Without Internships and Unpaid Work Placements, Graduate Jobs are Hard to Find

April 22, 2010 - PRLog -- Many graduates struggle to find the graduate jobs they are looking for because they fail to complete meaningful work experience or internships during their time in higher education. While some graduates make the most of their time, and often get offered great career-boosting jobs because of successful internships, less ambitious graduates can find themselves over-qualified and under-experienced.

It has led to a situation where many fresh graduates are faced with a stark choice – take a job which has little to do with their degree, or accept unpaid work placements in order to find an appropriate graduate job.

In a recent poll conducted by graduate job experts the Graduate Recruitment Bureau, a staggering 48% of respondents said that they didn’t complete any work experience during their time at university. Exactly two thirds of these blamed excessive uni workloads, while the remaining third said it simply never occurred to them.

While work experience, placements and internships sometimes reward financially, most do not even offer travelling expenses, and this seems to be a  major gripe with graduates. 78% said they thought work experience should be paid, with 22% accepting that boosted career prospects are payment enough.

With most (44%) graduates expecting a starting salary of between 20-24k, there seems to be a gap between graduates’ expectations and the reality of the job market. In the current economic climate, even graduates with work experience under their belt can struggle to find a graduate job which pays this well, at least at first.

Internships are fast becoming an essential first step on the career ladder in many industries and professions. The purpose of an internship is to provide interns with a meaningful working experience which will improve their employability and skill base. But there are also very real benefits for companies who provide high quality internships, bringing new knowledge and skills into an organisation.

Some graduates think that internships are pointless – working for free after accruing four figures of debt might seem like going backwards, but the skills and experience that a candidate can gain from unpaid internships can mean earning more money in the future and having a better chance at the roles that most appeal.

http://www.grb.uk.com/recruiter-guide-on-internships.0.html

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GRB is a specialist recruitment agency that has contacts with many small, medium and traditional graduate recruiters across the UK, offering highly desirable Graduate Jobs over a range of sectors. As well as providing access to the latest Graduate Jobs and Graduate Schemes, the GRB will support you through your job application with excellent CV help, Graduate Job advice and all the industry knowledge you may need from professionals who understand the competitive nature of the graduate job market.

http://www.grb.uk.com/