In our last blog we introduced you to Career and Professional Development Centre and the services on offer to you. Here, Leena Dattani-Demirci from the Careers team at Cass gives you an insight into what the outlook is for the graduate jobs market in 2015…..

 

This week the hard work starts, I will be taking you through the Graduate and Entry Level Jobs Market.

You have signed on the dotted line……. the next stop on your journey is our prestigious Cass Business School in London to begin your exciting MSc… and we (the Cass Careers Team) can’t wait to meet you!

You will have the opportunity to learn from our world leading experts, attend and participate in some fantastic on campus events run by our student led clubs and societies, and last but not least meet fellow students who will no doubt turn into friends for life.

But there is something else that needs your immediate attention… Something you may or may not even have considered while you are enjoying your summer soaking up the sun, enjoying road trips, sightseeing and attending festivals.

What could that be I hear you ask?

I am certain that for the vast majority of readers upon completion of your MSc, you will want a job. Not just any job either – but something related to this life changing MSc you have worked so hard to achieve.

This will mostly likely not be as easy as it sounds. As a professional with over 10 years of experience in graduate recruitment, I know a thing or two about how students get jobs… I’m going to let you into a very important secret….

Nobody is going to hand you the job you want on a plate

While this might be a difficult message to hear,  searching for a job can and will feel like an impossible uphill climb at the best of times, undertaking research on the role, specific company and sector, as well as filling out application forms, taking psychometric tests and attending assessment centres while studying for a challenging MSc is hard… BUT if a graduate programme is on your wish list, you will need to stay strong and persevere.

Our experience backed up by research does tell us only 6-11% of students who apply go on to get jobs on graduate schemes. Getting a job on a graduate scheme is the exception, not the norm and it isn’t for everyone.

But if a graduate scheme is want, and you don’t know where to start, here is a good place to begin your research UK Top 100 Graduate Employers and the outlook on the graduate market is positive

• The UK’s leading employers plan to expand their graduate recruitment even further in 2015 with 8.1% more entry-level vacancies than last year, the third consecutive year that graduate vacancies have increased.

• The largest growth in vacancies is expected in the public sector, accounting & professional services firms, banking & finance employers, retailers and the Armed Forces, which together intend to recruit over 1,200 extra graduates in 2015.

• The largest recruiters of graduates in 2015 will be PwC (1,570 vacancies) and Deloitte (1,100 vacancies)

BUT….

In this climate graduate employers are looking for candidates with more than a 2:1 at undergraduate level. Work experience is key, so start applying for summer jobs, Christmas jobs, weekend jobs in fact, any jobs! Gaining experience will be valuable for your CV and your bank account. It’s a win-win situation and future employers will find you much more attractive.

And if you need evidence data from the 2015 high fliers report states…

• “Recruiters have confirmed that 31% of this year’s entry-level positions are expected to be filled by graduates who have already worked for their organisations, either through paid internships, industrial placements or vacation work.”

• Nearly half the recruiters who took part in the research repeated their warnings from previous years – that graduates who have had no previous work experience at all are unlikely to be successful during the selection process and have little or no chance of receiving a job offer for their organisations’ graduate programmes.

SO IF YOU WANT A PLACE ON A GRADUATE SCHEME IN SEPT 2016 START LOOKING FOR A JOB NOW!

• City University partners with Unitemps to help you find temporary or short term assignments.

Graduate Schemes are not the only way to go!

In fact the majority of Cass graduates choose entry level roles which allow them to use knowledge gained during the MSc and put into practice what they have learned, and Cass graduates aren’t alone

• 50% of graduates go to work for companies with less than 200 employees and 41% for organisations with less than 100 employees. There’s a lot more out there than the big firms. (Source: Which University? Getting a graduate job: myths and realities)

So what is the appeal with a smaller firm?

• Increased variety in type of work – for you this means that you’ll probably have the opportunity to do more interesting things, and take on projects outside of your remit.
• Exposure to senior management/clients/suppliers allowing you to access influential individuals at an early stage in your career.
• More autonomy – for you this means have a lot more control over your own work
• Faster Job progression, in a smaller company, there’s less competition. This is a simplification of the situation that you’ll be in, but it’s true. As you have fewer people fighting to get the top roles.
• REMEMBER – Google was an SME once

To find more about what graduates expect to do vs what they actually do when they graduate watch this great TED TALK – Mind the expectation gap

Upcoming Blogs

• What to expect from the recruitment process (with a focus on video interviewing)
• Where do Cass students get hired?

Questions?

• Drop us an email cass-careers@city.ac.uk

Whether it’s a graduate scheme or an entry level position with a smaller company the careers team are on your side and ready to support you on your journey. Thanks for reading and keep an eye out for our next blog.