I think it’s fitting that one of the first posts here is inspired by another Careers Service blog! The excellent Manchester Graduate Careers Blog gave me food for thought last week as I read Holly’s post on how employers are opening their applications for 2013 start already .
This reminded me how employers’ timetables are sometimes not in line with the university calendar, and whilst penultimate students are just breathing a sigh of relief that their exams are over, employers are gearing up to recruit them for their graduate schemes.
We know that some students are aware of this- a recent report stated that 42% of students last year had applied for a job before the end of October and for students with an interest in banking early applications have always been essential.
However, for those who are still in the mindset “Hey, I’ll start in November”, it could mean that some of the opportunities have closed– this excellent timeline created last year demonstrates how a lot of the Times Top 100 employers such as the Civil Service Fast Stream, Teach First and McKinsey close their application process 4 weeks into the Autumn Term. That’s why our Careers Fairs are so early in the Autumn Term.
Scanning through the 450+ jobs posted on the UoB Careers Service website right now, you certainly see this trend for early advertising with some of the employers that Holly mentions already posted for 2013, such as the Tesco Procurement Graduate Programme. What’s more, Unilever, who were delivering a case study session last week at our Science Faculty Careers Day, mentioned that they will open applications in August.
However, the vacancies advertised now also give the reassurance that employers are still recruiting now for an immediate start. This of course reflects the huge diversity in the jobs market, with a lot of smaller employers recruiting much later, and also the fact that the larger employers recruit all year round, or are still recruiting because they haven’t found the right people to fill their roles.
So, when faced with the negativity media about how students graduating in 2012 or even 2013 are doomed, here are a few key things to remember:
1) Research your employers– make sure that you know when they are opening their recruitment for internships or graduate places. Our ‘How to research employers’ pages are a good place to start.
2) Don’t underestimate how long application forms can take to put together– make sure you give yourself time to get it checked and double checked.
3) The Careers Service is open all summer, and if you’re not in Bristol, contact us via e-mail and phone.