The news wires have been buzzing this morning with newspaper reaction to the latest High Fliers research into the latest graduate recruitment trends. Here are articles from The Telegraph,  The Guardian, and The Independent to name a few. The main themes contain both good and not so good news. The number of grads they’re looking for in 2010/2011 is 10% up on 2009/2010. However a 1/3rd of these recruiters’ vacancies were filled straight away by returning placement students that have now graduated.

So, some swings and roundabouts, but I’d like to take a step back even further on this report. To illustrate that both facts should be taken with a pinch of salt. Why? Well, it’s a survey of just 100 of the employers out there. The articles don’t even say what proportion of the graduate jobs that are filled each year are covered by this group of 100. I’ll make a guess. Those surveyed are talked of as “leading companies”. I’d assume they’d then be recruiting for their graduate schemes, not single graduate entry level roles. And I know for a fact these schemes account for just 5% to 10% of all the grad jobs out there. A small proportion of the full picture.

I’m not denying the findings in this survey. I recognise that all surveys are indications of trends and not the full picture. See my 2nd and 3rd posts as I look at some of the trends. However the headlines that are drawn from such reports by newspapers (who do have papers to sell!) can mislead in a way which can be very unhelpful to your confidence. Take these articles with a pinch of salt. And do look at the graduate schemes but also be aware of the wider opportunities out there.