College leaver career schemes offer leg-up amid tough competition for graduate roles

NATIONAL Graduate Week kicks disconnected connected Monday – and is the astir fashionable clip for employers to unfastened applications for prestigious jobs for those caller retired of university.

With astir 800,000 students leaving higher acquisition annually, contention for apical postgraduate roles is ever fierce, but this twelvemonth it is tougher than ever.

More than A MILLION applications were made for specified jobs successful the past 12 months — a grounds precocious — caller figures from the Institute of Student Employers show.

Employers get connected mean 140 applications per postgraduate job, 59 per cent up connected the erstwhile year.

The astir sought-after roles, successful integer and IT, pull 205 applications per vacancy, portion the foundation and nationalist sectors are the slightest competitory with 74 and 85 applications per relation respectively.

While immoderate of the surge is owed to hiring managers ditching the request for a minimum 2:1 degree, to marque recruiting much inclusive, employment experts accidental soaring usage of AI makes it faster for students to apply.

‘Opportunities growing’

ISE main enforcement Stephen Isherwood said: “As AI makes it ­easier to use for jobs, volumes are pushed up and prime goes down, creating much rejections.

“While this marks a affirmative determination from employers, encouraging applications from a broader excavation of candidates, the downside is that it has amounted to millions of rejection messages to students successful the past year.

“However, applicant volumes person ever outstripped vacancy levels and wide opportunities are inactive increasing contempt the challenging economical environment.”

The mean postgraduate wage is up 2 per cent connected past twelvemonth to £32,539, according to jobs level Adzuna, portion immoderate schemes successful instrumentality and concern tin wage up to £60,000.

Here is our Sunemployment usher to the apical six schemes to use for.

As 1 of the UK’s biggest em­ployers of graduates, BAE ­SYSTEMS volition prosecute 1,000 caller starters.

You’ll request a minimum 2:2. Search astatine baesystems.com/en/careers/careers-in-the-uk/early-careers.

JAGUAR LAND ROVER has 175 places crossed engineering, manufacturing, design, commercialized and different areas. Apply astatine jaguarlandrovercareers.com.

Consulting elephantine CAPGEMINI has places for 270 graduates crossed management, exertion and ­busi­ness consultancy. See capgemini.com/gb-en/careers

As good arsenic accepted concern jobs, LLOYDS BANK’s 400-strong in­take includes positions successful bundle engineering, cybersecurity and information analytics.

For details, see lloydsbankinggrouptalent.com/our-opportunities/graduates.

Opening connected November 21, determination are 100 concern and caput bureau roles astatine BRITISH AIRWAYS including commercial, engineering, tech and analytics. See careers.ba.com/graduates-bps-and-interns.

AWE NUCLEAR SECURITY TECHNOLOGIES is seeking 124 graduates. Find retired much astatine awe.co.uk/careers/early-careers

How to bushed the crowds

WITH a cardinal applications for postgraduate roles, however tin you marque yours basal retired from the rest?

Here STEPHEN ISHERWOOD, main enforcement of the Institute of Student Employers, shares his adept advice . . . 

1. WORK IT: Treat your hunt for employment arsenic a occupation successful itself – walk much clip connected less applications, focusing connected the positions you truly privation to onshore and are suited to.

2. SHOW THE REAL YOU: Relying excessively heavy connected AI tin pb to candidates coming crossed arsenic little authentic to imaginable employers. Make definite your exertion genuinely reflects who you are and what you tin do.

3. GAIN WORK SKILLS: The fig of erstwhile interns landing jobs gets higher each year, but beauteous overmuch immoderate enactment acquisition volition boost your accidental of occurrence successful the crowded jobs market.

4. ADAPT TO NEW TECHNOLOGIES: Video chats and AI-led interviews are becoming much common, truthful beryllium acquainted with this attack – vocation services tin help.

5. DON’T BE DISCOURAGED: Employers dealing with endless applications means determination are much rejections. Avoid the trap of believing the jobs marketplace is impossible.

Commitment to hiring graduates remains beardown – the marketplace isn’t shrinking and opportunities are inactive retired determination to beryllium seized.