Working towards a real job
MORE than a third of jobs for new graduates are taken by people who have already gained some work experience with that employer, according to recent research.
The Graduate Market In 2012, a report by research group High Fliers, revealed that employers are reporting an average 19 per cent increase in applications.
Those graduates with no work experience whatsoever have ‘little or no chance’ of success in the job market, whatever their degree class.
The report painted a gloomy prospect for university leavers who are also competing for jobs against a backlog of graduates from previous years. So clearly, it is more important than ever to stand out from the masses of applications.
Beth Cammegh, 21, a fourth year management science student at Loughborough University, hopes her year-long work placement in Adidas’ finance department will help her achieve just that.
Sandwich degree courses — which see students go on a yearlong placement between the second and third year of their course — are in decline. But all of Loughborough’s undergraduate business and management courses are four-year sandwich degree courses. And a third of all students at the university choose to undertake a sandwich course.
Beth, from Bicester, near Oxford, believes the experience she gained working as a financial analyst in Adidas’ offices in Manchester has been invaluable. She also received a £14,000-a-year salary.
She is now applying for jobs in accountancy firms. She said: ‘ I’ve had a few graduate interviews and I’ve been able to talk about my experience in a business environment.
‘ The placement was for a whole year so you start to understand how everything fits together and gain a good understanding of the business. Some of the interview questions were very tough, but I’ve been able to relate them to a working situation.
‘I doubt I’d have been able to answer some of them without doing this. I think it must give you an edge in the job market.’