My Blog Has Moved!

I am no longer blogging here. Please visit www.grb.uk.com/employer-services/blog for monthly updates from now on.

Bridging the Generation Gap

The generation gap. It's a fact of life. From home life as parents of teens to managing fresh graduates at work, it's a daily scenario that can present challenges.

So much has changed since we were youngsters. Or has it? To navigate the sometimes complex behavioural trends of any generation requires experience and a dose of fresh insights in order to keep your finger firmly on the pulse. A recent conference addressed these issues, and more, providing some valuable lessons for over 80 recruiters last week in London. As chair of the very first Early Careers Development Conference, I was honoured to share the stage with experts in youth recruitment from Sky, City & Guilds, AXA, Dyson, Tesco and Barclays. I calculated the speakers alone had a combined experience of over 100 years of engaging and developing early talent let alone the audience! If you couldn't make it here's a few points we shared;

1. Soft skills are now the hard skills - No longer are communication skills, commercial awareness and being a team player deemed "soft". They are very much a necessity in today's demanding work place according to Kirstie Donnelly MBE, MD of City & Guilds. GRB can echo that statement based on the criteria many of our clients seeking not just academic brilliance but other skills in equal measure.

2. Mentors, Buddies, Knowledge hubs and Management training - These components are the "glue" to ensure a smooth transition from school or university to the workplace, minimise poor retention rates and maximise the return on investment. So often the relationship between new starter and line manager is overlooked so is it a risk worth taking? One recruiter alleviated this by involving line managers in interviews. What could you do?

3. Are they the "job hopping" generation? - A question posed by a recruiter who had spent 14 years with the same employer. GRBs student panel quickly refuted the claim stating that employers aren't stepping stones as long as the opportunity offered good remuneration, a strong community feel and team environment, job security and clear career development steps. The panel agreed that an employee from any generation would want these elements so the overriding message is to look after your staff as best as possible but also plan for their exit with a succession plan and talent pipeline.

These are just a few of the lessons from the conference. For many more insights please drop me an email with your questions to d.hawes@grb.uk.com.

GRB Invests For Growth

To fund GRB's growth and bigger premises, we approached Rob Head, Relationship Director at NatWest in Worthing. Together, we attracted a loan of £300,000 backed by the Government’s Enterprise Finance Guarantee plus a reinvestment of GRB profits.

This will enable us to expand both Brighton and London operations and to concentrate on growing the Experienced Hire divisions covering finance, IT and analytics sectors.

We’ve learned a lot since we placed our first graduate in 1997. We have grown steadily, reinvesting our profits and surviving two economic downturns. In fact, it’s made us leaner and meaner and determined to get our growth plans back on track. We are confident given the excellent team we have around us and the strength of our client base.

We’ve been with NatWest since inception and have been impressed with the way it’s looked after us. We have a great relationship with Rob who really gets what we do and takes a keen interest in our business plan, so we are naturally delighted the bank has provided extra financial support.

Rob said: “GRB is a bold agency with ambitious plans. We’re constantly struck by the passion and expertise Dan and Chris show in running their business. NatWest is proud to support small businesses such as theirs that contribute so much to the community.”

The Great Expectations of Gen Y. Guest Post From AGR Chief Executive, Carl Gilleard

I make a habit of waking early and catching up on world events by tuning into BBC Breakfast. Of course, I am doing other things at the same time, so it is more often than not a case of listening to rather than viewing the programme. Then, when I catch a word or two of particular interest, I call a halt, sit on the bed and watch the story unfold.

There are a number of key words that trigger off my increased attention – they include ‘university’, graduates’ and ‘unemployment’. I am no longer surprised by how often the news includes items on these topics. This morning all three featured in the headlines.

The story that really caught my attention was about student dissatisfaction with the university experience. According to an extensive survey conducted by Which, in partnership with the Higher Education Policy Institute, 29% of the 17,000 participants said that their university course did not represent good value for money. The last time the survey was carried out, in 2006, only 16% had the same complaint.  

It is hardly surprising that with fees rising from just over a grand in 2006 to £9,000 maximum today, expectations would rise. Unfortunately state funding of higher education has been much reduced so there is no more money in the system to improve the quality of what is on offer although I know that many universities are striving to enhance the student experience. Part of the problem is that students are not always aware of what they are signing up to. One in five respondents complained that information on courses was vague and one in ten said it was misleading. 

Expectation management is something that universities are going to have to get used to. Consumers, and students are consumers whatever the purists think, today do expect more for their bucks. It is essential therefore that when students consider going to university and which institution and course to apply for, they have a good understanding of what to expect. Anything less will inevitably lead to disappointment and frustration. (GRB can help show the average salaries by university and course).

It is exactly the same for employers. Telling it how it is, helps to adjust expectations to a realistic level. There is a huge temptation to only show the best bits of working for your business when competing for the best talent but that carries the danger of raising expectations to an unreasonable level.

I recall visiting a mansion in an idyllic setting that had been converted into the management centre of a heavy engineering company and asking the graduate recruitment manager if that was where they carried out their assessment centres. “Good heavens, no,” he cried, “the candidates would get entirely the wrong idea about their daily working environment. All our selection activities are held onsite, in the factories where the graduates will be based”.

Fair point!

Carl Gilleard
Chief Executive
AGR

HEAR hear, a credible alternative to a 2.1?

The latest figures released by the Higher Education Statistics Agency show yet another increase in the proportion of graduates achieving a First or Upper Second degree. In the academic year 2011/12, 66% of those graduating achieved this distinction, a rise of 2% over the previous year. As recently as 2007/08 only 61% did so well.

It’s difficult to be anything but pleased for those who ‘made the grade’ as it were. Employers, at least those in membership of AGR, value the First and Upper Second (a 2:1) highly. So highly in fact that three quarters of them when recruiting graduates have an automatic cut-off which excludes those who have achieved anything less.

With growing numbers of graduate applications to contend with it is a simple way to reduce numbers. Some employers receive well over a hundred applications for each vacancy, so having an academic cut off point is strategic. However, the weakness with this approach is that the degree classification system is not a national standard. Put another way, you cannot accurately compare one candidate’s achievement of a 2:1 with another candidate’s unless they studied the same degree at the same institution at the same time. The degree then is a blunt instrument and recruiters need to treat it with caution.

What’s the alternative? Well, some recruiters do not exclude candidates at the screening stage on the basis of their degree classification by applying other criteria, such as relevant work experience. The higher education sector has been working hard over the past few years to develop an alternative record of students’ achievement that show the academic achievements throughout the degree programme and also captures extra-curricular achievements which employers value so highly. It’s called the Higher Education Achievement Record or HEAR and a majority of higher education institutions have signed up to it. Graduates will be able to permit employers to access their HEAR which, as well as providing additional granularity over the crude degree classification, will be verifiable data.

In a recent GRB poll of graduates just over half claimed that they would always be honest on social networking sites. There’s a difference between what you say about yourself on a social networking site and a job application, so the findings cannot be extended to applications. Other research claims that as many as one in four people misrepresent educational qualifications.

Carl Gilleard, AGR Chief Executive, says “These are tough times for job applicants and recruiters. Both are grappling with increased competition for vacancies. Using the degree class as the prime cut-off is problematic and can result in talented candidates being excluded. Using the UCAS points (A level grades) to de-select candidates is even worse practice.”

Until now, it has been difficult to come up with an alternative but the HEAR might well provide a credible remedy. After 200 years of the degree class system evolving, employers should at least allow time for the HEAR to become embedded in the HE sector before passing judgement. The more encouraging employers are and the more use they make of it, the more likely it is that universities will adopt it. People need to support a new idea, not be instantly sceptical; a little faith is a required to bring about change. In this case, a definite change for the better for all concerned.

Graduate Salaries - We Predict Your Future!

Today GRB launches an exciting new service for students and their parents considering University.

Ramla, the all-knowing graduate salaries fortune teller can give you a prediction of what you're statistically set to earn after you graduate, based on detailed sets of data researched through UCAS, HESA and GRB's Independent Research Team.

Here at GRB, our Independent Research Team has been hard at work to create Ramla, the all-knowing graduate salaries fortune teller, giving you a prediction of what you're statistically set to earn after you graduate, based on previous graduates who have done the same course and at the same university as you.

First year Undergraduates across the UK are the first to experience the higher university tuition fees, capped at £9,000 per year. There are hundreds of news stories and blogs dedicated to the topic but a very small quantity of these are doing much in the way of helping prospective and current university students to make an informed choice on how best to decide on university courses and institutions, how best to spend time whilst at university or how to make sure while studying, you're maximising your value for money.

Against all predictions, the fees haven't done a great deal by way of deterring students from attending university and the higher fees are probably here to stay so instead of thinking about the debt you may have incurred over the next three or four years, get excited about the career options and potential graduate salary earnings you are statistically set to receive after you finish your studies. The salaries are based on detailed sets of data researched through UCAS, HESA and GRB's Independent Research Team.

Visit Ramla using the link below, and see what your future holds...
www.grb.uk.com/graduate-salaries-fortune-teller

Employers Still Hungry For Graduate Talent

Futuretrack, the most reliable and extensive piece of research to surface on graduate behaviour points to several reassuring findings for parents and sixth formers contemplating Higher Education. You will get a return on your investment on many levels and employers especially value the skills graduates bring to the workforce.

The ‘Futuretrack’ study was commissioned by the Higher Education Careers Services Unit and undertaken by Warwick University’s Institute for Employment Research. Starting with the 2005/6 population of applicants for full-time UK undergraduate study, they have succeeded in tracking 17,000 graduates and where they ended up 6 years later. The bottom line figures look reassuring with 71% of graduates snapped up by employers in a variety of roles across all sectors.

The research went into further detail about graduate’s experience of Higher Education. An overwhelming 96% of those who took part in the survey said that they are glad that they had taken their degree despite the financial cost. Two thirds also stated that they felt positive about their long-term career prospects. 29% loved it so much that they stayed on to do post graduate study!

Many sectors, like IT, have consistently found shortages and now sectors like Engineering and Banking are embarking on a war for talent, especially for numerate graduates, so it is vital Universities keep developing this talent for employers in the future. Dan Hawes, co-founder of Graduate Recruitment Bureau says: “We were delighted to be able to support the study and achieved the largest number of responses by any commercial recruitment consultancy. We believe it sends a strong message to all stakeholders anxious about the changes to Higher Education. Since 1997 we have served graduate recruiters, large and small, and have seen our business grow like many other intermediaries also providing valuable services over the last decade. The job market is definitely there for graduates so we are always surprised to hear about high calibre graduates struggling.”

“This survey also confirms our belief in the added value graduates bring not just to employers but the economy as a whole at a time when we need an injection of fresh blood. We track high calibre graduates that we place and this research confirmed what we are already seeing that graduates start their career in all sorts of places, not just on graduate schemes, but on other well paid, graduate level jobs. The problem is graduates simply miss these opportunities as they exist in a hidden market.”
Jane Artess, research director at HECSU says: “Graduates’ perceptions of the value of their degree in finding work changes remarkably after they have been in the labour market for some time, which helps us to understand the magnitude of the downturn on this group.”

Professor Kate Purcell at the IER adds “Students focus mainly on their studies while at university, particularly in their final year, so graduating into one of the worst recessions in history has hit them particularly hard.  The main finding for me is that even in the wake of the recession, the onset of higher fees and large debts, the graduates remain positive in the face of adversity with great confidence that their degree has been worth it."