GRB in the press

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The Graduate Recruitment Bureau has compiled a list of the top 50 finalyear students in the country, a group it calls Rising Stars, which it is now marketing to recruiters across the UK.

The list includes students from top universities such as Oxford and Cambridge, plus other colleges where students have something that makes them stand out -  particular work experience, a sporting achievement, involvement with a charity, evidence of entrepreneurial flair or perhaps something more unusual. Recruiters are likely to be looking for team players and anybody who has competed at a high level in team sports will usually be at an advantage.

When he speaks to graduates on the telephone, Dan Hawes, co-founder and marketing director of the Graduate Recruitment Bureau, looks for communication skills, good rapport and some pizzazz. Commercial awareness is another plus. Being familiar with how an investment bank's back office works makes a better impression than not knowing how to use a fax machine.

Hawes recommends chasing up applications, asking if you have been selected for an interview and if not why, getting feedback every step of the way. "People will stand out if they are proactive and phone up. They are not pestering, they are just keen."

Full article can be found here

Record rise in Duke of Edinburgh Award participants

The last two years have seen a massive increase in the amount of young people undertaking the Duke of Edinburgh Award (DoE), according to the programme's organisers.

1,200 young people participated in the renowned award programme in 2008/2009, compared to the 1000 people who took part in 2007/2008 - an increase of 20 percent.

A recent survey conducted by the United Learning Trust has shown that the award rates among the top three most important activities that an employer will look for on a CV.

Dan Hawes, co-founder of the Graduate Recruitment Bureau, said: "The job market for graduates is extremely competitive. As well as your qualifications, any extra-curricular activities which can set you apart from the next applicant are very beneficial.

"The Duke of Edinburgh Award requires a lot of commitment and skill, especially at Gold level. Activities like this can tell a potential employer a lot about a candidate."

Mr Hawes continued: "We have actually had employers stipulate that they would like us to look for candidates with a Duke of Edinburgh Award when we are matching them up with graduates, and we have included a search facility within our computer system which enables us to do this."

Full article can be found here.

JOB PROSPECTS FOR BRITAIN'S GRADUATES IMPROVE AT LAST

AFTER one of the toughest years in decades for graduates, their career prospects have been boosted by an 11% rise in vacancies among top employers, writes Ben Marlow.

This year Britain's 100 biggest graduate employers expect to recruit at least 15,500 university leavers, up from 13,650 last year, according to High Fliers Research. This follows an 18% decline in 2009 and a 7% fall in 2008.

"There seems to be much less uncertainty among companies about recruitment over the next 12 months," said Chris Cater, co-founder of the Graduate Recruitment Bureau.

"We have had six tenders [requests from companies to fill their graduate job allocation] in the first two or three weeks of January. Last year we had none."

The bad news for unemployed graduates is that this year there will more candidates than ever fighting for the best jobs. Martin Birchall, managing director of High Fliers, said: "The competition for places is the strongest we have seen for perhaps 20 years. We estimate that about 25% of this year's vacancies may already be filled."

Full article can be found here.

According to Dan Hawes of the Graduate Recruitment Bureau, the best CVs are those with details of good internships. "Relevant work experience makes a candidate stand out. We go to a lot of career fairs and students with commercial know-how are different. They can speak to you on the same level."

Full Times article here > http://tinyurl.com/c75s53