GOOD GRADES ARE WORTHLESS WITHOUT RELEVANT EXPERIENCE, SAY UK’S BIG GRADUATE RECRUITERS
Graduates who worked hard on their studies but spent their summers doing bar work or a shop job will miss out on the best graduate jobs in 2013, analysts have said.
In an astonishing illustration of employers’ ever-increasing demands on young applicants, half of the UK’s top graduate recruiters said those without relevant experience have “little or no chance” of being offered a job at their firm this year, even if they have a first-class degree from a top university. Martin Birchall, managing director of High Fliers Research, said:
“This latest research confirms that taking part in work placements or internships whilst at university is now just as important as getting a 2.1 or a first-class degree. Graduate recruiters warn that in a highly competitive job market, new graduates who’ve not had any work experience at all during their studies are increasingly unlikely to be offered a good graduate job after university.”
While on one hand it seems fair that employers should favour candidates with experience over those without, Graduate Fog is concerned that this now seems to be an issue of the quality and relevance of that experience. What they seem to be saying is that a candidate who has spent their summers working as a waitress is not as impressive as one who has spent their summers working for a big PR firm or at an investment bank. If that is the case, is it really fair? Are all the best opportunities really open to all?
PR internships are often unpaid – and investment banking internships are always in big cities, usually London. If you are an undergraduate whose parents live in a rural area or you can’t afford to work for low wages, can you hope to compete with those based in cities who have greater financial support from their families? The report also showed that a third of this year’s entry-level positions will be filled by graduates who have already worked in their organisation, so it’s clear that getting ‘in’ with the right people as an undergraduate is a major boost to your job hunt once you graduate – an enormous advantage. But what if you’re a young person who is not in a position to be able to gain that advantage?
The good news is that the total number of vacancies among the big graduate recruiters is expected to rise by 2.7% in 2013, echoing the findings of the recent Association of Graduate Recruiters report which also predicted a jump this year. However, recruitment is still well below pre-recession levels – this year’s intake is 11% less than it was in 2007. And, with many of the Class of 2012 still struggling to find their way into proper, paid, full-time jobs, this looks set to be another year of tough competition for the best graduate positions.
*ARE GRADUATE RECRUITERS DEMANDING TOO MUCH?
Are good quality work experience opportunities really open to all? Is it fair that an unpaid internship may be seen as more valuable than a shop job, when so many young people are struggling with their finances? Are graduate recruiters demanding more and more from their young applicants? And are you confident you will be able to offer what they’re looking for? Could you afford to do the best internships during your summer holidays – or did you have to focus on finding a job near you that paid a decent wage?
I guess I’d point out that first, this report only covers what we’d call the “big graduate employers” who, despite being called “the big employers” i.e. they employ a lot of graduates per year aren’t those that employ the most graduates overall.
I’d also say that given the economic situation, people are more informed about the situation of graduates in a way which those that started pre-recession simply were not. Years in industry are now considerably more popular, years in which for most top institutions, you can take out loans from the student loan company and grants from the university to cover your living expenses.
The higher education landscape in this country has changed for good I think, recession or no. Of course the bad sides are well documented, but the expansion of higher education means that it is considerably easier to do things like practice courses whilst in work, take degrees flexibly online or part time and so on.
I think one of the things that happened less in teh past that is starting to happen now in schools (I’m anecdotally going to use my sister’s school as an example, though it could be exception) is that there is more information about certain careers. It is not a school’s job to dissuade a child for persuing their dream, but to show them what their options are. When I was at school, the advice was simply, get yourself to any university.
Finance and so on generally offer actually quite well paid internships to top students. PR is a bullshit industry anyway so I’m not really surprised at their actions, since PR iteself is struggling to find a way to to monetise their services.
Also, I’d say that financial firms actions are understandable since they are trying to head off a brain drain to the tech sector. They can promise salaries that are large by most standards, but certainly not the bumper golden hellos that used to lure top grads away, plus the working culture of tech is pretty attractive. As a result I imagine they need to find people that are really committed to their industry.
I have a first and an internship under my belt and this still isn’t enough. Jobs now seem to want a couple of years relevant experience for what were once entry level positions. I spend my days sending off largely unacknowledged applications. This isn’t working (no pun intended) but I’m at a loss as to what else I can do?
What they seem to be saying is that a candidate who has spent their summers working as a waitress is not as impressive as one who has spent their summers working for a big PR firm or at an investment bank. If that is the case, is it really fair?
What utter tosh and spin to put on their statement which was
“New graduates who’ve not had any work experience at all during their studies are increasingly unlikely to be offered a good graduate job after university.”
Experience is helpful and helps you to answer competency based interviews with much stronger examples that academic answers or academic work.
They are not advocating that any work seeker takes an unpaid internship, neither are they advocating that waiting experience is better or worse than internships.
If you had ANY experience of competency based interviewing at all you’ll know that its the quality and depth of the examples that matter, not the employer or type of work that they come from.
I speak as a recruiter of graduates and all levels.
@Peter
I agree that this hasn’t been said in so many words – but they’re not going to say it, are they?
And I’m afraid that I do think it’s implied here, especially since a third of grads hired have already interned with that company. Reading between the lines, don’t you think that’s what we’re talking about – quality, relevant, impressive work experience versus just having done any old part-time job for money? I’m afraid I really do.
I agree that all experience is better than no experience, but I do think what’s being said is that some experience is more valuable than other experience. My question is whether the most valuable experience really is open to all – and I fear that it isn’t.
Tanya,
I think you are falling into the trap of trying to read the recruiters mind. If you know anything about competency based interviewing you’ll know (as I said above and you failed to absorb) “its the the quality and depth of the examples that matter, not the employer or type of work that they come from.”.
No one recruits on experience – you can’t measure it!
I am so fed up with the attitude around jobs like bar jobs, shop jobs etc.
I have been looking at so many job adverts writing “You need to have at least 1 years office experience” What does that actually mean? I mean any idiot that went to uni can do the basics of office work, stuffing envelopes, data entry, typing in word..
But in a shop for example you need to face customers, you learn about stock levels, visual merchandising, sales etc. If you want to work in retail you understand the consumer and the whole supply chain better too than if you never worked on the shop floor.
Of course its good with relevant experience to the role you would like to get after graduation, but we know that the quality of many internships varies widely.
I frankly wouldn’t place any credance on the attitude and belief of some mere pleb working in “High Fliers Research” looking for an ego and/or a few inches of column space in a Professional Newspaper (let alone online blog)… there has always been a problem with employers dissing College and University, with both employers and their representatives (such as the CBI, IoD, Chambers of Commerce) criticising graduates for not being “oven ready” or “fully skilled, fully trained, fully experienced, capable of hitting the ground up and running”.
Unfortunately, unless employers accept a modicum of risk, ownership and responsibility where training is concerned, extending to the provision of sponsorship and placements for candidates at College and University, it is difficult to understand the basis on which any employer may expect anything better than “capable candidates” as recruits rather than work to some naive or delusional proposition of expecting “Ideal Candidates”.
It really increases the gap between rich and poor graduates or those who live near London and those who don’t. I don’t get how someone from a poor family up North would be able to take a finance internship in London, especially if they needed to earn money for uni.
Employer demands just keep getting more and more ridiculous. It seems most jobs will only consider you if you have already worked at least a year in a job that’s more or less identical to the role you’re applying for.
When I was in education they talked about transferable skills i.e. that if you worked in a shop sales team then you had teamwork skills that could be applied to any team based job. That doesn’t seem to be the case anymore; employers want identical experience and can’t be bothered to consider transferable skills and the candidate’s potential.
Graduates are just going to have to learn that, there are more unemployed people than jobs out there so employers can make ridiculous for what they want out of a graduate who want jobs, get over it.
@matthew
We can’t ‘get over it’, that’s the whole point. We have reached an impasse. I agree with Catherine and have also found that it is extremely difficult to be considered for any position without, it seems, having done precisely the same job as advertised. Relevant skills don’t seem to matter so much. I would also like to point out though that I live in the suburbs of London and trying to get any kind of work in the centre is made extremely difficult by the fact that train fares are extortionate. I am fortunate enough to live with supportive parents, but can’t see much of a future for myself when every application I send is met by silence or automated refusal.
So what do I talk about when I talk about social mobility? I mean, as a general rule, no progress without wealthy parents or connections. This will have serious ramifications for the future of the country and isn’t something we will just ‘get over’.
@jeremy
there will always be high unemployment in this country when you have the EU means cheap labour, robots taking humans jobs away and manfacturing jobs going to the far east.
“and investment banking internships are always in big cities, usually London. If you are an undergraduate whose parents live in a rural area or you can’t afford to work for low wages, can you hope to compete with those based in cities who have greater financial support from their families”
IB internships usually pay the same as a first year analyst position – anyone who gets an IB internship will be well able to afford to live in the big smoke.