The competition for graduate jobs is fierce

Competition for employment is high across the UK right now, but there are few areas that are as tough to get into as the graduate jobs sector. Hundreds of thousands of students have recently finished their degrees at universities across the country and they are all in competition for a limited number of jobs. This means that graduates have to do more than ever to ensure they stand out from the crowd and get their ideal job sooner rather than later.

Now as many as 70 university leavers are applying for each graduate job that is available. That means when one person is successful, another 69 will be left disappointed and will have to continue their hunt for employment. With these numbers of applicants for just one job, it looks as though the road to employment for graduates could be a long and tough one.

The cut in public sector recruitment will also hit graduates hard and the Association of Graduate Recruiters predicts that other sectors will reduce their level of graduate employment. The result is likely to be a seven percent cut in jobs for university leavers, so competition is likely to increase.

For those searching for graduate jobs London is still the first place to look. The capital is where the majority of the country’s leading businesses are situated and thus is where the most graduate employment is taking place. Many companies are still running graduate schemes, although admittedly in reduced numbers, while there are also fledgling businesses that are looking to draw on the graduate talent available to boost their company.

As a graduate, you are likely to be ahead of many other applicants when applying for jobs. Through your degree you will have acquired a broad base of skills that employers are looking for. Your degree also illustrates that you have the commitment required and could be a real asset for any company.

One impact of the economic downturn and the consequent shrinking of the graduate market is that university leavers have to be more flexible when it comes to the task of finding employment. While some degrees, such as computer science, lend themselves to specific employment, it is not always the case that your perfect job is available when you graduate. As a result, graduates have to be patient in their search for employment in their desired sector, while looking at a broader range of jobs to get them on the employment ladder.

Due to the fierce competition in the graduate job market, many students are deciding to pursue further education in the hope that in a year’s time the competition will have eased slightly. This is likely to be the case and is not a bad route to go down if there is a particular course that you have in mind. However, whenever you decide to take your first tentative steps into the world of full time employment it is always going to be difficult; it’s just that little bit tougher right now.

Standing out from the crowd is important now more than ever, and whether you’re applying for jobs Birmingham has to offer or employment in other parts of the country, it is essential that your CV is of the highest standard. Whatever achievements you have, from your university degree to extra-curricular activities, it is important that you document them in a way that makes them shine through.

If you’re applying for jobs now or in the future it is likely that your job applications will cover a wide spectrum of different sectors. Thus it is important that your CV is very specific to the job you’re applying for. For each application you need to show how your skills and experience make you ideally suited for the job and this will require you to tweak your CV for each application you make.

The competitive nature of the graduate job market has resulted in many university leavers having to lower their sights in terms of the employment they’re looking for. In an effort to get ahead, many graduates are going down the route of unpaid work in order to get some experience in a certain sector.

If you are struggling to find employment in a graduate-level job, undertaking an internship is a good way of showing that you’re being proactive in your search for work and this is something that potential future employers will look favourably upon. It will also look good on your CV, showing that you were not prepared to sit around and wait for jobs to find you, but were instead showing initiative and getting yourself noticed, something that’s particularly important in the media sector, for example.

By going down the route of internships you could either secure full time work with the same company, or you could make contacts in the industry. Either way, going on an internship can only help your future job prospects and it might even result in you changing your mind about the employment sector you wish to work in, which is only a good thing in the long term.

Making a high number of job applications regularly and continuing to be unsuccessful can be a demoralising experience. What you have to remember is that the job market is in a unique position to some extent right now and that many people are in exactly the same situation as you. The only way that you’re are going to find your ideal job is if you are proactive and continue to search all the possible avenues available to you, staying motivated and being in a positive frame of mind.

The graduate job market is as tough as it has ever been at present, but there are jobs out there and it’s just a question of finding the right one for you. If you are motivated and show initiative in your search for employment, your first post-university job is likely to be just around the corner.

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