Almost half of university graduates have landed their dream job, according to a new poll, and 34% would 'lie on their CV' to get one

15 per cent say they are still looking for their perfect role

(John Moore/Getty Images)

Almost half of university graduates from the last four years have landed their dream jobs, according to a new poll, with 34 per cent saying they would lie on their CV in order to land that ideal job,

Endsleigh’s 2015 Graduate Survey – carried out by the National Union of Students (NUS) – surveyed 1,448 young professionals to find 43 per cent had found full-time jobs in their chosen career fields.

However, 34 per cent said they had ended up in jobs they did not initially aim for, with another 15 per cent saying they are still looking for their perfect role.

When it came to pay, of those who had found employment within a year of graduation, research showed 30 per cent started on £12,000-a-year or less – and 9 per cent were initially unpaid.

27 per cent earned between £12,000 and £19,000, 29 per cent said their salary was between £19,000 and £30,000 and 3 per cent of these graduates said they earned more than £30,000-a-year.

One 2014 University of Nottingham graduate, Sam Griffiths, told the survey that post-graduate life was testing, at first, and said: “I kept myself busy with brief work experience placements whilst I attended interviews for permanent jobs and, luckily, about four months after my graduation, I got a fantastic job that I really wanted.”

The manager of student markets at Endsleigh, Sara Newell, said the findings were understandably challenging when it came to graduates finding their ideal job and salary and added: “It is clear that many are realistic about the difficulties they’ll face upon leaving university and understand it’s not necessarily going to be an easy ride.

“It is encouraging, on the other hand, to see nearly half of graduates landing their dream job – while even more have managed to secure full-time paid employment in other industries.”

The survey rounded-off with gradates discussing their willingness to lie on their CV in order to get their ideal job: 34 per cent said they would definitely lie about their work experience history and another 29 per cent said they would be willing to lie regarding the extent of their knowledge relevant to the job.