Graduates blog

We’re Finalists!

Created 23/01/2012 10:48 Last updated 23/01/2012 10:51

Graduates Yorkshire is proud to announce that we have been shortlisted for the Niche Job Board Award at the Onrec Awards 2012. The winner will be announced on the 28th March at the awards ceremony to be held at the Grange St. Paul’s Hotel, London.

Guardian Jobs guest blog: Finding a graduate job

Created 17/01/2012 15:59

Guardian Jobs has written a guest blog for you lucky Graduates Yorkshire users. Find out their advice on job researching, speculative applications and networking.

Finding a graduate job: It’s all about knowing where to look!

Most university students think about their career prospects long before they’re holding that all-important certificate and scouring graduate jobs boards. Finding any job, let alone the right job, isn’t the easiest of tasks so sometimes it’s necessary to get creative in your thinking and take the less traditional route.

All I want for Christmas is a new job!

Created 23/12/2011 10:17 Last updated 23/12/2011 10:26

January is a popular time for people to reassess their lives which involves taking a long hard look at the job they’re in. Those that aren’t satisfied with what they are doing will start to look elsewhere causing a good old move around in the job market. To make the most of the increase in jobs advertised you need to be ahead of the game, with your CV already perfected and your professional persona fully linked up on social media.

How to spot a bad boss in an interview

Created 15/12/2011 17:06

I came across this interesting article on LinkedIn today about how to spot a potentially bad boss in an interview. This reminded me of one key thing that is easy to forget when looking for a job, especially when starting out in your career. It’s that a job interview is as much to find out about your potential employer as it is for them to find out about you.

Yorkshire's best bits?

Created 06/12/2011 13:33 Last updated 06/12/2011 13:44

It’s felt like GY on tour of late. We’ve been out filming all across Yorkshire filming its best bits for a video we are putting together to encourage people to want to live and work in Yorkshire after they graduate. We don’t think that it’s a hard sell but judging by the weather we have had we might be wrong… take a look at this youtube clip!

Sneak a peak on the assessors eye view of assessment centres

Created 06/12/2011 11:47 Last updated 06/12/2011 12:00

Whilst at the Bradford University Management School careers fair last week I met some students who said that they would like a bit more information about what to expect at assessment centres. Well, as good timing would have it, I have just completed some training to allow me to be an assessor at assessment centres so I might be able to offer a sneaky insight into what an assessor will be looking for.

Do you use social media to look for jobs?

Created 25/11/2011 16:44

Today’s live debate into the evolving role of university careers services brought up an interesting topic. The use of social media in job hunting.

I have only worked at Graduates Yorkshire for three weeks so I am busy trying to learn everything I can about the recruitment industry but one fact I read about really took me by surprise. I heard a statistic that 60% of jobs are not advertised through the usual channels like job boards, ads and agencies. I found this a bit hard to believe because it at first seemed counter-intuitive for employers to avoid making their job adverts as easy to find as possible.

Good news! Graduate employment is on the rise.

Created 14/11/2011 12:01 Last updated 14/11/2011 12:09

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit (HECSU) has released a report that suggests the levels of graduate unemployment are starting to drop. The report shows that whilst the reduction in public sector employment is likely to affect graduates the modest growth in private sector recruitment is likely to offset this.

The importance of a good telephone manner

Created 05/10/2011 15:30 Last updated 05/10/2011 15:37

With more and more companies opting for phone conferencing as an efficient and cost effective way to run a smooth business, confidence, authority and general communication skills on the phone is more important than ever for graduates.

Image courtesy of Flavia FF

Conference calls are vital to the success of many businesses these days, so an excellent telephone manner is often a necessity for all applicants. You might have done plenty of talking on the phone over the years, but business phone calls are a whole different kettle of fish. That is not to say that you should worry if you haven’t had any telephone etiquette experience, as such. In fact, you probably already have the skills required to be successful on the phone, you just need to put them into practice.

How to tackle online recruitment tests

Created 29/09/2011 12:01 Last updated 29/09/2011 12:03

An increasing number of employers are using online assessments to help them narrow down the field.

Like any test these can be a nerve racking experience, particularly if you have never taken one before. So to help calm your nerves, and ensure you have the best chance possible of landing that dream job, here are some tips on what to expect, and how to prepare and tackle these types of tests.