Big recruiters told to sell their sectors to undergraduates not their brand

29 February 2012

A recent survey of over 5,000 undergraduates found that the very last career decision that they made was the choice of employer. 86 per cent of respondents looked first at the sectors or professions that interested them, then they examined the jobs available and then, but only then, did they start to look seriously at the merits (and brands) of individual employers. And to find careers information, only 10 per cent began their search by looking at specific employers' websites.

The survey, undertaken by Work Group using the targetjobs.co.uk student database, was presented by Head of Research Marcus Body at the latest TARGETjobs Breakfast News event at Rhodes W1 in front of over 200 graduate recruiters, agencies and universities on the last day of February. So although it's really important for recruiters to build and promote a winning brand to students, Marcus argued that it was even more important for graduate recruiters to engage earlier with students to sell their sectors and the opportunities offered by all employers in that sector. Being an employer of choice was partly about having a more attractive brand than the competitors but it was also about being part of a sector that offered great careers for a lifetime. The survey report defined successful graduate recruitment as a shared activity; where each employer needs to work closely with their bitter rivals to sell the benefits of the sector, grab the talent and keep it in the sector for everyone's mutual benefit. With most graduate recruits leaving the organisation they started with fairly quickly, it makes sense to retain them in the talent pool.

Marcus Body, Head of Research at Work Group said: "Isn't it time for graduate employers to start co-operating when it's in their best interests to promote the fantastic range of careers within their sector?"

TARGETjobs Breakfast News is sponsored by Work Group and organised by GTI Media in association with the AGR (Association of Graduate Recruiters). It takes place in London at iconic venues five times a year and presents the graduate recruitment community with a chance to listen to original research, share ideas and track trends. This Breakfast News also featured input from award-winning designer Wayne Hemingway, the Vice-President, People at McDonald's Restaurants Jez Langhorn, Carl Gilleard, CEO of AGR and the resident economist Bryan Finn of Business Economics.

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Note to Editors

1. TARGETjobs’ Breakfast News is an event held 5 times a year, sponsored by Work Group and in association with the AGR (Association of Graduate Recruiters).
2. TARGETjobs’ Breakfast News event on 29 February 2012 was held at Rhodes W1, London.
3. targetjobs.co.uk is the leading graduate jobsite in the country, which contains over 500 graduate employer profiles and over 20,000 articles offering careers advice.
4. It is published by GTI Media, part of Group GTI - the largest graduate careers group in Europe and Asia, which currently employs 250 people across 9 countries.
5. GTI Media also produces a wide range of sector-specific publications, both in print and online, written by experts in their sectors, which help graduates secure jobs.
6. GTI Media distributes its products to universities across the UK and Ireland and is the publishing partner of 25 leading university careers services, including Cambridge, Imperial, Edinburgh, Warwick, London, Manchester, Nottingham, Durham and Trinity College Dublin.
7. GTI is also the official publishing partner of the Association of Higher Education Careers Services, the professional association of careers services in Ireland, producing products under the gradireland brand.
8. For more information on GTI Media visit gtimedia.co.uk

For further information, please contact:

Chris Phillips, UK Publishing Director at TARGETjobs

T: 01491 826262 E: Email

For PR enquiries, please contact:

Rachel Cox, Marketing Manager at TARGETjobs

T: 01491 828925 E: Email