or spent time in care, and it they attended specific programmes for disadvantaged children. Candidates who are flagged up in three categories out of the five - and are academically strong enough - will be guaranteed an interview at Oxford, although not necessarily an offer."

The Telegraph found that the decision has been met with anger from educationalists.

What are your thoughts on this?

Is the credit crunch affecting University choice?

2008-08-13T02:57:00.000-07:00

At this time of year students are making those final and vital decisions on where to go to university. There are many factors that influence their decision such as the course, the university rank and the location but is this rise in rent affecting their choices?

accommodationforstudents.com shows that students can expect to pay nearly £40 more a month on rent than 4 years ago and it is predicted to increase due to the credit crunch and The Guardian discusses the student rent increases further.

Has the credit crunch affected your university choice?

Lowest Graduate Unemployment for 5 Years!

2008-08-11T09:27:00.000-07:00

According to BBC News Graduates have the lowest unemployment rate for five years. There appears to be a trend of those graduates with the lowest degree grades having the worst unemployment rate and also computer science and creative arts graduates having the highest unemployment rates.

What are the reasons for this reduction in unemployment? Are there more employable graduates in the market or more graduate employers or both?

Read full article

Should your research start at the library or Google?

2008-08-06T02:25:00.000-07:00

An interesting post was made on The University Blog discussing whether using Google as an information portal for research helps or hinders students. Many students use Google for all of their research and although this allows access to thousands if not millions of sources it is argued that it is still one entity when carrying out research. Does Google provide too much information and should students stick to the literature stored in the library?

Silly mistakes can cost you your career!

2008-07-31T07:54:00.000-07:00

It is tough enough to get through some application processes when applying for graduate jobs but it can be made even harder by making silly mistakes. Our co-Founder was quoted on this issue in a recent article in The Times and our consultants have provided some examples of mistakes they have witnessed.

Have you made any mistakes or do you have advice for others on this issue?

How do graduates find work?

2008-07-30T02:05:00.000-07:00

I was recently invited by the BBC to appear on a live interview from Birmingham University about what graduates can do to find work.

See the attached clips and leave any comments below.

Is paying off your student loan more important than pursuing your dream career?

2008-07-28T03:07:00.000-07:00

Would you sacrifice your dream job for a job that allows you to clear your debts quicker? Lots of graduates pursue the career they have been working towards but many don't, some settle for anything with a higher salary even if it is not in their preferred field.

Read full article on the Graduate Recruitment Bureau's news page.

What are your priorities when seeking a graduate job?

How honest is your CV?

2008-07-22T07:05:00.000-07:00

Research suggests that graduates from higher ranked universities, have more truthful CVs than students from lower ranked universities. Maths graduates appear to be the most honest and graduates with arts and humanities degrees are the least honest. Graduates may feel it is necessary to exaggerate their achievements to secure a graduate job. They may also feel that they can get away with it but when it gets to interview stages how will these graduates compare to those who have not had to lie?

Read full article

Would you lie on your CV for your dream job?

Source: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9860034a-56b1-11dd-8686-000077b07658.html

Recruiters have more graduate vacancies!

2008-07-11T06:02:00.000-07:00

Graduate recruiters have over 10% more graduate vacancies in 2008 than last year but the competition is still high. The AGR (Association of Graduate Recruiters) survey showed that this year the finance sector has the most vacancies but vacancies in the FMCG sector have the most competition, with 112 applicants per vacancy. Although the finance sector has the most vacancies, it does not have the most applications per vacancy therefore statistically it is ‘easier’ to get a graduate job in finance than with a FMCG company.

Are you finding the competition fierce when it comes to securing a graduate job?

View sectors with the most vacancies and the average number of applicants per vacancy within these sectors.

Source: http://www.agr.org.uk/