What Counts Is Brain Power!

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?

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

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

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

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

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

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