Finally… Some Good News For The Graduate Jobs Market

By Amy @BubbleJobs

If you’re an undergraduate or graduate I don’t blame you for feeling a bit down about the future at the moment – after all, if you believe all the headlines, you’ve got no chance of getting a job in the current market, right?!

Well, I’ve got some good news for you – things not might be as bad as they seem. Yep, believe it or not, I’ve actually spotted a positive story regarding the graduate jobs market this week – woo hoo! Got over the shock yet? OK, it’s time to share the good news…

A survey conducted by the Association of Graduate Recruiters has concluded that graduate job opportunities are set to rise by… wait for it… a whopping 9% this year! OK, maybe that figure’s not as high as you’d like but come on, there are apparently going to be MORE jobs this year than last year – how can you be disappointed with that?

But wait, it gets better… apparently average graduate salaries are set to increase by just under 2% this year – OK, again, not a massive rise but still, a rise nonetheless! Yep, the AGR surveyed 197 employees who apparently confirmed that graduate starting salaries would rise this year for the first time since 2008 – hurrah!

graduates

Sticking with the graduate jobs theme… another report out this week suggests that students are looking for graduate jobs earlier than ever before. Apparently one in five undergraduates are now looking and applying for jobs before their final year in the hope of bagging one of those precious graduate vacancies.

The survey suggests it’s students in the South East who are keenest, particularly those at Sussex University, while students in Wales and Scotland were named as the least prepared, with only 13% admitting to taking a pro-active approach to their graduate job search while at university.

Thought you didn’t have to worry about impressing employers until you graduated? This new study suggests that this may no longer be the case. Apparently more and more students are now being approached by top 100 graduate firms earlier in their university careers, with 42% of these companies admitting to promoting graduate roles to first year students.

Top tips for catching an employer’s eye during your university days? Attend those careers fairs your university puts on every year, ensure you have an online presence by creating a LinkedIn profile and try and get as much experience as you can to ensure your CV stands out – OK, I know I’m probably not telling you anything new there but it’s important! Speaking of stand-out CVs…..

Tags: graduate careers, graduate job search, graduate jobs, graduate schemes

About the Author

Amy Edwards Amy Edwards is the SEO Manager for Bubble Jobs. With a strong background in online content and copywriting, Amy is responsible all the on-site and off-site SEO of Bubble Jobs and the Bubble Jobs blog. You can follow her on Twitter here or add her to your circles on Google+ here.