Graduate Recruitment

1
Graduate Recruitment

• Dr John Copelton
• Senior Careers Adviser

2
We will consider

• How to find out about employers
• How to find out about vacancies
• When to apply
• How graduate selection works
• The effect of postgraduate education

3
The graduate labour market by region

• Students at Queens have access to three
• labour markets. In order of size these are
• Great Britain
• Republic of Ireland
• Northern Ireland

4
Finding a graduate job
5
How to find out about employers in GB

• Engineering Careers Symposium (14th March).
• Graduate employer directories (Prospects,
  Hobsons).
• Autumn Careers Fairs (details on careers
  website).
• Employer presentations (details on careers
  website).
• Ashby Employer of the week.
• Useful web sites can be located from the
• Subject Weblinks section on the Careers
  website

6
How to find out about employers in the ROI

• Gradireland Directory.
• www.gradireland.com website.
• Careers Service Employer Library.
• Employer presentations.
• Work Experience.

7
How to find out about employers in NI

• Employers in NI (www.qub.ac.uk/careers)
• gtQuick links gt Employer databases.
• Companies Registry Office.
• Belfast Public Library.
• Job Markets.

8
How to find vacancies in GB

• Autumn Careers Fairs
• Employer Presentations
• Employer Directories
• www.prospects.ac.uk Home pagegtsearch for jobs
• www.qub.ac.uk/careers gt vacancies/courses
• www.qub.ac.uk/careers gtTargetedgrad
• Specialist journals
• Engineering institutions

9
How to find vacancies in ROI

• www.gradireland.com.
• Autumn Careers Fairs.
• Employer Presentations.
• www.qub.ac.uk/careersgtvacancies.
• Newspapers.
• Speculative application.

10
How to find vacancies in NI

• Autumn Careers Fairs.
• www.qub.ac.uk/careersgtvacancies.
• www.qub.ac.uk/careers
• gt vacancies/courses gt other sources.
• Belfast Telegraph (gt10k pn)/Irish Times
• Job Centres www.jobcentreonline.com.
• Local Universities.
• Civil Service.

11
Local graduate into work schemes

• Explorers 2
• Financial Futures
• KTP
• Premiere II

12
When to apply in GB

• Most major employers adhere to an annual
  recruitment cycle.
• Applications are expected between October and
  Christmas.
• Most application forms are on-line.
• Increasingly initial interviews are by telephone.
• The process is complete by Easter.

13
When to apply in NI/ROI

• Only a relatively small number of companies
  recruit on a regular basis.
• Vacancies can be advertised throughout the year,
  including exam times.
• In NI many companies effectively shut down
  recruitment activity during July/August and in
  December/January.
• Queens Careers Service encourages companies who
  may intend to recruit later in the current year
  to attend the NI Graduate Recruitment Fair in
  June.

14
NI Fair Employment Law

• Employers in NI must advertise their vacancies so
  that they are equally likely to be seen by all
  sections of the community.
• It is recommended that employers prepare a Job
  Description and Personnel Specification.
• The Personnel Specification must be job-related,
  ability-based, measurable and observable.
• Advertisements must state essential/desirable
  criteria.
• Employers must record the religious affiliation
  of all applicants using a monitoring form.

15
Graduate selection in practice

• Top companies require 2.1 or better.
• All candidates for engineering positions will
  have studied similar subjects.
• The knowledge you acquire in your degree will not
  be the deciding factor in whether you get a job.
• Most engineering employers consider BEng as well
  as MEng.

16
Selection Cascade

• Applications/employer 3700 (GTI Graduate Trends
  Survey 2004).
• Roughly 1 in 3 made it to interview (1200).
• 1 in 3 were invited to attend an assessment
  centre (400).
• Of these, 1 in 3 were offered a job (124).
• What will make your application stand out?

17
How do companies decide who is the best candidate
for the job?

• Companies identify individuals within their
  organisation who do a job particularly
  effectively.
• A competency framework is developed.
• A typical competency framework covers generic
  skills i.e.
• Oral and written communication
• Planning and organising
• Decision making
• Initiative/drive
• Teamwork
• Adapting to change
• Problem solving
• How can you prove that you possess these skills?

18
What do top employers want?

• Good degree 2.1 minimum.
• Reputable university (Queens is in the UK top
  20).
• Experience preferably full sandwich.
• Evidence that you possess the key skills
  required.
• Achievements.
• Business awareness.
• Evidence of motivation.
• Mobility.

19
On-line applications

• On-line application forms now account for gt 80
  and are available from company websites.
• The application form is usually competency based
  and will ask for evidence of your abilities.
• Do not attempt to complete the form on-line. Copy
  it off and word process your responses. Then cut
  and paste these into the on-line form.
• You may have to take an on-line psychometric test
  in real-time.
• Make sure you allow enough time to complete the
  process properly.

20
BT On-Line Application Form Question

• BT puts customers at the heart of everything it
  does. A customer is anyone we do work for. Think
  of a time when you were involved with one or more
  customers.
• What was your role?
• Who were your customers?
• What was the setting?
• In particular, think back to a time when you had
  a difficult situation with a customer.
• Describe the situation.
• What did you want to achieve?
• What actions did you take to address the
  situation and why?
• What was the outcome?
• What would you do differently if you were in the
  same situation again?

21
Interviews

• Do your homework on the company.
• Make a list of your key selling points.
• Prioritise your list.
• Telephone interviews are becoming more common.
• Keep your notes in a handy file that you can
  refer to during the interview.

22
Assessment Centres

• Company Presentation/Dinner/Bar.
• Psychometric tests (QCS offers practice
  sessions).
• Group work exercises (study the rules).
• Presentations (class presentations are useful
  practice).
• Interviews (QCS can offer practice interviews).
• View the video Two Whole Days.

23
Options for engineers wishing to stay in NI

• Working for a local engineering employer
• Have your CV ready by the start of final year
• Keep in touch with the Careers Service (SMS)
• Try to get a local vacation/sandwich placement
• Be prepared to be flexible
• Accountancy (apply in October)
• Management Consultancy (October Careers Fair)
• Northern Ireland Graduate Recruitment Fair (June)
• Postgraduate study
• Teacher training (PGCE QUB 1st November)
• Graduate training programmes
• KTP
• Explorers
• Premiere II

24
Engineering Careers SymposiumWednesday 14th
March 2007Ashby Building
25
Postgraduate education?

• Reasons for considering postgraduate study
• Interest in the subject
• Academic ambition
• Long term job prospects
• BEng CEng progression
• More time to consider career options

26
Postgraduate routes

• Taught courses
• Diploma normally 9 months
• Masters normally 12 months
• Research
• PhD normally 3 years

27
Fees for postgraduate study

• www.qub.ac.uk/pao
• MSc/PhD fees 3010 (EU) 8990 (Non-EU).
• Closing date for applications End April.
• Notification of outcome - August

28
Postgraduate education

• Funding
• Diploma No ELB funding in 2005/6.
• Masters No funding.
• PhD (DEL Fees 12K maintenance).
• PhD (CAST Studentships Fees 10.5K 4.2K).
• For further information - www.qub.ac.uk/pao.

29
The effects of postgraduate education

• PhDs are
• Less likely to be unemployed.
• More likely to be working as engineers.
• More likely to be working in GB.
• More likely to be working for a multi-national.
• More likely to achieve higher earnings over their
  lifetime.