Whilst I spend a good deal of time diverting attention away from grad schemes towards other graduate entry level jobs I don’t lose sight of the fact that they are still a much sought after route for final years and recent grads. In January a certain amount of gloom can descend on those who haven’t yet made it to the latter stages of assessment as rumours go round that “the schemes are all closed by now”. As with much of this type of chinese whispers it’s not actually true. A good deal of schemes will be closed to new applicants now but there will also be quite a few that are definitely still looking for new applicants. Then there are those companies who “go back to market”. In other words, they reopen for applications as they’ve got a new request from the business to go out and get more grads. For evidence of this AXA UK are going back to market in early Feb and are looking for digital marketing grad talent to join them.

This is just one example. Keep your eyes peeled. The grad scheme marketplace is still open for business.

I’m always on the look out for new and interesting ways the employers are using to recruit grads and this offering really stands out. Track & Train is an initiative by the rail industry to attract new talent to it. It’s open to those who’ve graduated in the last two years. It’s an 18 month program that involves placements with a number of rail industry sponsors. It’s got a similar recruitment process to many grad schemes (online application form, assessment centre etc.). The money on offer is very competitive (£22k per annum) and things are moving quickly (application deadline Jan 27th, assessment days in Feb and March and start dates shortly after).

It stands out because I’ve never heard of an industry running it’s own program. Will be interesting to see which other industries might follow suit.

Whilst many of you may be gearing up to get on board the 2012 grad scheme application process this autumn it’s still really worth keeping an eye out for the grad schemes that are still open for 2011. One such example is British Airways’ Operational Research programme. One for the analysts amongst you, it’s particularly practical and focused on the real life business process issues they face. You can read more here. Applications close on July 31st.

It’s the myth that leads to the pre Xmas panic. Grad scheme doors are closing. Must get aboard now! And it’s not true. Yes, a certain amount of schemes will be filled and some companies and some sectors close their doors sooner than others.

But many are still recruiting, including my old alma mater Logica, and here’s one reason why many still are. News reached me recently of a well known supermarket chain still accepting applications because “despite receiving 4,000 applications online, many were of poor quality“. We’re back to the quality, not quantity debate. Now this news should be a boost because if you continue to try and get that added value quality in to your applications the grad scheme door is still open. No matter how many applications they may have already received. If you want to know more about getting your quality up contact your degree specific careers consultant. We’re still here to help.

Well, not exactly empty but I thought you might be interested to hear that 15% of graduate recruiters who were recently polled by the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR) answered that they WERE NOT inundated with applications. That’s right, NOT inundated. I.e. they still potentially had room for more applications. Don’t believe me? Check out Morgan Stanley and their current struggles filling their Glasgow positions. Is location dependency restricting your job finding?

I’m not in the habit of doing this but we recently received an impassioned plea from Jaguar Land Rover to alert you to the fact that they’re urgently looking for new graduate talent this year. Demand in their new markets of China, Russia and India has significantly increased right across their range of products with the result that they have a significant skills shortages. Their current recruitment round comes to a close on December 31st.  Areas they’re looking for people in include Product Development Engineering, Manufacturing, Purchasing, Finance, HR, IT, Marketing, and Sales & Service. Their website is here.

Just a quick reminder about our Autumn Careers Fair taking place on campus this coming Monday from 1pm to 4pm in the Sports Hall. You can see a list of companies attending here. All of our careers advisers will be in attendance at various times over that 3 hours as well. We look forward to seeing you.

Based on interviews held with real life Brunel final years in March/April 2010. Responded to by an experienced graduate recruiter. WATCH HERE.

Soon to appear on Brunel’s YouTube channel.

Recent news from The Co-Operative concerning their graduate programme (they’re reopening for grad applications between June 14th and June 28th) bears this previous post out. Keep your eyes peeled.