A Labour Market Quiz

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Consider the following statements about the graduate labour market in the UK. Are they true (T) or false (F)… or somewhere in between(?)?

1) "Graduate jobs mean rapid promotion and job-for-life security"	T ? F
2) "Graduates only work for large, blue-chip organisations"	T ? F
3) "Employers are only interested in academic performance, so a degree is a guarantee of a 'good' job"	T ? F
4) "If you have a degree you won't need to do any more studying"	T ? F
5) "Employers always look for graduates from a specific degree discipline"	T ? F

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3) Employers do see 'a good degree' as a general indicator of your intellectual ability, and may even specify a minimum 2.1 as a pre-requisite for entry to their graduate positions. However,

"a degree is no longer a meal ticket, it is merely a licence to hunt." (anon)

In addition to your degree, employers will often expect to see work relevant transferable skills. For example the Bank of England grades all initial applications according to the applicant's academic potential, commitment to economics and evidence of having held positions of responsibility.

Activities, whether on course or extra-curricula, which develop vocational skills like team work, leadership etc are highly regarded by companies. In a recent survey conducted by the Association of Graduate Recruiters, a third of employers felt that graduates needed to improve on their ability to solve problems and to build effective working relationships. 80% of employers said that students would find it easier to achieve success in the job market, if they were able to demonstrate they had acquired a range of transferable skills.